Located near the Golden Triangle, Xavier Learning Community empowers young people from ethnic minorities through tertiary education.
Chiang Rai, located near the Golden Triangle in Northern Thailand, is one of the most underdeveloped regions in the country. With only two major universities in the northern part of Thailand, there is a serious shortage of tertiary education available. For the people from marginalised ethnic minorities, made up of many different tribes known as the ‘Hill Tribes’, the situation is much worse. They often don’t have the necessary documentation to be accepted into schools and universities. Even if they did, their remote location and financial situation prohibit them from receiving any quality education.
Jesuits in Thailand saw the urgent need to establish an educational institution for the young people from these marginalised groups, and created their first educational project of Jesuit Foundation for Education in Thailand.
With support from our Jesuit Mission friends, Xavier Learning Community (XLC) was established in 2016. The institution offers a Bachelor degree in English with profession-based training, including eco-tourism and hospitality. It has also formed partnerships with other academic institutions such as Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU), a local university that offers online programs, and Sanata Dharma University (SDU), a Jesuit university in Indonesia.
With an emphasis on social justice, XLC is an inclusive learning environment that welcomes and empowers university-age students from diverse ethnicities and cultures.
Furthermore, as a Jesuit institution, XLC is committed to forming graduates who are ethical and others-centric. The students' professional skills are bolstered by their capacity for critical thinking and the desire to find meaning in life.
Students of Xavier Learning Community celebrating Christmas day.
DONATE“Xavier Learning Community has brought together students, volunteers, and professionals for the overall purpose of holistic formation for the young men and women. Our students would not be able to afford higher education otherwise, or at least would bring their families into significant debts.”
XLC has 87 students residing and studying. All 87 students are from hill tribes - predominantly of Karen and Akha tribes.
Through the education and formation they gain from XLC, upon graduation, students will be armed with life skills and academic knowledge that will empower them to be in control of their futures. This empowerment will lead to better employment opportunities, and community development that will uplift not only their own lives, but those of their whole community.
It is the spirit of a learning community that forms XLC’s students in the Ignatian ethos to become leaders and inspire change in their communities.
Learning in community invites education both inside and outside the classroom, allowing the students at XLC to develop holistically through a formal education and their own local knowledge.
Su Mae's Story
For students, like 24-year-old Su Mae, from ethnic minority groups in rural northern Thailand, a scholarship to study a Bachelor Degree at Xavier Learning Community in Chiang Rai, Thailand opens doors to a better life filled with boundless possibilities.
"Before coming here, I did not think I had many opportunities in life."
As the youngest daughter of rural subsistence farmers, Su Mae felt her future was pre-determined as both of her older sisters had to abandon their studies to start working to support the family. Yet, thanks to your generosity, Su Mae can receive a quality education and rewrite her future.
"Now I understand if I apply myself to my studies, I will be able to have a career and help support my family."
In 2023, XLC supported more than 100 students from vulnerable Indigenous groups including Akha, H’mong, Karen and Lanna. This holistic education model helps students find meaningful employment, build more sustainable communities and to serve others.
Grateful for receiving an education Su Mae now dreams of a brighter future.
