What Participants Say
Feedback collected from individuals who have attended sessions, used the workbook, or joined the Community Learning Year. Written in their own words; lightly edited for clarity only.
← Back to HomeParticipant Feedback
A selection of written feedback from individuals who have used Goldwick's resources.
I'd been a Community Year member for about three months when I finally understood what "transfer value" actually means in my UK pension statement. Not because someone told me what to do with it — just because the group discussion broke down the term clearly for the first time. That kind of moment happens fairly regularly here.
The workbook is genuinely practical. I had four years of pension post piled in a folder with no particular order. Working through the checklist took one afternoon and I came out the other end with something actually navigable. The folder layout suggestion was particularly useful — I hadn't thought of separating by type and then by year within each type.
I was slightly sceptical going in — how much is there really to learn about reading a statement? More than I thought, as it turns out. The session covered some document types I hadn't encountered before, and the facilitator was very clear about what the session could and couldn't offer. That honesty actually made me trust the whole thing more.
The forum is the part I find most useful on an ongoing basis. When I get a letter I don't understand, I can post about it and usually get a few different perspectives from other members within a day or two. Nothing advisory — just people helping each other make sense of similar documents. It fills a gap I didn't know I needed filled.
I came to the overview session mainly because a friend recommended it. My expectation was that it would be a bit of a sales pitch for some financial service. It absolutely wasn't. The session stayed exactly where it said it would stay — explaining document terminology — and I left with the glossary and a much clearer head about what I actually have.
I started with just the workbook and found it useful enough that I joined the Community Year the following month. The workbook is a good entry point if you're not sure you want to commit to more — it stands alone well. But the ongoing community conversations have added something different that I don't think a one-off resource could replicate.
Participant Stories in Detail
Three longer accounts of how individuals have engaged with Goldwick's resources over time.
Eight Years of Unsorted Documents
Margaret, a retired teacher who had moved to Chiang Mai from the UK in 2017, had accumulated eight years of pension correspondence in two physical folders and a miscellaneous email folder. She had a general sense of what she was receiving but couldn't easily locate any specific document when needed.
Workbook, Then Community Year
Margaret worked through the Records Tidy-Up Workbook over a weekend, using the folder layout template to reorganise her physical documents. She joined the Community Year the following quarter, which gave her a space to ask questions when new correspondence arrived that didn't fit neatly into the categories she had created.
Clear System, Less Anxiety
Margaret's documents are now organised into five labelled categories with documents sorted by year within each. She spends roughly 15 minutes processing new correspondence when it arrives. She describes her relationship with the paperwork as "no longer something I put off."
"I hadn't realised how much mental space those unsorted folders were taking up."
A Letter He Couldn't Decipher
Thomas, a New Zealand national working in Chiang Mai, received a letter from his superannuation provider that included several terms he didn't recognise. He was not sure whether the letter required any action on his part and had been sitting on it for six weeks when a colleague mentioned Goldwick's overview session.
Overview Session + Glossary
Thomas attended one overview session and brought a photocopy of the letter. While the session didn't provide specific advice on his letter, it covered the terminology used in it in general terms. He left with the illustrated glossary and was able to identify what each section of the letter was referring to.
Confident Next Step
Once Thomas understood what the letter was communicating in plain terms, he felt equipped to decide whether to take any action — entirely on his own, or by consulting a qualified professional. He attended a second session two months later when further correspondence arrived.
"The session didn't tell me what to do — it told me what the words meant. That was exactly what I needed."
Wanting Ongoing Support
Caroline, who had been retired in Chiang Mai for four years, found single sessions useful but wanted somewhere to go between them. She had a small circle of friends in a similar situation, and felt that a structured community would be more useful than informal conversations.
Community Year — Two Renewals
Caroline joined the Community Learning Year and has renewed twice. She participates actively in the forum, attends roughly eight sessions per year, and has contributed three topic suggestions that became group session subjects. She introduced two friends who are now members themselves.
Part of the Community's Shape
Caroline finds the archive particularly valuable — she can revisit sessions from earlier in her membership when a topic becomes relevant again. She describes the membership as the closest thing she has found to "a local reference library for this specific kind of paperwork."
"There isn't anywhere else in Chiang Mai where this kind of focused, unhurried discussion happens."
Get in Contact
Chang Khlan, CM 50100
Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00
Sat 10:00–13:00
Credentials & Affiliations
CM Expat Business Network
Community Resource Award 2023
For consistent contribution to the international resident community's information needs.
Adult Education Practitioners Network
Member since 2021
Supporting best practice in non-formal adult learning environments.
4.9 / 5.0 Average Rating
May 2024 – May 2025
Collected from written feedback forms completed by session participants.
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