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Our volunteers serve within the division of Public parks, landscape development and special event planning of Chiang Mai City Hall. Volunteers assist and work alongside city officials, grounds keepers and horticulturalists from 8:00am – 4:00 pm (Monday – Friday). Due to serving within the sphere of Chiang Mai City Hall, volunteers will be invited to take part in many activities that include the city officials. There are two tracks of volunteer service in this project.

Track one is working with development and maintenance of the public parks and green spaces of Chiang Mai and special event planning, preparation, set up and clean up. The City of Chiang Mai has nine public parks and a historic moat that surrounds the old city. Volunteers will serve in beautifying (planting and keeping up flowers and plants) these areas to increase the appearance of the city. Chiang Mai has many public holiday celebrations (parades, shows, special holiday customs, etc) and special events that occur within their yearly calendar. Volunteers will assist in the planning, preparation and operation of the special events.

Track two is assisting in research and upkeep of Chiang Mai’s old and historic trees, many of which are located in and amongst the ruins of the old city. Chiang Mai City is 710 years old. It has many special and historic trees that need upkeep, attention and care. Research is also needed in what types of new plant species and horticultural techniques can be utilized in beautifying the city.

Please note that volunteers are able to serve in both tracks within this project, so long as they spend at least the minimum of two weeks in each one. Due to weather, special events and situation, volunteers may not be able to serve in the track they request. Sometimes the needs in one track will overflow into the other.

Minimum Program Length: 2 weeks
Start Date: 1st and 3rd Monday of every month
Closed Dates: March 30 - May 16
Arrival Date: 3 days prior to your Start Date (Friday)
Minimum Age: 18 years old
Volunteer Gender: Male and Female

Accommodation:
You will be placed in either a homestay family of one of the employees of Chiang Mai City Hall or in a shared apartment with other volunteers. If you have a specific request, or prefer a private accommodation, please state your preferences in the application form. Based on the location of your placement and your accommodation, you might have to commute daily by public transportation or bicycle.

Food:
All volunteers are invited to join the employees of Chiang Mai City Hall for lunch every work day. Volunteers staying in a shared apartment are responsible for their own breakfast and dinner. Special diet requirements or restrictions can easily be accommodated. There are several excellent vegetarian restaurants within Chiang Mai.

Pick-up Info:
A Volunteer Visions representative will be waiting for you at your arrival point and guide you to your accommodation and project location.

Project Schedule:
Volunteers will be working from 8:00 – 4:00pm Monday through Friday. Volunteers may occasionally be asked to work on the weekends and in the evenings during special holiday celebrations that include the employees of Chiang Mai City Hall.

Suggested Donations
Books, CDs, DVDs and research on plant life, simple gardening and planting tools and flower seeds and bulbs would be gladly appreciated.

Volunteers in both tracks within the Chiang Mai beautification project will serve under the request and direction of the officers within the Public Parks and Special event planning division of Chiang Mai City Hall. The people of Chiang Mai take great pride in the appearance of their city, however, like in so many cities throughout the world, Chiang Mai City’s budget for beautifying the city isn’t very large and any assistance volunteers can give in this area will be greatly appreciated by the residents and visitors to Chiang Mai. Volunteer Visions Thailand and Chiang Mai City Hall will not allow volunteers to engage in work that is dangerous or hazardous.

In track one (development and maintenance of Chiang Mai’s public parks green spaces and historic moat, Special event planning, preparation, set up and clean up) volunteers will work alongside the staff of city hall in the maintenance and development of Chiang Mai’s public parks and green spaces. The old city of Chiang Mai is surrounded by a large square moat, which has been protected for its beauty and historical significance to the city. Volunteers will assist in the upkeep of the area around the moat and other historical structures within the city. The upkeep and development of these areas will include planting, trimming, watering and fertilizing the flowers and plants (many of which are native to Thailand) in these areas. Many of Chiang Mai’s bridges and sidewalks have come under the jurisdiction of the beautification movement. Therefore, volunteers may serve in the upkeep and planting of flowers and plants in these areas. There are many holidays and special occasions that city officials publicly celebrate. Another responsibility of volunteers in this project is to assist in the preparation and decoration for holidays and special events. Volunteers will decorate public areas, work on floats, costumes, props, stages, etc.

Thai (and Chiang Mai) holidays:

• New Years - Dec.31st – January 1st
• The Chiang Mai Flower Festival – February
• Thai New Year (Songkran) – mid-April
• Inthakin (a local Chiang Mai holiday) – May
• Mother’s Day – August
• Loy Krathong (a popular Thai holiday) – the evening of the full moon in November
• Father’s Day (the King’s birthday) – December 5th

In track two (research and development of historical trees and plant species) volunteers will work alongside the staff of city hall’s research and development staff. There are many historic trees in Chiang Mai. Volunteers will assist in the upkeep (trimming and fertilizing) of these historic trees. There is a Chiang Mai horticultural center and nursery where volunteers will assist in the research and breeding flower, plant and tree species along with upkeep of the facility.

Suggested Skills and Interests

All our volunteers are placed within the northern city of Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is a lovely city, surrounded by mountains and fertile rice paddies. Chiang Mai is Thailand’s second largest city with a population of roughly 700,000. The city is considered the cultural and physical capital of (what used to be) the northern Thai (Lanna) kingdom. Chiang Mai is the home of an international airport, restaurants of almost every cuisine, unbelievable shopping, seven universities and world class hospitals.

Local Activities and Excursions

Besides temple gazing at Chiang Mai’s more than 300 Buddhist temples (wat); there are many different optional activities that volunteers are encouraged to take part in during breaks or after completion of their volunteer service to increase their travel experience and knowledge of Thailand. All courses and activities use English as the medium of communication. If a volunteer is interested in taking part in one of the activities listed below, make note of this in your volunteer application so arrangements can be made prior to arrival.

Thai cooking courses

All courses consist of a student to instructor ratio of nine to one, or less. The course programs allow for at least five different traditional Thai dishes made per lesson. All courses are located in Chiang Mai. Courses are six hours long and consist of a local market tour by the instructors to purchase the ingredients for the course. Volunteer Visions will organize an optional Thai cooking course for an additional fee of:

• One day course: $35.00
• Two day course: $62.00

Thai Massage Courses

The owner of the massage school is a very kind woman who appreciates the service our volunteers do in Thailand. For that reason she has gives our volunteers discounted prices, which are listed below.

The one day courses are offered on Saturdays and can be studied on weekends or holidays during volunteer service. Volunteer Visions will organize an optional after service, or during service weekend massage course for an additional program fee of:

• $45.00 – Basics of Thai body massage- 1 day (6 hours total).
• $42.00 – Traditional Thai Body Balancing Exercise- 1 day (6 hours total).

The longer 2-10 day massage courses can be studied during a holiday (3 day) weekend or after the volunteer has completed their volunteer service. Volunteer Visions will organize an optional after service massage course for volunteers for an additional program fee of:

• $80.00 – Foot massage- 2 days (12 hours total).
• $70.00 – Oil massage- 2 days (12 hours total).
• $110.00 - Thai massage- 3 days (18 hours total).
• $140.00 – Thai massage- 10 days (60 hours total).

* Please note that the Thai massage school that offers our volunteers the discounted prices listed above is closed on Sundays.

* After a day of service, Volunteer Visions will be happy to point volunteers in the right direction to where they can receive an incredible one hour Thai massage for roughly six dollars!

Jungle Treks

Jungle treks allow volunteers, especially those who have service sites in a city, to experience more of Thailand’s nature. There are a few different jungle treks to choose from. All treks are all-inclusive (including food and lodging) for the time the volunteer is on the trek. Most treks include stops in remote hill tribe villages, rafts and elephant training areas. Volunteer Visions will organize an optional jungle trek, after service, for an additional program fee of:

• $40.00 - 2 days/1 night
• $55.00 – 3 days/2 nights

Please note that occasionally, due to weather, holidays, timing of service programs and secondary activities, some activities maybe canceled, or unavailable at the time a volunteer would like to participate. If this occurs a full refund of the additional program fee will be given to the volunteer before they complete their volunteer experience, or the activity will be rescheduled for another time when the volunteer is able to participate.