The purpose of the establishment of the Youth Overseas Peace Corps
In order to develop a global perspective of young people, encourage young people to engage in overseas volunteer service and guide young people from Taiwan to the world. The Youth Development Administration, Ministry of Education has long actively promoted overseas volunteer services and annually subsidized applications for proposals from domestic tertiary institutions and legitimate civil society organizations. Now showing results, scope of services across five continents, multi-service type, covering education, humanitarian care, culture, environment, health, Chinese language teaching and other information. Not only to expand youth international perspective, while providing opportunities for young people to explore and discover different countries, habits and culture. Following the annual policy goals of President Tsai “12-year national basic schooling education policy” in 2016. To create a forward-looking education of "not only teaches for today, but also learns for tomorrow". It will encourage the diversified career development of high school graduates, social experience first and then to the universities. At the same time, the youth development administration will hold a thousand-person youth overseas peace work group to encourage young people to go to overseas countries to volunteer, improve their foreign language ability and develop an international perspective.
Youth Overseas Peace Corps
1. Goal:
Following the annual policy goals of President Tsai’s “12-year national basic schooling education policy” in 2016, the Youth Overseas Peace Corps was established, along with the Youth Overseas Peace Corps Promotion Committee, which is made up of relevant government ministries, civil society organizations, and youth representatives. These offer young people overseas voluntary service opportunities, broaden their international outlook, and give young people opportunities to explore and discover the customs and cultures of different countries.
2. Program content:
(1) Target participants: Young Taiwanese nationals aged 18-35 years old.
(2) Strategic execution:
A. Promoting youth overseas voluntary service through public-private partnerships:
To encourage youths to participate in overseas voluntary service and apply their skills and knowledge to offer other countries or regions valuable services, we fund colleges, universities and NGOs on a one-off (or continuing) basis to go to service locations to carry out planned service projects. In addition, youths who are invited by international organizations or overseas branches to work on in-depth overseas service projects (for at least 3 months or more), may go through colleges, universities or NGOs to apply for long-term volunteering support.
B. Pooling relevant resources, supporting youth sustainable development services:
We have launched a youth overseas volunteering information platform specialist website to offer young overseas volunteers pre-trip training courses to build their capacity in planning, project execution and risk management, and satisfy their need for relevant knowledge about overseas service. In addition, we pull together statistical data from different government ministries, colleges and universities, high schools and CSOs, to get a grasp of the current situation of Taiwanese youth taking part in overseas volunteering service.
C. Team contest judging to establish youth standard models to inspire others:
Through the Youth Peace Corps Contest selection process, outstanding youth overseas volunteer teams are chosen, and at the award and sharing ceremony, winning teams are honored and invited to share their overseas volunteering experience, to inspire other youth to take part.