Tracing Roots : Volunteering Teams for Decolonial Solidarity

Tracing Roots is a 3-year humanitarian volunteering program based in Northern Thailand, rooted in decolonial solidarity, transformative learning, and community-centered development.

We invite young people especially those with fewer opportunities from across Europe to live, learn, reflect, and work alongside indigenous communities affected by long-standing humanitarian challenges, including:

• Statelessness and lack of legal recognition
• Loss of cultural identity and discrimination
• Environmental vulnerabilities (flood, drought, wildfire)
• Poverty, social exclusion, and limited basic infrastructure
• Gender inequality and youth disempowerment

Each year, 15 volunteers (12 from disadvantaged backgrounds) spend 45 days in Pang Daeng Nok village, Chiang Dao, near the Thai-Myanmar border. Together with local people, they co-create solutions such as:

• Indigenous women-led learning centers
• Sustainable community gardens
• Multi-functional cultural halls
• Eco-friendly drainage systems
  

This is bringing solutions, it’s about co-creating with the village. Volunteers learn participatory tools, social arts, and creative advocacy rooted in indigenous wisdom.

Our Vision

To empower youth to become confident, engaged citizens, and to support indigenous communities to reclaim their rights, restore identity, and build sustainable futures.

We aim to create a replicable model for humanitarian volunteering grounded in equity, inclusion, and solidarity not charity.

Annual Themes

Year 1 – Women’s Empowerment & Cultural Preservation
Year 2 – Environmental Awareness & Disaster Reduction
Year 3 – Livelihood Improvement & Creative Advocacy

Each year ends with a Creative Advocacy Project, sharing stories and learnings with the world through art, performance, media, or campaigns.

Why Thailand?

Thailand is home to vibrant yet vulnerable ethnic communities. Many have been displaced by conflict, denied legal status, and left out of mainstream development. We focus on one country to build long-term, deep collaboration not one-off interventions.

We believe in listening before acting and allowing the village to lead the way.

Our Humanitarian Approach

Rooted in the core principles of humanitarian aid:

• Humanity: We prioritize immediate and long-term needs through co-designed, context-sensitive actions.
• Neutrality: We work in peaceful areas, free from active conflict.
• Impartiality: No bias in volunteer selection, engagement, or delivery—regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, or background.
• Independence: We partner only with non-political, non-religious, non-military organizations.
  

Learning with Heart

Volunteers grow through:

• Youthpass reflection & personalized evaluation
• Workshops in community-based research, social art, and decolonial methodologies
• A supportive environment with on-site mentors and weekly check-ins
• Space for creative expression, cultural dialogue, and real-world impact
  

This is where young people reconnect with their own roots and help communities reclaim theirs.