Founder's Story

Yada Pruksachatkun has always been intrigued with the power of dance and empowerment, having been transformed by it herself. A native of Chiang Mai, Thailand, and a graduate at THINK Global School, the first traveling high school in the world, she helped hospital youth starting with the best way she knows how: through dance. Now, she hopes to empower hospitalized youth to find and pursue their passion, which she had found in dance.

To know more about her story, view the video.

Questions with the Founder

What were, or are, some of the obstacles you faced?

Too numerous to count (laugh).

First off, there was the obvious geographical barrier. That was solved by technology, but there was still the problem of how to teach dance to hospitalized youth who are five, six thousand miles away. That’s why part of what we do involves making online dance videos and Skype sessions.

Then, there was the fact that I had never tried creating a philanthropic initiative before. I didn’t know where to start, who to contact, or how to negotiate. We’re still in our starting phase, and it will take a lot more hard work to make this initiative sustainable in the long run. Now, we’re facing challenges that come with more exposure and expansion. I’m learning new things every day!

What is a moment that you still remember to this day?

I remember a girl who had Epidermolysis bullosa, which is a skin condition that creates blisters on the skin upon minor injury or contact, who had these red patches of raw skin. She stared at me in fear and timidness at first, but she did do all of the dance moves after me. She had so much courage, and for that, I really respect her. She wasn’t afraid of her patchy skin, or how other people would look at her. And even though she couldn’t move her legs due to the pain, she was still willing to do some simple upper body choreography.

Why hospitalized youth?

My parents are both doctors, so growing up, I was able to see the parallels and the differences between my life, and the life of the youth on the other side of the hospital chain of power.

Also, I feel like hospital youth are a very overlooked demographic when it comes to empowerment. Hospital youth transcend boundaries, yet when there are hospital-related charities, those usually focus on bringing entertainment such as concerts of dance performances to the patients. The difference between those initiatives and this one is that we mentor and teach them how to make their own dance performances, and discover confidence in themselves. After they are able to do that, they will realize that even though they’re hospital patients, they still have the power to pursue what they love, whether that culminates to a dance performance or a book.