President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday officially launched a government program to fund young Taiwanese’s travel abroad for volunteer work, training or cross-cultural exchanges.
The Taiwan Global Pathfinders Initiative offers more than 800 opportunities this year for Taiwanese nationals aged 15 to 30 to travel overseas for two weeks to one year, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said at the launch in Taoyuan.
The program encourages young Taiwanese to “step out of their comfort zone” and take on challenges abroad, with the goal of “broadening their horizons” while promoting Taiwan and its values of freedom and democracy, Yeh said.
Photo: Chou Min-hung, Taipei Times
From the government’s perspective, young people play a crucial role in Taiwan’s sustainable development, and those with a global perspective and mindset would enhance the nation’s competitiveness on the international stage, he added.
The program, with the government pledging to provide NT$10 billion (US$306 million), is accepting applications and proposals until March 14, and again from May 1 to June 20.
It is a collaborative effort among government agencies to help young people with aspirations and courage to gain more overseas experience, Lai said.
By doing so, they would hopefully drive Taiwan’s progress and contribute to the international community, he said.
The initiative could be expanded to include young people from the nation’s 12 diplomatic allies, offering them additional opportunities to come to Taiwan for exchanges and training, he added.
The program currently covers 85 projects, providing 610 opportunities for overseas voluntary work, training, internship or other types of exchanges in various fields this year, the Ministry of Education said.
One of the projects is to select three students to go on a tour in Paris to gain insight into French politics by visiting the French parliament, the headquarters of the French newspaper Le Monde and other related sites, Yeh said.
Another initiative is to send 20 young people passionate about the entertainment industry to Seoul to receive training at the Bornstar Training Center, Yen said.
The ministry also aims to select 200 young people who are to receive up to NT$2 million in grants for their own proposals.
The program is to cover round-trip airfare, living expenses, insurance, visa fees and other costs incurred at home and abroad for those selected.
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