8 Months: A year in review for our apprentice pastry chef and agroecology experts

by | 11 Sep 2024 | Agroecology training, Bakery and pastry school, Coffee Shop, Sustainable agriculture and environment, Vocational training

As the school year draws to a close, it’s time to take a look of the past 8 months for our apprentice pastry chefs and agro-ecology experts. This period has been marked by enriching experiences, challenges met with flying colors, and impressive progress in their respective fields.

The apprentice Pastry Chefs

Our pastry students have had a year full of highlights and learning.

Their journey began with in-depth theoretical training in baking and pastry-making for the first four months. This theoretical training was then complemented by four months of intensive hands-on experience in our kitchens, where they learned how to make classic pastries. In this way, they were able to consolidate their knowledge and perfect their skills. In addition, they were trained to serve in our coffee shop, adding a valuable practical dimension to their learning.

At the same time, numerous events enriched their year, boosting their self-confidence and broadening their horizons. Key moments included their participation in the “Francophonie Market”, open days at partner universities, and a workshop they ran for a class at our elementary school.

Beyond the skills specific to their degree, we firmly believe that art and culture play an essential role in their personal development. As a result, our students have benefited from numerous extracurricular activities, such as visits to museums and participation in one of the famous Phare circus shows in Siem Reap.

As their internship period approaches, they have had the opportunity to project themselves into their future careers thanks to hotel visits and the alumni ceremony last June, where they drew inspiration from the careers of their predecessors.

This year concludes with theory exams in their baking and pastry-making subjects, as well as soft skills, computer and english assessments, delivered by the Teacher Development Support Organization (TDSO). More recently, they received their English certification in a beautiful ceremony.

The final exams will take place when they return from their internships in December. We are proud to have witnessed their evolution over the weeks, a success made possible by the dedication and commitment of their teaching staff.

 

Expert apprentices in agro-ecology and food processing

Our agro-ecology expert apprentices enjoyed a year rich in discovery and practical learning, marked by concrete projects and innovative initiatives.

Their training began with an in-depth immersion in the fundamental principles of agroecology. This initial phase was followed by a series of practical projects that enabled students to apply their knowledge in the field.

Among this year’s outstanding projects, we saw:

Garden: Our apprentices actively participated in the creation and maintenance of the agro school garden, an essential space for experimenting with sustainable agricultural practices and reinforcing their understanding of local ecosystems.

Crickets : They explored locust farming, an innovative method for promoting alternative proteins and sustainable agriculture.

Mushrooms : Mushroom cultivation was a key project, offering an opportunity to learn cultivation techniques in a controlled environment and understand their role in the food chain.

Surface pond creation : Pond fish farming was another important facet of their training, illustrating the importance of integrated aquaculture systems in agroecology.

Tree planting: reinforced their commitment to reforestation and the fight against deforestation.

Like the bakery and patisserie promotion, the students were able to discover an artistic and cultural horizon in the town of Siem Reap.

This year has been a real learning adventure for our students, marked by their commitment and passion for sustainable agriculture. We look forward to following their journey and seeing how they continue to contribute to a greener, more sustainable future.

We wish them every success during their internship, which will end in December, when we will see them again for their final practical exams!

 

Say hello to our fantastic 10th graduating class !

Say hello to our fantastic 10th graduating class !

by | 10 Apr 2024 | Agroecology training, General education, Sustainable agriculture and environment, Vocational training

At the beginning of February, we had the pleasure of welcoming the Class of 2024, a total of 20 students to our Pastry School.

As they do every year, they received a bicycle, their T-shirt and trouser ensemble, a hygiene kit renewed monthly and financial compensation to meet their daily needs.

Every day, they receive 1 breakfast, 1 lunch and 1 dinner in our canteen. Their dormitory has been recently renovated to provide them with a larger, more comfortable toilet space.

orientation event bayon school
pastry school orientation

Their year is divided into three distinct phases:

Firstly, the initial term is devoted to learning English, the necessary personal and professional skills and IT, in line with the national educational program.

From April 1, our students begin their practical and theoretical courses as part of their pastry training.

Finally, starting in September, they will be introduced to the professional world through a four-month internship, which can be carried out in hotels and restaurants in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. To support them in this enriching experience, our teacher and social adviser, Tak, guides them in their search for internships, organizing visits to establishments.

In addition to their training, our students take part in fun and creative activities every Friday afternoon, enabling them to explore new professional and personal horizons.

The students also volunteer to take part in occasional coffee shop events. Recently, they went to the Marché de la Francophonie in the heart of Siem Reap to represent their school, offer our delicious pastries and welcome visitors.

We look forward to watching our students flourish throughout the year, and to supporting them on their journey to pastry excellence !

 

Discover our young talents from the class of 2024 !

Discover our young talents from the class of 2024 !

by | 10 Apr 2024 | Agroecology training, General education, Sustainable agriculture and environment, Vocational training

We’re delighted to introduce you to the young talents who joined our agroecology program last February. For the third year running, we have welcomed a dynamic group of 20 students, most of them women, ready to dive into the world of agroecology.

Throughout the school year, our students will acquire essential theoretical and practical skills in the field of agroecology. In addition to teaching specific techniques, they will take courses in English, IT, professional and personal skills, as well as food processing, in line with the national curriculum.

Tang Meanrith and bayon school
orientation event bayon school
pastry school orientation

Practical classes punctuate their week, but that’s not all! Every week, our students take part in cultural workshops such as locust breeding, mushroom cultivation and composting, enriching their practical experience.

At Bayon School, we firmly believe in learning in the field, because that’s where real expertise is built. This month, our future agroecology experts had the opportunity to meet six families who grow fruit and vegetables for the elementary school canteen. They were also given the opportunity to choose a project to develop on the farm, a project they will carry out throughout the year. To accompany them in this adventure, they will benefit from training sessions every Saturday, in groups of four, enriching their knowledge and practice.

We look forward to seeing our students grow and flourish in the exciting field of agroecology, and are proud to support them in their academic and professional journey in collaboration with PSE.

Pedagogical exchanges at Bayon Agroecology School

Pedagogical exchanges at Bayon Agroecology School

by | 18 Apr 2023 | Agroecology training, General education, Sustainable agriculture and environment

In March, we had the pleasure to welcome Pauline, Director of the volunteer pole at Planète Urgence. She came as a volunteer during her two weeks of solidarity leaves and worked with our pedagogical team from the agroecology school.

Her role was to support the team of teachers in order to diversify their pedagogical techniques such as the animation of the courses, the place of the teacher and the student. The goal was to succeed in motivating students who were dropping out of school.

Pauline was able to discover Cambodia and observe cultural differences. She underlines the curiosity of the students. The students also show kindness and mutual aid among themselves, which creates a favorable climate for learning and the use of authority is very rare.

Aiming to improve our training to students, her venue brought new evaluation techniques with construction workshops based on collective intelligence. For this, they used photo language with Metafox cards. At the beginning, the feedbacks on the exercise were shy, the students were facing their emotions and feelings, which is not cultural in Cambodia. Gradually, through weekly practice, they were able to free themselves. Moreover, the coaching cards have different meanings with the culture, which leads the students to go further than the meaning of the card and pushes them in their reflection.

This gave her the opportunity to be creative in a way that is not possible in France in terms of teaching. Pauline has lived this experience as a rich human adventure in terms of exchange and understanding of the culture, where it is important to ask questions before the exercise in order to adapt to the students. She particularly enjoyed talking about meditation and body relaxation. Indeed, in Cambodia, a lot of skills are applied but not the emotions and feelings. The students appreciated this new approach.

Our pedagogical team has been very open to improve their training skills and learning more about pedagogy. They are very happy to have benefited from Pauline’s expertise and thus diversify their knowledge. What they remember most is the use of demonstration in their teaching rather than theory. Pauline and our pedagogical team from the agroecology school have been enriched by this sharing and exchange.

We would like to thank Pauline for her involvement and support.

Sharing cultures

Sharing cultures

by | 5 Jan 2023 | Agroecology training, Sustainable agriculture and environment

« Nothing predicted that I would cross paths with these eleven women »

Camille joined the Bayon in June 2022 to work on the Green Farming program. Her project was to strengthen the technical knowledge of our Farmers and help them develop their sales to other potential buyers such as restaurants, hotels and markets in Siem Reap.

She looks back on her journey after 6 months with our Farmers.

Atelier Camille et Farmer

« For a long time now I wanted to get involved in international development programs and thus promote agroecology in the world. This simple wish became true two years ago, when I discovered an internship offer from the Bayon School: “Green Farming Project Assistant”. This internship included everything I had imagined myself doing for years: agro-ecology consulting, production monitoring, data analysis, conducting experimentations…

Why did I get involved in the agroecology field? Because in addition to the technical and scientific aspects, advocating soil conservation methods and promoting biodiversity in growing areas, it also links cultural, sociological, political and economic notions. Producing according to an agroecological model means preserving the environment, but also and above all producing while making a trade-off on yields in order to favor the material and sanitary living conditions of farmers, and the sustainability of our agroecosystems.

For the agricultural engineer in training that I am, it was the concretization of a long-standing desire, and an incredible opportunity to train, far from France, in agriculture under a tropical climate. An aspect for which French schools do not prepare us very well.

At that time, in 2020, while we were still in the midst of the COVID19 and the monotony of e-learning was gradually setting in, this discovery gave me a renewed sense of motivation. I rediscovered the reason why I started my studies: to work in the field, in direct contact with producers in an agroecological approach. The desire to discover Southeast Asia and to work there took over.

Finally, in June 2022, I arrived on site. I met the team that warmly welcomed me, Marie my predecessor who gave me a lot during the month we spent together, and of course our Farmers, eleven moms from Bayon who want to make things happen in their country.

What I still can’t get over is that, at only 22 years old, nothing predicted that I would cross paths with these eleven women. They were an extraordinary and wonderful meeting and they impressed me with their positivism and their uncommon capacity for resilience. Living this experience allows you to put your own situation into perspective. They are all incredibly generous and willing to share a part of their culture and their lives. Even though we don’t speak the same language, they always made me feel comfortable with them, and we had some great moments where we were able to communicate even without words.

Camille et les farmers avant son départ

Living and working abroad necessarily brings its share of difficulties: you have to adapt to different work habits or know how to bounce back from unexpected situations. Expatriation has its ups and downs, but you always have to put yourself in the context of the country that welcomes you. While working in Cambodia, I felt it was important that decisions be made by and in the interest of the Khmer people. So we worked hand in hand to bring this project to a successful conclusion.

I can only conclude with an invitation: if you have the chance, visit Cambodia and take the time to stop at Angkor Wat, to go through the countryside and the infinite rice fields of which one never gets tired, to talk with the people who have so much to tell, and why not at the Coffee Shop of the Bayon for a well-deserved brunch? It is a country that I loved, and that definitely changed me, full of surprises and magnificent landscapes, where everything is easy.

Above all, I discovered a philosophy of life far from our busy lives in France, which I hope to keep for a long time: a problem always finds a solution, often much easier and different from the one we would have imagined. »

Written by Camille Gaume.

Bees for the Bayon School’s moms

Bees for the Bayon School’s moms

by | 24 May 2022 | Social and families support, Sustainable agriculture and environment

Launched in 2021 by UNESCO and Guerlain, the Women for Bees program, whose godmother is Angelina Jolie, aims to promote beekeeping around the world while strengthening the role of women in their communities.

Before having a social dimension, the program is mainly focused on the protection and repopulation of bees, responsible for 90% of the pollination of wild flowers worldwide. Today threatened by climate change, UNESCO plans to install 2500 beehives in 25 biosphere reserves around the world: in France, Italy, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Russia, Ethiopia, Rwanda, China and Cambodia. Indeed, the Tonle Sap region is one of the largest biosphere reserves today and the majestic forest surrounding the temples of Angkor is an ideal place for their development.

The initiative aims to study the benefits of pollination while putting women at the heart of the action. A predominantly male profession, the Women for Bees program encourages women to be “change makers” by becoming beekeepers. The training takes place over several weeks and consists of teaching these women the techniques of sustainable beekeeping, encouraging them to learn and become true experts in the field, before being able to extend their knowledge to others.

In Cambodia, the challenge is to protect the wild bees of the country, regrouping 4 species in total, where in France only one species exists. Eric Guérin, a French biologist and specialist in the conservation of wild Asian bees and sustainable beekeeping, is in charge of the program in Siem Reap and is training six women to become beekeepers, working with one of the Asian bee species that exists here, “apis cerana”. Of these 6 women, 4 are mothers whose children are at the Bayon School.

“Beyond learning technical skills, this training is an opportunity for them to empower themselves by realizing that they are finally capable of doing it. All of them, the first time, and as is often the case in Cambodia among the most underprivileged populations, especially women, answer that they will not know how to do it, or that they don’t have the means to learn. And in the end, they themselves were surprised by their ability to learn about the subject.” explains Eric, who works with them every week in the field.

Located in the temples of Angkor, these future beekeepers are all from underprivileged backgrounds, a selection criterion to be part of the project: if objective number 1 is to preserve bees, a fragile symbol of a planet damaged by climate change, objective number 2, just as important, is to strengthen the skills of women around the world by involving them in the preservation of a sustainable environment.

Eric explains that over the course of the weeks, they have changed: “The women I have in front of me today are not the same as they were four months ago. They have gained confidence, they express themselves freely, they give their opinion. Their transformation is remarkable, as is their desire to learn.”

They have, more than others, an important role to play, especially when we know that they are the first to be impacted by global warming throughout the world (UNDP), and that the consequences of these disruptions lead to inequalities indirectly related to gender issues and social oppressions that women around the world are facing today (United Nations).

At the end of the training given by Eric Guérin, our beekeepers will work together with some of the guides of the Angkor temples to offer tourists a visit of their hives and an awareness session on the preservation of bees around the world. This activity will also allow them to generate a complementary income to their daily activities, thus improving their current living conditions.

“The tour of the apiaries by tourists will be very important, because it will allow these women to see that what they do is of interest to people all over the world, that they have things to contribute, and that what they have mastered now, few people know how to do as well.”

Angelina Jolie recently came to visit them on their grounds to encourage them and see their progress. This is an incredible chance for them to affirm themselves and gain confidence in their communities.

It is also an opportunity for these women to share their knowledge with the youth and adults of the Bayon School who surround them and to help others to rise up around them.

Written by Pénélope Hubert, communication manager at Bayon School.