The Power to Change the World--Yes， We Can!

Dr. Jane Goodall, who is an international conservationist, the UN Messenger for Peace and the honorary dean of International College of Practice and Education for the Environment (ICPEE), Chang Jung Christian University (CJCU), said, “Roots creep underground everywhere and make a firm foundation. Shoots seem very weak, but to reach the light, they can break through brick walls. Imagine that the brick walls are all the problems we have inflicted on our planet; the thousands of roots & shoots, thousands of young people around the world can break through these walls. You CAN change the world.” Yes! The education is the way to change individuals, society, and the world. 

The Ministry of Education (MOE) has promoted the University Social Responsibility (USR) Project since 2017. The project emphasizes university’s social function by encouraging devotion of the research and education outcomes to the society. Since the launching of the USR project, universities have largely improved their connection to the communities.   

In response to the national developing plan of Shalun Smart Green Energy Science City (SSGESC), CJCU organized the USR project to promote concepts of sustainable development in the communities surrounding the Taiwan High Speed Rail Tainan Station Special District. In phase II of the project, the scope is extended to the whole Erren River watershed with international cooperation to several foreign partners that are expected to work together for a better world. The project ‘Green Community Roots and Shoots Action Plan (GCR&SAP) - from the Local to the International’ aims (1) to develop a green community that can serve as a practical model for SSGESC, (2) to replace the impression of Erren River from polluting scrap metal factories to green energy industry, and (3) to link the local and international successes for a sustainable society.

We established a Green Da-Wu-Lun Community Office in Datan community as the liaison to connect the community and university faculty members who can use Problem-based-learning (PBL) process to solve community problems on the progression toward green community. The PBL courses motivate students to care about communities and work with local people towards the sustainable solutions. Being the core student body? in the PBL courses, the international students in the International Program for Sustainable Development (IPSD), who were recommended by the International Jean Goodall Institute (JGI) to the program, learn the value of USR by practicing the knowledge and skill of sustainability on the green community development. It is anticipated that these Taiwan experience can also be learned to the world by the graduates to their home country. The power to change the world is arising!

We have observed three changes in the GCR&SAP project: 

Change 1-Transformation and Reconstruction of the Environment 

With the long-term effort of CJCU River Restoration Center on the public participation since 2002, the Erren River’s length classified as severely polluted has been reduced from 100% in 2001 to the current 17.1%. The GCR&SAP project devotes efforts to establishing a waterfront area for environmental education on the bank of the Erren River adjacent to CJCU. 

In addition, the GCR&SAP project transformed a Taiwanese traditional house into the USR Green Da-Wu-Lun Community Office as a liaison with the subject communities. Students engaged in the tasks to conserve the history and culture, and also kept beautiful memories which were brought by the scenes of this local agricultural village. 

Apart from these activities, Da-tan community and we jointly applied for a compost & recycling station construction plan from the Environmental Protection Bureau of Taiwan City Government. Students also participated in this plan through PBL courses. They built a “Key-hole Garden” which was an African style compost station with an aquaponics facility constructed by using rainwater and plastic bottles. It became our environmental education base. Thus, we worked all together and embodied the concept of GCR & SAP. 

Change 2-Initiating Human Development 

The United Nations adopted Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in 1972 and appealed to people to pay attention to environmental issues. It was the origin of environmental education. The ecosystem provides the best living environment for mankind. Mankind is the central actor of the sustainable development. Therefore, it is really important to promote environmental education. We have fostered practical skills of students and local people to achieve the environmental sustainability through getting knowledge and improving environmental awareness and ethical sense of value in this program.

In order to develop global citizens, we recruited students who loved the nature and craved to change the world with the cooperation of the Jane Goodall Institute and established International Program for Sustainable Development (IPSD) under the International College of Practice and Education for the Environment in CJCU. Many students in IPSD come from developing countries and actually, who are the seeds of environmental education and Taiwan’s international visibility towards the sustainable development. Here is the importance of the GCR & SAP.

IPSD students have proactively participated in this USR plan and brought a new atmosphere to the plan. The GCR & SAP won the Best Dynamic Practice Award in USR EXPO 2019 and also got great responses in USR EXPO online exhibition 2020. On the other hand, we have implemented international activities which foreign students read picture book stories in English with pupils at an elementary school since March of 2018. It has been held 43 times with 7,430 pupils participations in total. We also conducted Green-life English camp four times and around 700 pupils participated. Big hands and small hands have advanced environmental education and kept on making efforts together for the environmental sustainability. 

Change 3-Extending the Actions of Internationalization 

We have encouraged and promoted effective citizen camps and cooperation with civil society through implementing youth camps and the Asia-Pacific Youth Summit. Youths from 10 countries - Taiwan, Australia, Malaysia, India, Korea, USA, Tanzania, Burundi, Algeria and Bangladesh – attended the Asia-Pacific Youth Summit in July, 2020. Participants focused on topics of SDGs, such as climate change, poverty unfair and endangered animals at the Focus forum. In the end of summit, they discussed how they can act based on the concept of roots and shoots for the coming year. 

The COVID-19 pandemic affected international mobility, however, CJCU spared no effort to link Miyakojima city in Japan and the Kenting National Park Administration Office with a friendship through Grey-faced buzzard. Mr. KUGAI Katsumori, who was specialized Asian raptor research and the advisor at the Miyakojima Wild Bird Conservation Association, gave a small lecture about Grey-faced buzzard online in the site of Grey-faced buzzard festival in Kenting on October 10, 2020. And the "Taiwan-Japanese Grey-faced buzzard Friendship Exchange Conference" was held at the Kenting National Park Administration Office on the 11th. 

We hope that environmental conservation activities progressed by three-party cooperation of CJCU, Kenting National Park Administration Office and the Miyakojima City Office, will bring great benefits to conserve Grey-faced buzzard. 

“Cultivating in the ground deeply and connecting with the world” is the philosophy of CJCU. We are walking on the road of " Be glory to local and leap to the world", and we will create the power to change the world!