EN-US 
ZH 
Crossing borders to bring hope through technology and education, Yuan Ze University’s Northern Thailand International Volunteer Team continued its long-standing commitment to education in underserved communities. This year, the team entered the Taoyuan City 2026 Youth International Volunteer Service Team Short Video Competition with a video themed “Learning Together Across the Distance, Empowering Northern Thailand with Innovation” and won second place. At the award ceremony on October 31, the team received the honor from Taoyuan City Deputy Mayor Jun-Bin Su. Through authentic footage of its educational service in northern Thailand, the team highlighted how YZU students combined professional knowledge, creative teaching, and intercultural exchange to make a meaningful impact.
Yuan Ze University had long promoted international volunteer service and service-learning programs, with its Northern Thailand International Volunteer Team dedicating nearly 20 years to educational service in local communities. Through curriculum development, learning support, and cultural exchange, the team built lasting partnerships with local schools. During the summer, YZU volunteers traveled to Datong High School in Ban Mae Salong, Guangming Elementary School, and Hanguang Elementary School in northern Thailand, where they designed courses based on students’ learning needs. The courses covered AI and information technology, creative English learning, multicultural education, reading, and academic tutoring, providing children in underserved areas with diverse learning opportunities.
In the classroom, YZU students used interactive approaches such as Scratch programming, robotic vehicle activities, English songs, and picture-book reading to encourage children to explore new knowledge through hands-on learning and build confidence in their abilities. For the YZU volunteers, the journey offered more than an opportunity to apply what they had learned and share their knowledge. Through interactions with local teachers and students, they developed teamwork, intercultural communication skills, and greater respect for cultural differences, turning international volunteer service into a two-way process of learning and shared growth.
The award-winning video centered on the idea of “practicing global citizenship through action and lighting the future with love and education.” It documented the volunteers’ journey from lesson preparation and classroom teaching to cultural exchange. Through real-life footage, the video captured the dedication of young volunteers to educational service while highlighting the impact built through years of sustained engagement and local collaboration.
Hsiu-Chu Lin, faculty advisor to the Northern Thailand International Volunteer Team, said the team had always upheld the spirit of “spreading love across borders through service-learning.” Students were encouraged to enter different cultural and social environments and develop empathy, respect for differences, and problem-solving abilities through service. Lin said the award not only recognized the team’s efforts but also brought greater visibility to nearly two decades of sustained educational engagement. The team hoped its experience would encourage more young people to participate in international volunteer service.
I-Chun Liu, Dean of Student Affairs at Yuan Ze University, said international volunteer service was not simply about sharing resources and knowledge. It also provided an important learning process through which students developed intercultural understanding, social responsibility, and global citizenship. By working with communities in northern Thailand for nearly 20 years through sustained engagement and two-way learning, the International Volunteer Team put university social responsibility into practice.
Liu said the team’s second-place finish recognized the continued dedication of participating students and faculty members. Looking ahead, the University would continue to deepen its partnerships with schools in northern Thailand and encourage students to integrate their professional knowledge with service in action. Through these experiences, YZU aimed to broaden students’ international perspectives and ensure that educational service continued to serve as an important force connecting communities across borders and extending care beyond the campus.
