Bringing the World into the Community; Presenting the Local Beauty to the World

Through participation and observation of various landscapes, we have enriched our imagination of the community, not only about them but also about who we are. (Lee, Hsiang-I. The Most Beautiful Era)

We are a grassroots and genuine volunteer program that transforms lives! We hope to bring the wonders of the big world to the most remote areas in Taiwan while offering opportunities of experiencing the most beautiful things there. Children in rural areas and metropolitan cities should all have fair access to education opportunities, but the obstacles faced by children in rural areas and metropolitan cities are entirely different. We strive for empowering kids to connect to the world through different educational resources, and leading them to believe that learning is fun and meaningful.

We have ambitious dream for the University Social Responsibility, a vital institutional role in contributing to the welfare of the society and their people. Creating practical content with active social activities, practice leadership and team cooperation, making good use of resources, and empower students to become "expert learners" that they are genuinely interested in how they can learn are four perspectives that we cultivate. NTUST has been supporting Project LET'S Go! (PLG) to promote University Social Responsibility for such a long time. We are committed to recruiting international and local student talents, bringing nearly 300 college students from NTUST and 23 countries around the world, holding hands with more than 350 students. College students set off to the community to prepare for regular "STEAM Weekends" or "English Language Immersion Summer School". Through self-developed immersive English courses, cross-cultural interactions, and participate in local activities regularly, it promotes deep learning beyond summer camps, tutor hours, or service clubs. Students can "learn" culturally inclusive empathy, leadership skills, develop critical thinking, and inspiration from multiple perspectives with partner communities, bringing "feeling, imagination, and practice" to local people, children, and participating students.

By understanding the most authentic appearance of the school and community, we create exclusive courses based on children’s learning demands, local culture, and characteristic industries. Children can explore, tap their potential, inject new energy, and take root in their community by participating in our courses. While getting in touch with new knowledge, children could have a deeper understanding of the tribes in their village, which shows that learning could be connected both inward and to the world. What we want is not only to bring in world-class service-learning activities but also to bring the world into the rural corner of Taiwan on an equal basis. Enable all participants to learn together and benefit from each other!

Project LET’S Go! (PLG) Community Service Activities

Opportunity to Join Occasionally, Generate a Commitment with Children

There may be the same problem in any corner of the world. When partners from different countries join us, they take responsibility in the process and reflect on their surroundings and even their hometown.

Huang Jiafu, a pharmacy student who came to Taiwan to study from Malaysia, has faith in contributing to Taiwan’s society. After incidentally seeing the publicity of PLG in 2019, he applied to participate without any hesitation. Until now, he continues to write the story between himself and remote areas in PLG...

I’m Jiafu. In Malaysia, I wasn’t aware of social services since I lived in a metropolitan area. I once heard a friend who participated in rural education say: "In fact, while teaching the children, the children are also teaching us." After experiencing this personally, I deeply realized the meaning of this.

From the appearance and personality alone, it seems that everyone can be easily classified into a specific sort, but the story behind each is so special and unique. Every child got their unique side, and we need to learn to arouse their learning motivation through the things they like. What caught my attention most was a very shy child who often felt inferior and felt that he was different from others. He is very sensitive to what others think of him, but I don't think he needs to care about those, as long as he lives the life he wants is the best gift to him. Hence, I continued to encourage him during this period, hoping that he could lead promising life. Afterward, he often contacted me and shared with me what happened in school. The following year, a few volunteer partners and I returned to Xiaolin Village and met the child again. He has grown up a lot, and he told me that he no longer cares about others' opinions and strange vision but feels his ability needs to be enhanced. His growth and changes made me feel that my efforts were not in vain, and I hope to continue contributing my meager strength to the children in Xiaolin.

PLG provides a great platform for participants to express themselves freely. After truly participating in it, I discovered something that I never notice. I heard lots of stories about children and locals, also discovered things that differ from the city.  All these experiences have a great impact on me. I am very willing to do more for Xiaolin's children and hope to learn more from them. Learn more...

Jiafu and kids from Xiaolin

10 Years of Memories, Online Static Exhibition

In 2020, we held a small exhibition to document the story and look forward to the future.

Our story started in the summer of 2010, Dr. Wannie Wang’s Intro to Education class in New York sent a suitcase full of children’s books overseas to Xiaolin Elementary School, located in rural mountains in Taiwan. The class heard that a year had passed since Typhoon Morakot destroyed the school and its small village, and the children still were struggling. The deadliest tropical storm to impact Taiwan in recorded history wiped out their homes and took the lives of many of their families and friends, including the school’s English teacher. The class decided, with the storybooks and some technology, that they would teach the children English. The children actively participated in the weekly Skype lessons and that July, four students from Wannie’s class flew across the globe to Xiaolin, a small community located in the mountains of Kaohsiung in Taiwan. They designed and hosted a summer camp for the children. This experience was, in the childrens’ own words, life-changing. With the help of our supportive partners, international and local volunteers, and dedicated team here at PLG, we have successfully hosted more than 11 years of camps through our summer programs.

“It’s not because of progress that we set off; it’s because we set off so that we can go further every day.”Ten years passed, college students or people in the workforce who have participated in the project have experienced the purity of getting along with each other, enriched their hearts, and met like-minded partners. Thus, some participants continue to invest in our project because those periods are fulfilled and satisfying in their minds. We let the concept of sustainable social responsibility take root in children's hearts. After children who used to be in the community grew up, they returned to join our project to become staff. Some were studying agriculture, others were studying education, and even the girl who was still a child a few years ago is now a nurse in our group. When children grow up and are back to join us, they observe and discover the shortcomings in the project since they want to use their feedback to share with more partners. On the way, we watched many partners and children grow up and leave to go on their own lives. We are grateful for saying goodbye since we have left a record in each other's life. Three years ago, a volunteer partner left a sentimental message on social media, "I am so happy to have such a bunch of friends. Even though we have not seen each other for years, we could still talk about different experiences and cheer for each other." For any partner or even the children who come back to join the project, we feel gratified as parents that our children have grown up and decide to give back to society. We believe that “If you want to walk fast, go alone. If you want to walk far, go together. ” The social practice aims to foster a strong understanding of social participation's importance and make a positive impact on the communities. Let's work together to bring some positive changes to this society!

Project LET’S Go! (PLG) 10th Anniversary Exhibition

PLG 10th Anniversary Exhibition: https://projectletsgoteam.wixsite.com/plgexhibition

PLG Official Website: http://www.projectletsgo.org/

PLG Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PLG.Be.Inspiring/

PLG Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/projectletsgo/