On the evening of March 16, 2011, the Pendeba Society hosted a farewell dinner for the participants of the Ecotourism English Training and hospitality trainings. In addition to the Pendeba Society staff, the dinner was also attended by several officials and other concerned people from local government departments and QNNP Management Bureau, including Deputy Party Secretary of Tingri County, Mr. Lu Peihua, Director of Tingri County Party Commission, Mr. Qian, Deputy Director of Tingri Tourism Bureau, Mr. Suolang, and Deputy QNNP Management Bureau Tingri Branch, Mr. Ci’Ou.
Mr. Tsering Norbu first on behalf of the Pendeba Society expressed his appreciation of the trainee’s active involvement in this three-month training. He was also thankful for the support from the local government that helped much allow this training program to happen. In the meantime, Mr. Lu and Mr. Qian both acknowledged the importance of carrying out such training programs in Tingri County, which could considerably improve vocational skills for local Tibetans and enable them to better make advantage of the tourism resources in QNNP. Our trainees also showed their gratitude of being part of this training program. A participant said: “Before this training, I knew very little about English and barely wrote any English words. But now I can communicate in basic conversational English. This will be of great help for his future life.”
Before job-fair started, some of our trainees also gave a scene dialogue performance in English to show what they have learned during the training. Our attendees were very much impressed by the trainees’ level of English and they cordially urged that there should be more training like this to ameliorate the overall qualifications of tourism practitioners and hospitality service in Tingri County. They also offered their advice to our trainees on how to embark on a career in tourism and travel industry, and the participants excitedly shared their experiences and wishes for their future plans in the field.
After the training, 12 of outstanding trainees were selected to join in a 10-day study tour to Lhasa and Lymchi, where they will be exposed to various aspects of Tibetan culture and will be able to practice their learnt knowledge during the tour. We hope this tour will bring them with inspiring perspectives towards their future and their roles in sustainable rural development in their respective communities. This is also what the Pendeba Society has been striving for: cultivating more Pendebas, i.e., volunteer community-service workers, to enhance the community’s capacity to participate in nature reserve management, and promote sustainable development within these communities.