Fostering Youth Leadership in Thailand

We work with a group of organizations in Thailand who are dedicated to preventing the trafficking of children, providing safety to refugee children, and ensuring their access to education, healthcare and protection by promoting youth leadership and elevating the voices of young people.

Dashed border around image

Global Fund for Children supports a network of community-based organizations in Thailand that work directly with children and youth and that are interested in championing youth leadership.

This three-year initiative aims to foster youth involvement in governance, programming, and elevating youth voices in local communities and organizations as well as to empower local organizations to create sustainable change.

The goal of this initiative is to support youth leadership in community-based organizations in Thailand. GFC is committed to advancing meaningful youth engagement and to promoting the sharing of decision-making power with young people, who are often excluded from formal leadership positions. Our local partners in this initiative receive capacity development that empowers them to foster youth leadership and that supports innovation in methodology, participation, programming, and relationships within the cohort and individual organizations. This initiative also helps the partners connect with one another, share their knowledge and resources, and develop collective impacts in Thailand.

Project Partners

Ethnic People Development Foundation
Thailand | Fang

Ethnic People Development Foundation (EPDF) works with undocumented and stateless ethnic communities, children, and youth to ensure their rights and to ensure that they have legal status. The organization improves the quality of life of children and youth and protects their rights by helping them get access to education, healthcare, and protection services.

The Freedom Story
Thailand | Chiang Rai and Nan

The Freedom Story prevents child trafficking and exploitation through culturally relevant programs for children in vulnerable circumstances. The organization promotes ethical storytelling and provides quality education and scholarships to children as well as vocational skills training to help families start small businesses in their community.

Gabfai Community Theatre
Thailand | Chiang Mai

GabFai Community Theatre uses play and art to empower communities and children, as well as to raise awareness about and advocate for policy changes on social issues such as human trafficking, positive discipline, and bullying. The organization puts on plays about social issues in local communities.

Klong Toey Dee Jung Program
Thailand | Bangkok

Using music, Klong Toey Dee Jung Program empowers children and youth in Khlong Toei, a large, low-income neighborhood in Bangkok. The organization also teaches relevant life and vocational skills that youth can use to provide income for themselves and their families as well as to continue their education.

Kon Wai Sai
Thailand | Chiang Mai

Kon Wai Sai provides sexual and reproductive health information to preteens and teenagers and empowers student leaders in schools to break the stigma around sex education. The organization also supports teenage parents by providing vocational skills and nutrition workshops so they are able to take care of their children.

Playonside
Thailand | Mae Sot

PlayOnside works along the Thailand-Myanmar border with migrant, stateless, and refugee children who are displaced from Myanmar. The organization uses sports to promote social inclusion and gender equality, and it also works with nonformal schools in Mae Sot to improve the emotional resilience of children and to create a safe and friendly environment for them.

Urban Light Foundation
Thailand | Chiang Mai

Urban Light Foundation is the only organization in Thailand preventing the trafficking and exploitation of boys, which it accomplishes by working through massage parlors and bars to engage boys and provide them with training, education, workshops, and other services. The organization also works to shift gender norms for gender equity and runs an initiative that encourages boys and men to play a role in preventing violence against girls and women.

Featured stories

Read more stories

Strong partnerships power our work

GFC funding allows us to use the money to fill in the gap in other projects. It makes the project more successful and we have room to adapt if needed.

Sudaporn Nakfak, Kon Wai Sai, Thailand

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Global Fund for Children supports a network of community-based organizations in Thailand that work directly with children and youth and that are interested in championing youth leadership.

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This three-year initiative aims to foster youth involvement in governance, programming, and elevating youth voices in local communities and organizations as well as to empower local organizations to create sustainable change.

The goal of this initiative is to support youth leadership in community-based organizations in Thailand. GFC is committed to advancing meaningful youth engagement and to promoting the sharing of decision-making power with young people, who are often excluded from formal leadership positions. Our local partners in this initiative receive capacity development that empowers them to foster youth leadership and that supports innovation in methodology, participation, programming, and relationships within the cohort and individual organizations. This initiative also helps the partners connect with one another, share their knowledge and resources, and develop collective impacts in Thailand.

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Thailand | Fang

Ethnic People Development Foundation (EPDF) works with undocumented and stateless ethnic communities, children, and youth to ensure their rights and to ensure that they have legal status. The organization improves the quality of life of children and youth and protects their rights by helping them get access to education, healthcare, and protection services.

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Thailand | Chiang Rai and Nan

The Freedom Story prevents child trafficking and exploitation through culturally relevant programs for children in vulnerable circumstances. The organization promotes ethical storytelling and provides quality education and scholarships to children as well as vocational skills training to help families start small businesses in their community.

[image] => [show_caption] => ) [2] => Array ( [title] => Gabfai Community Theatre [content] =>
Thailand | Chiang Mai

GabFai Community Theatre uses play and art to empower communities and children, as well as to raise awareness about and advocate for policy changes on social issues such as human trafficking, positive discipline, and bullying. The organization puts on plays about social issues in local communities.

[image] => [show_caption] => ) [3] => Array ( [title] => Klong Toey Dee Jung Program [content] =>
Thailand | Bangkok

Using music, Klong Toey Dee Jung Program empowers children and youth in Khlong Toei, a large, low-income neighborhood in Bangkok. The organization also teaches relevant life and vocational skills that youth can use to provide income for themselves and their families as well as to continue their education.

[image] => [show_caption] => ) [4] => Array ( [title] => Kon Wai Sai [content] =>
Thailand | Chiang Mai

Kon Wai Sai provides sexual and reproductive health information to preteens and teenagers and empowers student leaders in schools to break the stigma around sex education. The organization also supports teenage parents by providing vocational skills and nutrition workshops so they are able to take care of their children.

[image] => [show_caption] => ) [5] => Array ( [title] => Playonside [content] =>
Thailand | Mae Sot

PlayOnside works along the Thailand-Myanmar border with migrant, stateless, and refugee children who are displaced from Myanmar. The organization uses sports to promote social inclusion and gender equality, and it also works with nonformal schools in Mae Sot to improve the emotional resilience of children and to create a safe and friendly environment for them.

[image] => [show_caption] => ) [6] => Array ( [title] => Urban Light Foundation [content] =>
Thailand | Chiang Mai

Urban Light Foundation is the only organization in Thailand preventing the trafficking and exploitation of boys, which it accomplishes by working through massage parlors and bars to engage boys and provide them with training, education, workshops, and other services. The organization also works to shift gender norms for gender equity and runs an initiative that encourages boys and men to play a role in preventing violence against girls and women.

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Global Fund for Children supports a network of community-based organizations in Thailand that work directly with children and youth and that are interested in championing youth leadership.

[description] =>

This three-year initiative aims to foster youth involvement in governance, programming, and elevating youth voices in local communities and organizations as well as to empower local organizations to create sustainable change.

The goal of this initiative is to support youth leadership in community-based organizations in Thailand. GFC is committed to advancing meaningful youth engagement and to promoting the sharing of decision-making power with young people, who are often excluded from formal leadership positions. Our local partners in this initiative receive capacity development that empowers them to foster youth leadership and that supports innovation in methodology, participation, programming, and relationships within the cohort and individual organizations. This initiative also helps the partners connect with one another, share their knowledge and resources, and develop collective impacts in Thailand.

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Thailand | Fang

Ethnic People Development Foundation (EPDF) works with undocumented and stateless ethnic communities, children, and youth to ensure their rights and to ensure that they have legal status. The organization improves the quality of life of children and youth and protects their rights by helping them get access to education, healthcare, and protection services.

[image] => [show_caption] => ) [1] => Array ( [title] => The Freedom Story [content] =>
Thailand | Chiang Rai and Nan

The Freedom Story prevents child trafficking and exploitation through culturally relevant programs for children in vulnerable circumstances. The organization promotes ethical storytelling and provides quality education and scholarships to children as well as vocational skills training to help families start small businesses in their community.

[image] => [show_caption] => ) [2] => Array ( [title] => Gabfai Community Theatre [content] =>
Thailand | Chiang Mai

GabFai Community Theatre uses play and art to empower communities and children, as well as to raise awareness about and advocate for policy changes on social issues such as human trafficking, positive discipline, and bullying. The organization puts on plays about social issues in local communities.

[image] => [show_caption] => ) [3] => Array ( [title] => Klong Toey Dee Jung Program [content] =>
Thailand | Bangkok

Using music, Klong Toey Dee Jung Program empowers children and youth in Khlong Toei, a large, low-income neighborhood in Bangkok. The organization also teaches relevant life and vocational skills that youth can use to provide income for themselves and their families as well as to continue their education.

[image] => [show_caption] => ) [4] => Array ( [title] => Kon Wai Sai [content] =>
Thailand | Chiang Mai

Kon Wai Sai provides sexual and reproductive health information to preteens and teenagers and empowers student leaders in schools to break the stigma around sex education. The organization also supports teenage parents by providing vocational skills and nutrition workshops so they are able to take care of their children.

[image] => [show_caption] => ) [5] => Array ( [title] => Playonside [content] =>
Thailand | Mae Sot

PlayOnside works along the Thailand-Myanmar border with migrant, stateless, and refugee children who are displaced from Myanmar. The organization uses sports to promote social inclusion and gender equality, and it also works with nonformal schools in Mae Sot to improve the emotional resilience of children and to create a safe and friendly environment for them.

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Thailand | Chiang Mai

Urban Light Foundation is the only organization in Thailand preventing the trafficking and exploitation of boys, which it accomplishes by working through massage parlors and bars to engage boys and provide them with training, education, workshops, and other services. The organization also works to shift gender norms for gender equity and runs an initiative that encourages boys and men to play a role in preventing violence against girls and women.

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