12th IAVE Asia Pacific Volunteer Conference and Youth Forum opens in Kaohsiung
“This is it!” cried Debbie Huang, the chairperson of the organizing committee, as the 12th IAVE Asia Pacific Regional Volunteer Conference kicked off in Kaohsiung, Taiwan on Thursday, November 26. A total of 800 participants, with over 200 from overseas and some 600 local delegates, joined the opening ceremony. The event had a strong indigenous flavor, with performances and dances led by an art troupe from the Paiwan community. In a touching moment, international scholarship recipients met face-to-face with the people who sponsored their trips to Taiwan.
In his opening address, IAVE president Dr. Kang-Hyun Lee said at this time of economic crisis and frequent natural disasters, volunteers were needed to build trust and peace. Given the complexity of these problems, Dr. Lee challenged the delegates to find better and more creative ways to volunteer. He said volunteers needed to rethink the structure and organization of service work. Recalling the story of a traveller who comes across three people - one chiseling marble, one laying a foundation, and one building a cathedral, Dr. Lee asked the conference attendees to reconsider what they were doing in their volunteer work.
The president of IAVE-Taiwan, Xu Huimei welcomed participants to Kaohsiung City, which she said also hosted the World Games earlier in the year. The Games were very successful, Ms. Xu said, largely due to the efforts of the volunteers working behind the scenes. Ms. Xu, who is also the president of the Kaohsiung City Volunteer Association, said since the KVA was founded in 1990, it had been working with the city government to promote volunteering and improve community life. In addition, the association has worked to increase international connections, for example, by celebrating International Volunteer Day in the city. The Asia Pacific Regional Conference is a continuation of those efforts.
The deputy secretary general of the Office of the President, Liao Fengwei, outlined President Ma’s commitment to volunteering, charity donations and giving blood. Quoting John F. Kennedy’s famous phrase: “Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country” Liao said Taiwan’s president had launched a regional Peace Corps in the US mould.
The opening ceremony started with an indigenous dance, performed to a tune played on the nose flute. The aboriginal theme continued with a performance of the traditional Peacock Story by the Sha Tao Zazurite Art Troupe from the Paiwan tribe, who are native to southern Taiwan. The performers led everyone in a communal dance at the end of ceremony.
In a break from tradition, the conference scholarship recipients met with their corporate and charity sponsors in a formal ceremony on stage. The donors gave the scholarship winners teddy bears as a welcome gift to Taiwan, and in return, the conference organizers handed plaques to the donors to thank them for providing the bursaries.
The IAVE Asia Pacific Regional Volunteer Conference is sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the National Youth Commission, and the Kaohsiung City Government. Scholarships were provided with generous donations from Zonta International, Cixian Charity Association, Dabei Charity Association, Soroptimists, Fenglin Charity Association, the Disabled League, Kaohsiung Volunteer Association, Yuanmao Food Company, Xince Lotus Pond Charity Association, Taicheng Co. Ltd., Hengchun Transportation Co. Ltd., Fushun Auto Co. Ltd., and the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families.
The conference is hosted by IAVE, IAVE-Taiwan, Kaohsiung City Bureau of Social Affairs, and Kaohsiung City Volunteer Association.
(Photo: Tsai Cheng Ming)