Thailand
Thailand
Arrival & Orientation
When you arrive in Chiang Mai, you will be met by CCT staff and taken to the volunteer home base.
Orientation will be completed in one day at the Cultural Canvas office (transportation is provided). This will prepare you further for your placement and help you settle in after your arrival, giving you a chance to meet staff members and other volunteers. Our In-Country director will ensure you have a grasp on Chiang Mai, taking you around the city and helping you settle into your home base.
Housing
Volunteers are housed in the Cultural Canvas Thailand home-base, conveniently located near the riverside district and downtown night bazaar area. Here, all of your basic needs are taken care of, including lodging, meals, and transportation. The home-base is located in a safe, conveniently situated neighborhood. It is a clean, basic Thai-style accommodation with shared occupancy rooms.
Placements
There are two different types of placements. You can either work with a community program, where you volunteer with a local non-governmental or community-based organization, or the Art Relief International Program, which is an artistic outreach placement. Please check the ‘Project Page’ for more details.
Art Relief International
Art Relief International provides a voice for individuals by exploring various creative means, including visual, performance and experimental arts. Art Relief International volunteers can expect to play a large role in many projects. The art program offers art therapy to a diversity of groups which focus on various social issues. Volunteers have an opportunity to work with Burmese refugees, indigenous hill tribes groups, single mothers, disabled children and adults and children from a local orphanage... This opportunity is ideal for someone who likes to be involved in numerous projects and can work independently as well as with a group. There are opportunities to work with other local artists on projects as well as design and implement your own creative visions.
Burmese Education Program
Volunteers who choose this program will be working either at Thai freedom house or at the Chiang Mai Migrant Learner Center. Thai Freedom House is a community learning center providing basic education (English, Thai…) to Burmese refugees escaping severe human rights violations. At the Chiang Mai Migrant Learner Center volunteers work as part of a team to provide training in Thai, English, and Burmese languages, as well as computer skills.
Cerebral Palsy Assistance
Baan Piranan seeks general caregivers, occupational and physical therapists to assist in its new resident home for children with cerebral palsy. In addition to their disability these children have been neglected and need the help of the volunteers.
Hill Tribe Assistance Program
Volunteers might help out at Thai Freedom House, which is located in central Chiang Mai. The organization owns a vegetarian café as well as a small pre-loved clothing shop. Volunteers working at Thai Freedom House will gain a wide variety of experiences, like teaching ESL, administrative work, and helping out in the café and shop. Another possible placement to help hill tribe people is Wat Pa Pao, a foundation established to conserve Shan culture. There, volunteers teach English to both children and adults.
Single Mothers' Empowerment
Wildflower Home provides safe shelter, education, health, and other services to young single mothers who are pregnant or have young children in order to help them achieve self-sufficiency. Volunteers help out in the following areas: English instruction, gardening and sustainable agriculture, and fundraising and grant-writing.
Teaching English
Through coordination with the Stratton ABC Foundation, a home and center for underprivileged children from northern Thai provinces, CCT is currently offering placements to volunteer in two elementary schools in Chiang Mai. Volunteers assist Thai teachers in English language instruction to children ages 9 -12. Volunteers also go to teach English at Wat Pa Pao, a foundation established to conserve Shan culture.
The kingdom of Thailand draws travelers from all over the world with its renowned hospitality, delectable cuisine, and breath-taking natural retreats. The mountainous region of the north contains a host of ancient ruins and the southern region is lined with stunning beaches and tropical islands for hundreds of miles.