Taiwanese Volunteers in Barcelona

Thanks to the support of the National Youth Commission (NYC) under The Exective Yuan of Taiwan, 2 young Taiwanese girls, Susan and Florence, had the opportunity to do a one month internship in the IYOC office in Barcelona, from August 16-September 17, 2009. This internship program of the NYC aims to reinforce the collaboration among IAVE, the IYOC and Taiwanese youth volunteers and organisations.

Chen Tzu Yin, (English name, Florence), 20 years old, majoring in economics and statistics, worked on promoting and informing different Taiwanese youth groups and organisations about the IYOC, establishing the first links between the IYOC and youth groups in Taiwan. “This is my first time with so many people coming from different countries. There are so many things I have to learn. I am trying my best to adapt into the living and the office culture here, and you (the office team) all help me a lot,” she shared during her first week in the office. For one month, she was in charge of researching on Asian youth volunteer groups and how they work, to make a stronger connection with the IYOC. She also helped the IYOC in promoting other Asia-related events, like the 12th IAVE Asia Pacific Regional Volunteer Conference, as well as translating texts and information materials from English to Chinese. “The office has a great ambition and confidence in building a strong network in Asia. I know it’s a big progress as we start linking with people there. I believe we are going to make a success with all our effort,” she said.

Juan Ya Wen, (English name, Susan), 20 years old, studies in National Yunlin University of  Science and Technology, majoring in Information Management. During her internship, she was in charge of web-related tasks, posting news, photos and articles on the website, as well as updating the IYOC on-line newsletter. She also helped translate the IYOC brochure in Chinese. ”I´m very happy to be in the IAVE Youth Office (IYOC). I work as a volunteer to further expand my social networking with others. As a result, I am not only helping people who need assistance, but also it provides the best opportunity for me to learn how to interact with global people. It will help me grow and be the best, and enhance my capability in the future,” she shared.