Waves
of Words

A nonprofit foundation rebuilding the children and village torn apart by the 2004 tsunami — through laughter, love & language.

Apply to intern → Read the story
The Mission

Bridge cultures —
one laugh, one conversation,
one song at a time.

The Internship

Spend a season in a Thai fishing village teaching kids who will never forget you.

You'll live in Ban Nam Khem — a small coastal community on Thailand's Andaman coast. Mornings are spent at the village school helping kids speak English through games, songs, and conversation. Afternoons spill into the beach, the temple, the night market. Weekends are yours to explore Phuket, the islands, and the jungle interior.

It is not a tourist program. You become part of the village — eating meals with families, walking the same dusty road every morning, being known by name. Most interns describe it as the most meaningful month, semester, or year of their life.

  • 30 days → 1 yearStay as long as the wave carries you
  • $0 to participateRoom, board & round-trip travel covered
  • Rolling admissionsApply anytime · ~2 week response
  • No teaching degree requiredJust warmth, energy & curiosity
Apply to intern → How the program works →
Children of Ban Nam Khem cheering with their teachers
Ban Nam Khem · Phang Nga · Thailand
A day in the program

What you'll actually do.

Six rhythms that repeat across your stay — none of them feel like a classroom.

01
Games & recess

Learn verbs by running them.

Tag, duck-duck-goose, hopscotch. Kids learn English with their bodies first.

02
Field trips

The village is the textbook.

Beach, temple, market, mangrove. A long-tail boat is a vocabulary unit.

03
Shared meals

The best English happens between bites.

Tom yum, sticky rice, curry, laughter in two languages — every single day.

04
Classroom co-pilot

You assist. You don't replace.

Local teachers lead the room. You give kids a real voice to practice with.

05
Songs & stories

Songs they'll sing forever.

Itsy bitsy spider · head, shoulders, knees & toes. Bring your worst voice.

06
Creative projects

Your ideas shape the program.

Murals, short films, puppet shows, photo walks — you help design what's next.

In the village

Every day looks like this.

Classroom selfie with students
Lunchtime with the kids
Students in blue smocks
Pink flags at the school
Students and interns group photo
See more photos →
Why you're really here

Cultural immersion.

You won't be a tourist. You'll be the foreigner the auntie at the noodle stall waves to. You'll learn Thai you didn't plan to learn. You'll know which path floods at high tide.

Real teaching impact.

For most of these kids, you are their first long conversation in English with a native speaker. That changes how a child hears the language — and what they think they're capable of.

A village that adopts you.

Ban Nam Khem is small, warm, and still healing. People remember every intern by name. You will leave with a second home — and a family that will ask when you're coming back.

Seldon Young, founder of Waves of Words
The Founder

Seldon Young.

Producer of The Swan Princess. Survivor of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Founder of Waves of Words. Seldon was on the beach in Khao Lak the morning the wave came in — and never really left Thailand.

For two decades he has rebuilt Ban Nam Khem alongside its families: the school, the after-school program, the music room, the internship that brought you here.

Meet the founder →
The Story
In 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami struck the coast of Thailand.
I was there. I survived.
And I never left — not really.
— Seldon Young · Khao Lak · December 26, 2004
Read the full story →
21years on the ground
1village rebuilt
100sof children taught
$0cost to interns
Join the Mission

Ride the Wave.

Become an intern. Live in the village. Teach through laughter. Leave a mark on the children of Ban Nam Khem that no ocean can wash away.

Rolling admissions · Applications reviewed within ~2 weeks · A short video chat · Then your dates are locked.

Apply now → About the internship
— What's Included —

Everything you need.
Nothing in your way.

01 / 04

Room & Board

Live with a host family. Eat like a local — every meal, every day.

02 / 04

Round-Trip Travel

We help bring you here — and home again. No hidden flight costs.

03 / 04

Cultural Immersion

The village rhythm — markets, temples, sea, song. You become part of it.

04 / 04

30 Days → 1 Year

Stay a season or stay a year. Your dates, your pace, your story.