Sangsan Defined

As Sangsan ventures into the world of blogging, I figured the first blog entry should briefly explain what Sangsan is, how it's evolved over time, go into its true core values of what makes it tick, and the impact the organization and its people had on me during my brief time in Thailand.

Sangsan Anakot Yawachon (Sangsan) was established in 2008 by an energetic and passionate woman who was witness to the inequalities that ethnic minority youth faced in Thailand. These youth suffer because of their origin and of not being of the predominate race. Many of them on top of other factors also do not have Thai IDs which cuts them off from education, employment, and healthcare. Sangsan was established to combat this through youth empowerment and trainings that demonstrated to these youth that no matter where you come from, stateless or not, your voice and ideas matter. The program initially targeted high school boarding students through scholarships and life and vocational skills trainings. Slowly throughout the past six years, the program has expanded to help students from primary school to university, supporting many of these students in every step until they gain employment or no longer need the organization's support. Currently over 80 students receive full-ride scholarships that help them successfully complete school and become productive community members. Along with academic support, Sangsan engages youth in bi-annual trainings covering a broad spectrum of subjects including English, test prep, civil rights, public speaking, entrepreneurship, and sustainable agriculture and construction. Through this holistic approach, these youth walk away with skills, knowledge, and awareness that allows for them to return to their home communities and change lives. And this is exactly what these youth do, they go home, become community leaders and engage others, while making significant changes within their community and the attitudes of community members. Sangsan knows that governmental and societal changes start small and steadily grow. By engaging the youth at the local level, Sangsan is planting the seed that will lead to change and a better Thailand for everyone.

At the core of Sangsan is the students it serves. It is evident among the staff and volunteers that working for the betterment of these young people is what makes them get out of bed each day. The staff and volunteers have a deep relationship with each and every student. Every time a student faces a hardship, the staff experiences it along with them. Monthly check-ins often results in tears of joy and pain, laughter, frustration, and pride. Sangsan is a family before it is an organization and it builds the crucial relationships that other organizations often put little importance on. Although the services Sangsan provides are important, students come first.

I was fortunate enough to become a part of this family during my five months in Thailand. The staff and volunteers welcomed me with open arms and taught me a lot. I found role models within the staff members and characteristics that I hope to emulate within myself and organizations that I work with in the future. To date I have never met people so passionate, energetic, and selfless than those working for Sangsan.

Although small, Sangsan is mighty and is currently in the process of building the organization's capacity to reach more students and bring more awareness to issues at hand. If you're interested in learning more about Sangsan please like us on Facebook, email us at sangsanngo@gmail.com, or join our monthly newsletter mailing list. In between newsletters look to the blog for updates on organization happenings and current events related to the organization's mission.

Thank you for your interest in Sangsan!
Whitney + the Staff of Sangsan