Youth Forum opens at the 12th Asia Pacific Conference

The minister of the National Youth Commission, Wang Yuting, said she had conducted research in the townships of Taiwan to find the real needs of local communities. The study revealed that long-term service programs were required, which is why NYC is now promoting 2-3 year plans to encourage volunteer organizations to adopt townships and build a lasting relationship.

Through its network of local youth volunteer centers, the NYC had helped recruit 38,000 youth volunteers to take part in Typhoon Morakot relief work. The centers posted their needs on the NYC website, and youth volunteers answered the call by going to disaster areas.

The director of the International Youth Office in Catalonia (IYOC) Lluc Marti spoke on international youth volunteering. The IYOC hosted two Taiwanese interns this summer in Barcelona, sponsored by the National Youth Commission, so was pleased to be in Taiwan to meet them again. Outlining the problems that face youth volunteering, Marti said the ultimate solution was “active participation” to empower young people, crucially by giving them responsibility.

Marti said volunteering was about “learning by doing”, and was a chance for young people to know how to act, think and learn. A young volunteer needs to know what is going on in the world, not only with the mind but with your feelings and your heart.

(Photo by Sun Zhongyi 孫仲義 published with permission from KCVA)