In an aboriginal community,
teenagers experience farming
in bare feet.

Elders teach teens how to
weave with rice straw.

Students introduce the "Youth
Passport" with an interesting
drama.

Fresh summer vacation's activities for Taichung city teens: Diverse leisure and recreational activities for young people

Words and photos by Ye Yi-ting
Translated by Angel Pu

What are your plans for this summer vacation? Many parents and teenagers are currently planning out summer activities via the Taichung Juvenile Welfare Center. This institution has arranged nearly 50 different activities/events related to sports, leisure, recreation, the arts, skills learning, and public service for youth between the ages of 12 and 22. Among these, the most inquired-about ones are the community camp and teenagers’ recreation camp.

Heading to the mountains, coast for new learning experiences
Annual Teen Community Camps are very popular with teenagers and their parents and, following the Taichung city/county merger, there are now even more places to visit. This year, organizers will be taking teens to three mountain and coastal area communities to experience different cultures. In Dajia district, participants can work with international volunteers, help locals fish with nets, and try cooking food with an earth mound. Teen participants will also help clean up the beach and harvest crops. In Qingdong community of Dongshi district, camp-goers will experience Hakka culture through activities such as learning to make special Hakka cakes, helping them understand the unique Hakka culture through local residents. In Rende community of Wuri district, there are many senior citizens living alone. Teens can receive wise advice from them while helping them clean up their homes in an exchange that imbues young people with respect for their elders, who in turn enjoy the heart-warming, youthful companionship.

The community camps not only allow young people to learn and experience new things, but also brings their youthful creativity into full play. By participating in environmental clean-ups, rearranging unused spaces, and creating unique community landscapes via teamwork, they learn about the importance of assisting minority groups and of public service.

Various recreational camps promise to be outstanding
In addition, there are 12 camps that provide teenagers opportunities to participate in healthy, fun activities. The Coffee Camp teaches them how to make coffee, to taste it and to understand its history and culture. Agriculture Camp helps teenagers learn more about where our food come from and how biotechnology is used in growing food. Foreign Culture Camp introduces the culture of Congo as well as Vietnam’s paper-quilling (or paper filigree) art. At the First-Aid Camp, participants learn simple first-aid techniques and how to calmly handle various emergency situations. During Culinary Camp, a chef teaches attendees how to buy vegetables in a traditional market, wash and cut them, cook them up and even how to set a table. In addition to all of the above, there is the exciting Paintball Camp, Dance Camp, Handicrafts Camp, Radio Camp, Chinese Music Camp, and Board Games Camp. The overall goal is to help teenagers relax and learn more about their world and themselves.

Very useful Youth Passport
During summer vacation, the Taichung City Government's Bureau of Social Affairs has also edited a "Youth Passport" booklet that includes every youth welfare institution in the city, helping young people know who to go to when they are facing a variety of different situations. In order to encourage teens to pick up this publication, the bureau has arranged a "Request a Youth Passport and win a prize" activity. Participants who visit the Taichung Juvenile Welfare Center website at www.tcjwc.org.tw and type in the barcode numbers on the booklet have the chance to win one of the great prizes, including folding bikes, LoMo Cameras, MP3s, digital photo frames and USB flash drives. From now on, 5,000 of the passports will be available at information desks at the Taichung Juvenile Welfare Center, New City Hall, Yangming Building, and Old Taichung City Hall.