Bali’s main industry is based on tourism, therefore it made sense to Ismayanti and Gordon Hild to provide a space where kid’s can explore their natural talents and interests while having fun and being active. .

Discussed with village heads and agreed on by hotel shareholders, a substantial part of the hotel’s net gain will be used to develop a foundation called DESA KELAPA meaning ‘Coconut Village’ in Indonesian. It will be built by Gordon on land within the village of Pekutatan not far from Kelapa Retreat.

Desa Kelapa will be a youth center where kids can spend time in afternoon workshops after school. Here they’ll explore their talents and interests, develop skills, gain experience, confidence, responsibility and pride in their ideas.

The Balinese have a community based culture that relies heavily on families staying together and supporting each other.

Gordon says, “With a platform like this, youth will be more able to ground their own businesses within their community in the future, be self sufficient and have the chance to stay close to their families rather than being forced to leave the community due to lack of work. I’d love it if some Desa Kelapa kids want to become future team leaders who pass on their skills to the younger ones.”

The centre is still in the design phase, though some workshops are already in progress.

One current workshop is about environmental awareness. The kids collect and separate litter they find on the beach, which is then passed onto the recycling project.

They then choose gifts in exchange for their recycling contribution and a team game is played on the beach. This gives the kids their own experience of recycling. Knowledge that rubbish can be turned into useful things, and a clean environment to enjoy.

Ismayanti would like to add another element, creative workshops that will teach how to make recycled materials into saleable products.

Other future workshops will include :

• Art workshops: to teach crafts such as painting, sculpture and carving, so kids can develop their natural skills as artists.
• Music Workshops: provide instruments, traditional music and cultural dance lessons, to promote musical talent and performance skills.
• Permaculture Workshops: each kid will have their own patch of land to experiment with. To grow their own food, plant trees, learn from mistakes and see results.
• Baking and Cookery Workshops: to enhance skills in both local cuisine and experiment with Western favorites.
• Sport Workshops: provide equipment and play team games, have swimming lessons and introduce international sports such as tennis, athletics and archery.