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In 2009, Dr. Ken Brookens and his wife Jean Brookens, along with family, friends, and professionals with a similar passion and vision, conceived Sustainable Hope, to work specifically with at-risk youth worldwide.

This work began in the Province of Chiang Mai, in the north of Thailand, to help improve the lives of the poor and disadvantaged youth in welfare schools, orphanages and remote villages.

They formed in 2008, Sustainable Hope International (SHI) a 501-C-3 U.S. not-for-profit, providing education resources and training for teachers and marginalized students. And three year later, in 2012, Sustainable Hope Thailand Foundation (SHTF) a Thai Foundation was registered with the Thai Government.

SHTH has developed the “We Can^TM Club” a three-year training model and curriculum that teaches, trains, and certifies advisors (teachers) and student’s basic skills in learning, language, life skills, leadership and living in community.

Sustainable Hope provides effective methodology for
 youth leadership development:

• Providestechnical, administrative, and organizational support, and helps establish and strengthen university-based and community-based programs
• Conductsgrassroots “training of trainers” workshops, using an interactive approach.
• Developsand assists in the development of interactive curricula and manuals for English teachers and students,
• Coordinatesand hosts We CanTM Club Leadership camps for eligible participating students.
• Organizesand facilitates visits, provides incentives for advancement and exchanges and trainings between students and teachers
• Worksto connect students with university and vocational programs with established university and corporations
• Offersopportunities for service clubs such as Rotary and corporations to sponsor “We Can TM Clubs” and Government school programs
• Sustainable Hope seeks to develop and strengthen positive partnerships and networks locally, regionally, and internationally.

Sustainable Hope organizes and support the following activities for youth leadership development:

• Providestechnical, administrative, and organizational support, and helps establish and strengthen university-based and community-based programs
• Conductsgrassroots “training of trainers” workshops, using an interactive approach.
• Developsand assists in the development of interactive curricula and manuals for English teachers and students,
• Coordinatesand hosts We CanTM Club Leadership camps for eligible participating students.
• Organizesand facilitates visits, provides incentives for advancement and exchanges and trainings between students and teachers
• Worksto connect students with university and vocational programs with established university and corporations
• Offersopportunities for service clubs such as Rotary and corporations to sponsor “We Can TM Clubs” and Government school programs
• Sustainable Hope seeks to develop and strengthen positive partnerships and networks locally, regionally, and internationally.

We facilitate safe learning spaces.

In 2009, Dr. Ken Brookens and his wife Jean Brookens, along with family, friends, and professionals with a similar passion and vision, conceived Sustainable Hope, to work specifically with at-risk youth worldwide.

This work began in the Province of Chiang Mai, in the north of Thailand, to help improve the lives of the poor and disadvantaged youth in welfare schools, orphanages and remote villages.

They formed in 2009, Sustainable Hope International (SHI) a 501-C-3 U.S. not-for-profit, providing education resources and training for teachers and marginalized students. And three year later, in 2012, Sustainable Hope Thailand Foundation (SHTF) a Thai Foundation was registered with the Thai Government.

SHTH has developed the “We Can^TM Club” a three-year training model and curriculum that teaches, trains, and certifies advisors (teachers) and student’s basic skills in learning, language, life skills, leadership and living in community.

Sustainable Hope provides effective methodology for
 youth leadership development:

• Providestechnical, administrative, and organizational support, and helps establish and strengthen university-based and community-based programs
• Conductsgrassroots “training of trainers” workshops, using an interactive approach.
• Developsand assists in the development of interactive curricula and manuals for English teachers and students,
• Coordinatesand hosts We CanTM Club Leadership camps for eligible participating students.
• Organizesand facilitates visits, provides incentives for advancement and exchanges and trainings between students and teachers
• Worksto connect students with university and vocational programs with established university and corporations
• Offersopportunities for service clubs such as Rotary and corporations to sponsor “We Can TM Clubs” and Government school programs
• Sustainable Hope seeks to develop and strengthen positive partnerships and networks locally, regionally, and internationally.

In 2009, Dr. Ken Brookens and his wife Jean Brookens, along with family, friends, and professionals with a similar passion and vision, conceived Sustainable Hope, to work specifically with at-risk youth worldwide.

This work began in the Province of Chiang Mai, in the north of Thailand, to help improve the lives of the poor and disadvantaged youth in welfare schools, orphanages and remote villages.

They formed in 2008, Sustainable Hope International (SHI) a 501-C-3 U.S. not-for-profit, providing education resources and training for teachers and marginalized students. And three year later, in 2012, Sustainable Hope Thailand Foundation (SHTF) a Thai Foundation was registered with the Thai Government.

SHTH has developed the “We Can^TM Club” a three-year training model and curriculum that teaches, trains, and certifies advisors (teachers) and student’s basic skills in learning, language, life skills, leadership and living in community.

Sustainable Hope provides effective methodology for
 youth leadership development:

• Providestechnical, administrative, and organizational support, and helps establish and strengthen university-based and community-based programs.
• Conductsgrassroots “training of trainers” workshops, using an interactive approach.
• Developsand assists in the development of interactive curricula and manuals for English teachers and students,
• Coordinatesand hosts We CanTM Club Leadership camps for eligible participating students.
• Organizesand facilitates visits, provides incentives for advancement and exchanges and trainings between students and teachers.
• Worksto connect students with university and vocational programs with established university and corporations.
• Offersopportunities for service clubs such as Rotary and corporations to sponsor “We Can TM Clubs” and Government school programs.
• Sustainable Hope seeks to develop and strengthen positive partnerships and networks locally, regionally, and internationally.

The We Can^TM Club leadership training model helps develop a young person's ability to make positive life choices based upon sound values and a vision of a successful future. The youth of today are the world's leaders of tomorrow, and we are committed to providing them with the skills, perspectives, and opportunities to serve their communities and our world.

The purpose of the We Can^TM Club is to promote feelings of acceptance and belonging.

✓ Youth join clubs and organizations because they want to be an active part of a group. If they do not feel they are welcome, or that they don’t “fit in” they will very quickly stop coming. Often, groups do not intentionally leave out members, but simply overlook new or quieter members.

✓ We encourage the club members to plan group-building activities for every meeting. Through these activities, young people can be pulled into the group without feeling left out.

Furthermore, a Club provides opportunities to develop relationships.  

✓ It is impossible to develop relationships without talking to one another. The Club meetings provide lots of opportunities for the members to talk with one another and take advantage of the unique learning opportunities a Club meeting can provide.

✓ The Club provides structured interaction beyond get-acquainted activities, as team-building activities, small group discussions, and teamwork. And we guide them to include unstructured interaction time as well.

The We Can^TM Club provides Safety and Structure. 

✓ Youth feel safe in a group when they know the behaviors that are expected of them.

✓ To clarify these behaviors, it is important to lead the Club though a process of identifying the standards of behavior they all agree they want for their Club.

✓ These standards are written in the form of Club Rules they determine amongst themselves. The Club rules help members monitor their own behaviors and decrease the need for the adult leader to control behavior. The rules also help prevent misunderstandings between members and adults and leaders about appropriate behavior at Club meetings and events.

The We Can^TM Club provides opportunities to contribute to the group

✓ A sense of belonging to any group, whether family, school, community, or Club, is formed when there are opportunities to contribute to that group and when it is clear that those contributions are essential to the group.

✓ The Club’s meetings offer ways for all members to contribute and see themselves necessary to the success of the Club.

The We Can^TM Club promotes competences and independence.

✓ We help the Club members to plan and conduct their meetings.

✓ The program provides opportunities at age-appropriate levels to have input into the design of the meeting and develop leadership for the meeting. We prepare the Club members for the leadership roles they assume and provide support as they practice these roles.

✓ We help the Club members to evaluate their plans and use that information for future planning and assist in developing plans.