"The international aspect is attractive and yes it's a precious experience, but what about the long term? This is a serious issue for future NGO development. We will need younger generations to replace people as they retire, but are they [young people] interested in working in NGOs as their career?" she said.
Part of the problem, Lu said has to do with the stigma attached to NGOs as an unstable career choice. "People are very concerned with economic stability and job promotion and there is a view that NGO work is unstable."
This is a view that needs to change before the third sector can prosper in Taiwan, she said. "It's not flourishing, but it's growing. We are seeing more opportunities, but it's going to take time to mature."
Dedicated to creating a stronger civil society sector the NYC has begun to offer a number of training programs to improve the skills of those already employed in NGOs, as well as offering information seminars aimed at university students who might not know anything about the opportunities open to them.
"Students in Taiwan don't have much exposure to the third sector, therefore we hope to build up their awareness of NGOs as a career choice. A group might start as volunteers, but eventually they may consider working for a NGO as a full-time employee," Lin said.
He didn't have figures for the number of full-time NGO employees between the ages of 18 to 35, but said the number of young people working in the sector has increased dramatically in the last few years.
With five interns currently placed as NGOs in the US, Ding is optimistic his NGO will offer many young people in Taiwan the opportunity to intern at NGOs around the world in the future. For now, however, he is realistic about just how much impact he has on the youth of Taiwan.
"Even if it is just the international affairs aspect that first attracts them, I think as long as there is an interest, it can be cultivated," he said.
Serena Lin (林辰璋) is one of five Taiwanese graduates on the VYA internship at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington. The idea of working and living abroad is what initially attracted her to working for an NGO, but she said young people like her will play an essential part in the future development of Taiwan's civil society.
"A framework of democracy was built by the last generation, but the actual content still needs to be filled. Our role as the next generation is to build up the civil service sector."
RSS