Smiling Gecko

Die Marketingmedien Persönlich, m&k und Horizont haben alle über den International Sound Award geschrieben, den unsere Freunde beim Department of Noise für die Zusammenarbeit mit uns gewonnen haben. Wir freuen uns über den Presse und wollen doch zumindest einen der Artikel mit euch teilen. Das schon alleine wegen des grossartigen Schlapphut-Fotos von unserem Co-Founder Sokleap NG mit Hannes Schmid und PhiLipp Schweidler 😀 https://lnkd.in/ecFAB5Fd

A great honour for our cultural project 'The Gong' and 'Gong Studios'. We have been awarded at the 'International Sound Awards | Audio Branding Academy' in the category 'Social & Culture'. PhiLipp Schweidler and our friends from Department of Noise submitted the project at the awards and what can we say: we are absolutely delighted. On the one hand, because we are of course a bit proud of 'The Gong', but on the other hand, and above all, because such an award is of course the best publicity for the recording and podcast studios. 😀 So, if you've always wanted to record in an award-winning studio and do something really good for the development of rural Cambodia: We are now accepting bookings. 😉 If you want to take a closer look first: https://lnkd.in/eUfSsxgM

A great honour for us, and actually a very good idea for many other companies: The V-ZUG Group has chosen the Farmhouse Resort & Spa for its latest international workshop retreat. Looks like they liked it. We certainly did.

Danke für die Unterstützung, Tom!

Wir würden wohl keinen eigenen Post wegen des Gewinns eines Kommunikationsawards machen, aber den von Jung von Matt Schweiz teilen wir dann schon gerne. Schon allein, weil wir uns bei allen Beteiligten in Kambodscha und hier in der Schweiz für das tolle Teamwork bedanken möchten. Der Award ist für euch!

School is back in Zurich today. The streets and public transport are full again and most of the road construction sites have disappeared as magically as they appeared at the beginning of the holidays. At the Smiling Gecko Educational Campus in Cambodia, school has been started already last week. And how! In addition to the nursery and kindergarten, kids from grade one to eight buzzing around the campus. We are super happy that we were able to add another 50 children this year (you can easily identify them in the attached video, as they are still without school uniforms). So for the first time we now have more than 500 children whom we are teaching bilingually, giving them all the tools for a self-determined life without poverty. You can see pictures of the first day of school in the short video filmed and edited by our Cambodian colleague Phan Sokphai. Thank you very much, Phai! 

Hannes in der SI. Teilen wir (natürlich) sehr gerne.

English below. Vom 21. bis 26.10.2024 findet im Farmhouse Resort & Spa auf dem Smiling Gecko Campus in Kambodscha erstmalig ein «Charity Yoga Retreat» mit der wundervollen Rebecca Robinson statt. Wer also etwas für sich persönlich und gleichzeitig für unser Projekt tun möchte, kann dies jetzt auf grossartige Weise kombinieren. Mehr Infos und Buchung: https://lnkd.in/exb3zCZr From 21-26 October 2024, the Farmhouse Resort & Spa on the Smiling Gecko Campus in Cambodia will be hosting its first ever «Charity Yoga Retreat» with the wonderful Rebecca Robinson. So if you would like to do something for yourself and for our project at the same time, now is a great opportunity to combine the two. For more information and to book: https://lnkd.in/ezKRTjua

About two weeks ago I wrote here about the upcoming opening of our cultural centre "The Gong". Last weekend it finally happened.   I still find it difficult to put into words what those days have meant to me personally. That's why I'm glad to have a short video made by Ruben Assenberg van Eijsden, which has already been posted on our social media channels. Some of you may have already seen it there, but everyone else is encouraged to take a quick look. It's better than any text from me, which would only tell half the story.   Perhaps just a quick word about Kesorrr, the Cambodian singer we feature in the video. I had the privilege of interviewing her. A witty young woman who beautifully described the essence of The Gong: «It is the place of awakening and hope for Cambodian culture, whose messages will spread in sound waves across the country.»   Thank you, dear Kesorrr. Thank you, Hannes Schmid. Thank you, Sokleap NG, Barbara Beaufait, Ly Sam Ath. Thank you atelier oï. And of course a massive thanks to everyone else involved. You guys rock so hard!

Last night we had the honour of welcoming Hans Wettstein, board member of Smiling Gecko in Switzerland and a much valued sitar player, as a warm-up to the stage of our new cultural centre "The Gong". He shared his art with us, supported by a local drummer whom we had met just a few hours earlier. A first example of the unifying power of culture, that will surely be followed by many from tomorrow.