Let Us Provide A Little Light For Society
The “Art and Design Support Group for Social Enterprises” program is aimed to utilize the expertise of National Taiwan University of Arts (NTUA). By providing the opportunity for teachers and students to participate in the operations and practices of social enterprises, they will have a clear idea as to where their true talents lie in the future and further enable them to give back to society. Through the program, we achieved “understanding” (via the experience sharing between social enterprises and local sectors), “taking part in learning” (students formed teams to take part in the operation of social enterprises and local sectors and other community groups) as well as “innovation” (after students formed teams, they developed their own innovative models) to exercise social engagement.
At the start, we often opened by saying “We hope to help you through design.” when communicating with these social groups. And these social groups were so generous in allowing us to be a part of their operations. However, as we got more involved, we started to realize just how insignificant and insufficient we really were. Instead of saying “We hope to help you through design,” we have now rephrased it to “is there a chance for us to create something together using our passion and power”? when approaching these social enterprises and regional revitalization organizations. This allows us to break free from the academic mindset and broaden our horizons.
For students to understand the needs of the physically and mentally challenged, we invited people with visual and physical impairments from Agoood, Re-U Social Enterprise, and the New Taipei City Welfare Association for the Blind to participate in the essential oil and aromatherapy courses as a collaborative program. Students served in the course and learned together with those with impairments. In the program, we also arranged a visit to herb farm as we believe it is important to learn through physical experiences and exercise. To ensure that all participants in the learning program were comfortable, the students and team members carried out thorough research into all aspects of the visit including detailed groundwork, including arrangements for transportation, the layout of the farm, and all barrier-free facilities. The activities are announced in the chat group where participants can contact each other. As the herb farm was located on a hillside without a proper path, the site became wet and muddy due to the rain. After a discussion between the team and the farm owner, it was decided the “farmland visit” for these visually and physically impaired individuals was unsuitable due to the obvious safety concerns. A resting place was arranged and subsequent plans were fulfilled after the visit to the herb farm. After spending a few months together, our team has come to know our new friends very well. They opened themselves up to us about the farm visit and told us that they are generally very curious and keen to learn about new things. Although they felt confident and were happy to carry on with the activities at the farm and even though they knew the decision was made with their well-being in mind, they still felt disappointed because they were not consulted beforehand. We suddenly realized just how narrow-minded we were, and we quickly adjusted the plan. During a series of discussions, the students proposed a few ideas, one of which was that if the environment at the herb farm was not ideal for the group, a mobile phone live stream from the farm would be a fantastic alternative. The event was a real shock to me because I had always considered myself a person of “compassion.” I realized then that we too often apply what we think is “good” to others, and “putting yourself in others’ shoes” is easier said than done.
Another story concerns what I learned from an experience shared with the CEO of Culture Art and Nature (CAN), Jeffery Lin. Upon the arrival of the annual round-Taiwan bicycle event for the children of Grass Book House, I said to Jeffery: “Would you like me to donate some money towards the children’s meals for the bike event?” He smiled and answered: “Why don’t you cook them a nice dinner after the last day of training before the event?” I accepted the challenge and took some students to prepare the ingredients for a chicken curry before their training ended. I cannot describe how touched I was when I saw pictures of those children enjoying the meal. What is worth mentioning is that when I saw those brave children who took on the bike challenge again, besides thanking me, some ecstatically said “Teacher! Can you make it spicy next time? Can we please add carrots to the curry next time”? I told them to keep working hard on the bike challenge and I will also work hard on my cooking skills and ask more volunteers to cook for them again next year.
This program has made all the participating teachers and team members grow. As one of the organizers of the “The First Taiwan Placemaking Annual Meeting” held in Chiayi in the middle of the year, the CAN has taught me that, as insignificant as it may seem, a huge amount of energy can really be accumulated to make a difference when we all come together. “Art and design” is one of our greatest capabilities; but it is not all we can offer. We hope to provide support for the good of society using our abilities while improving little by little with each participation to promote more communication while at the same time driving change and growth.
At the start, we often opened by saying “We hope to help you through design.” when communicating with these social groups. And these social groups were so generous in allowing us to be a part of their operations. However, as we got more involved, we started to realize just how insignificant and insufficient we really were. Instead of saying “We hope to help you through design,” we have now rephrased it to “is there a chance for us to create something together using our passion and power”? when approaching these social enterprises and regional revitalization organizations. This allows us to break free from the academic mindset and broaden our horizons.
For students to understand the needs of the physically and mentally challenged, we invited people with visual and physical impairments from Agoood, Re-U Social Enterprise, and the New Taipei City Welfare Association for the Blind to participate in the essential oil and aromatherapy courses as a collaborative program. Students served in the course and learned together with those with impairments. In the program, we also arranged a visit to herb farm as we believe it is important to learn through physical experiences and exercise. To ensure that all participants in the learning program were comfortable, the students and team members carried out thorough research into all aspects of the visit including detailed groundwork, including arrangements for transportation, the layout of the farm, and all barrier-free facilities. The activities are announced in the chat group where participants can contact each other. As the herb farm was located on a hillside without a proper path, the site became wet and muddy due to the rain. After a discussion between the team and the farm owner, it was decided the “farmland visit” for these visually and physically impaired individuals was unsuitable due to the obvious safety concerns. A resting place was arranged and subsequent plans were fulfilled after the visit to the herb farm. After spending a few months together, our team has come to know our new friends very well. They opened themselves up to us about the farm visit and told us that they are generally very curious and keen to learn about new things. Although they felt confident and were happy to carry on with the activities at the farm and even though they knew the decision was made with their well-being in mind, they still felt disappointed because they were not consulted beforehand. We suddenly realized just how narrow-minded we were, and we quickly adjusted the plan. During a series of discussions, the students proposed a few ideas, one of which was that if the environment at the herb farm was not ideal for the group, a mobile phone live stream from the farm would be a fantastic alternative. The event was a real shock to me because I had always considered myself a person of “compassion.” I realized then that we too often apply what we think is “good” to others, and “putting yourself in others’ shoes” is easier said than done.
Another story concerns what I learned from an experience shared with the CEO of Culture Art and Nature (CAN), Jeffery Lin. Upon the arrival of the annual round-Taiwan bicycle event for the children of Grass Book House, I said to Jeffery: “Would you like me to donate some money towards the children’s meals for the bike event?” He smiled and answered: “Why don’t you cook them a nice dinner after the last day of training before the event?” I accepted the challenge and took some students to prepare the ingredients for a chicken curry before their training ended. I cannot describe how touched I was when I saw pictures of those children enjoying the meal. What is worth mentioning is that when I saw those brave children who took on the bike challenge again, besides thanking me, some ecstatically said “Teacher! Can you make it spicy next time? Can we please add carrots to the curry next time”? I told them to keep working hard on the bike challenge and I will also work hard on my cooking skills and ask more volunteers to cook for them again next year.
This program has made all the participating teachers and team members grow. As one of the organizers of the “The First Taiwan Placemaking Annual Meeting” held in Chiayi in the middle of the year, the CAN has taught me that, as insignificant as it may seem, a huge amount of energy can really be accumulated to make a difference when we all come together. “Art and design” is one of our greatest capabilities; but it is not all we can offer. We hope to provide support for the good of society using our abilities while improving little by little with each participation to promote more communication while at the same time driving change and growth.
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University characteristic Startup Stage Project
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New Taipei City
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國立臺灣藝術大學
345votes
Further reading
Measures for Leaving a Message to Enter the Draw for the Live Streaming of the Opening Ceremony
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Event Period
From 13:00 to 14:00 on December 12 (Saturday), 2020
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Event Measures
Log in to your personal Facebook or Google account to proceed with leaving a message; each account with a successful message of #2020usrexpo left before the end of the live streaming of the opening ceremony will have an opportunity to enter the draw, and each account is restricted to winning the prize once only.
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List of Winners
On December 14 (Monday), 2020, the list of winners will be announced on the event official website https://2020usrexpo.org/) Announcement of the list of winners
Event Prize Content
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1st Prize
“Huei Yeh” Power Extreme Massage Gun 1 winner
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2nd Prize
Nestle Dolce Gusto Genio 2 1 winner
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3rd Prize
KINYO Bluetooth 5.0 Wireless Speaker 2 winner
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4th Prize
7-11 Gift Voucher valued at NT$200 27 winner
Announcement of the list of winners
The various prizes are expected to be notified via email and also announced on the event official website on December 14 (Monday), please will the prize winners pay attention to the prize-winning information, and send back the relevant documents according to the notices & explanations; no separate notification will be issued.
Notices
- The event period for this event is based on Taiwan time, and the delivery of the rewards is restricted to regions including Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu.
- Please refer to the actual products for the event rewards, the pictures used on the website are for reference only; no request for changing colors, specs, transfers, or cash redemption will be accepted.
- Our event organizer will not be liable for the follow-up warranty and maintenance of the winning rewards; once the rewards have been collected, signed, and accepted, no reissuance of the rewards will be available if the rewards have been lost, peculated, discarded, or damaged. Please refer to the actual products for the prize rewards, no return or exchange will be accepted; the prize winner must contact the manufacturer of the rewards if there is any issue regarding malfunctioning, damage, or maintenance.
- 1st prize ~ 2nd prize (Winning prizes with a value exceeding NT$1,000 (inclusive): Each prize winner should fill out the “Reward Collection Application and Receipt (will be announced together with the announcement of the list of winners)” within 7 days (including holidays based on the post stamp) starting from the next day with the announcement of the list of winners, and must provide a copy of both sides of the ID card. The copy must be sent to the specified place via registered mail; those passing the deadline will be deemed to give up the prize and rights, and no objections will be accepted from the prize winners.
- 3rd Prize ~ 4th Prize (Winning prizes with a value less than NT$1,000 (inclusive): Prize winners should reply to the prize-winning notifying letter via Email within 7 days (including holidays) starting from the next day of the announcement of the list of winners, to confirm the collection of the rewards and to fill out the relevant info for sending the rewards (to confirm the address for sending the gift), and to accelerate the follow-up qualification review. If the prize winners do not complete the relevant info before the deadline, they will be deemed to give up the opportunity to collect the rewards, and no alternative gifts or reissuance of gifts will be available.
- When the prize winners have completed filling out the prize-winning info, the organizer will double-check the identification data of the prize winners, the rewards will only be sent out when all data is correct.
- All prize-winning qualification needs to be approved by the organizer before it becomes effective, all reviewing standards are based on the organizer as the only reference.
- If the prize winner did not fill in the data complete and correct, or cannot be in contact, or did not send back the required data within the announced time of the rewards, the prize winner will then be deemed to voluntarily give up the prize, no separate notification will be announced.
- According to the R.O.C Tax Act, if the prize winner is an individual residing in Taiwan, and the prize amount (value) exceeds NT$1,000 (inclusive), then a copy of both sides of the ID card will need to be handed in for taxation, which will be incorporated into individual income for the annual taxation. If the prize winner is not an individual residing in Taiwan, 20% of reward tax must be deducted from the reward first regardless of the prize amount before the prize winner can collect the reward. If the prize winner is not an adult, a household registration transcript must be provided along with a letter of consent from the legal representative. If the prize winner is unwilling to pay the tax first, he/she will be deemed to give up the reward, and no objections will be accepted.
- If the prize winner is in violation of the relevant event measures or has other dissents, the organizer is allowed to retrieve the reward and no objections from the prize winner will be accepted. If a judicial dispute is involved, all legal liabilities will be held by the individual. The organizer will not be liable.
- If it is confirmed that the participant used a hacker program or other method that evidently violates the fairness of the event in an attempt to influence the event, the organizer is then allowed to disqualify the participant immediately or to cancel the prize-winning qualification. Compensation will be liable if a loss is caused for the organizer due to this.
- For reasons that the organizer are not liable for, including a computer, network, telephone, or technique issues resulting in the delay, loss, incorrect, unidentifiable, or damaged data uploaded by the participants, the organizer will not be liable for any legal liability, and no objections from the participants and prize winners will be accepted.
- The organizer reserves the rights to review the qualification of the event participants, if the organizer or a third party has reported that the participants are found to use methods that are intentional or evidently violate the fairness of the event, or do not conform to the rules of this event, the organizer will then be allowed to cancel the prize immediately.
- The event measures are stated on the event platform, the organizer reserves the right to alter the event details at any time (participating method, gift content and quantity…etc.); the participants must agree completely to follow and obey the alterations of the event without any objection. Please refer to the announcement of the event measures if alternations have been made to the event measures, no separate notification will be available.
- Unmentioned matters of this event should be handled according to the relevant rules of the civil law; the organizer reserves the rights to maintain, modify, cease and explain the content, as well as to cancel the prize-winning qualification of any prize winner influencing other prize winners’ rights. Refer to the announcement on the platform for the modification info; no separate notification will be available.
- Participants in the event agree to accept the event measures and notices, if, in violation, the organizer will then be allowed to cancel the qualification of the participant or the prize winner, and then request the participant for compensation for the losses caused.
- When the event is unable to be conducted due to force majeure causes, the organizer has the rights to cancel, terminate, modify, or cease the event. Participants in the event are deemed to accept the effectiveness of the rules, for unmentioned matters, the organizer reserves the rights to modify, terminate, and alter the event content details without giving out a separate notification.
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