The Education Ministry’s Youth Development Administration (YDA) has been running the Global Youth Action Plan to encourage young people to engage in community development and revitalization. In 2021, they established Educational Youth Gathering Points with 25 such locations offering hundreds of courses for individuals under 35 this year. While many courses fill up quickly, as of this Wednesday 40% are still available for registration.
Huang Ya-yu (黃雅玉), chief of the Public Participation Division at YDA, explained that the program aims to help youth transition from dreamers to actors, and finally changemakers, in their communities. The Educational Youth Gathering Points were created to address the challenges faced by aspiring youth who have ideas but struggle to take action.
Huang says that since 2021, the YDA has selected 25 teams with local revitalization experience to serve as Educational Youth Gathering Points. These points develop diverse, systematic courses to guide youth to participate in local affairs. Since its establishment in 2021, 49 different gathering points have offered more than 530 courses, training over 6,000 participants.
Huang says this year’s program provides 1,966 free learning opportunities for youth nationwide. Courses cover a wide range of topics including interpreting local culture through immersive puzzle games and exploring public issues through sensory experiences. Some popular courses like the “Banana Workshop” have become signature programs due to their practical and innovative approaches to local industries and sustainability.