Dear Believers of the Future,
Only by nurturing talents and broadening their horizons can we truly go far.
It's time to express our deep gratitude to all of you. Education shapes Taiwan's future as a whole, and over these years, it's your enthusiastic support that has allowed the Alliance Cultural Foundation (ACF) to stay at the forefront of experimentation, making education different, and supporting the future and growth of the next generation and youths. We've connected and integrated resources, empowered professional teachers with potential, and transformed teaching methods.
In recent years, technological innovations have been rapid, leading to significant changes in global education. Internationally, various teaching tools, from middle and elementary schools to universities, have become fully digitalized. Many world-class, English-dominated online courses are widely available, and top research can be found online. Furthermore, the revolutionary development of online universities without physical campuses has disrupted the boundaries. Faced with this global transformation in education and the rapid wave of technology, I have summarized that Taiwan's education needs to break through in five directions:
- Replace "Uniformity" with "Uniqueness" to guide each person's distinctiveness.
- "Bilingual" or even "Trilingual" (Mandarin, English, Programming Language) to master communication tools connecting with the world.
- All three skills – "Technical, Academics, and Arts" are indispensable to create the maximum value.
- Proficiency in "Character building," "life competencies," and "positive work ethics” to enrich oneself as a global citizen.
- Strengthening 4C Skills: Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking, and Creativity to overcome the challenges posed by technology and robotics.
In response to changing times, education has evolved from rote memorization to nurturing sensibility, empathy, critical thinking, and innovation. This aligns with Junyi School of Innovation and Waldorf's educational philosophies, emphasizing talent cultivation. To support Junyi's graduates transitioning to American community colleges, we established The Alliance Cultural Foundation International (ACFI) in 2017.
I visited U.S. community colleges to ensure that Junyi's alumni could spend two years studying abroad, gaining international perspectives, and enhancing their learning attitudes. When they return to Taiwan, they will possess better skills than many university students, contributing to the enrichment of Hualien and Taitung with international talent. For those aspiring to pursue further studies, we've paved the way for their advancement, but their success will ultimately depend on their own efforts.
Additionally, we have gradually expanded our administrative platform to support nationwide educational reform efforts. Since 2016, we've been assisting in the promotion of Mr. Zhang Huicheng's Sharestart Method and its annual conference. We've also provided administrative support to Mr. Zhong Changhong's Sci-Flipper teaching community, allowing them to focus on their professional development and accelerate their impact without concerns. This summer, at the request of the Ministry of Education's Teacher Education Bureau, we have revamped the "Annual Induction Training for New Teachers" workshop, acting as a bridge between the public sector and frontline teachers. Simultaneously, we take on the role of promoting and administratively supporting Taiwan Connection (TC) Music Festival. Through classical music, we aim to connect Taiwan with the international community. Furthermore, we've extended our four years of experience in organizing campus photography events in Huatung to remote schools in the New Taipei area.
Since 2010, we've been organizing themed summer camps in subjects like English, music, animation, and industrial design for over two thousand Hualien and Taitung students. Additionally, we've sent over forty outstanding youth, including indigenous members, for training abroad. They've participated in programs like the Asian Executive Management Program at Brigham Young University-Hawaii and Sustainable Cultural Tourism in Hawaii, helping them discover their cultural strengths and identities. Looking ahead, we aim to nurture these seeds of potential, fostering indigenous youth leaders in Taiwan through regular discussions on relevant topics to provide positive inspiration.
In an era where education spans borders and competition is fierce, privileged children have diverse choices. But what about rural kids facing constraints and limited opportunities? The solution lies in educational reform, providing dynamic and independent learning methods, allowing them to discover their talents. By creating successful educational examples, we can change the destiny of rural children.
Chairman
Stanley Yen
