Doors to Diplomacy Participants

Wanhe Elementary School Changhua County (2014 CyberFair Project ID 7775)
Taiwan, Changhua County
Official Status: Final Project: Ready for Judging
Teacher:
Category: 1. Local Leaders

We estimate 6 student(s) from 11 to 12 will work on this entry.

Description of Our Community: Erlin Township is located in the southwestern part of Changhua County. The area is flat and most of the locals are farmers. Grapes, Chinese leeks, red Job’s tears, and buckwheat are some of the well-known agricultural products in this area. Wanhe Elementary School is located in Wanhe, a small village in Erlin. There are many traditional houses in our community. People lead a very simple lifestyle here. One problem we are facing is that the population here is decreasing dramatically. Young people tend to relocate for job opportunities. Most of our students live with their grandparents. Over the past few years, we have less than ten first graders entering our school every year. The number of our students has dropped to 57 this year.

Project Description: When Mr. Luke Lin realized that rural students in Jhutang Township were at a disadvantage due to lack of educational resources, he sprang into action. With the assistance of a local Buddhist monastery, Luke began offering free English classes on Sundays. As parent support developed, Luke was able to expand his offerings to include annual English contests and numerous educational events during the summer break. These selfless actions and the enthusiasm displayed by Luke and other volunteers led to increased community support and the founding of a non-profit organization in 2009. My Culture Connect’s founding purpose was the development of wide and free access to educational resources for the schools of Changhua County. The year 2010 was a turning point for Luke's organization. Because of helping the international organization, Up with People, when they visited Taiwan, My Culture Connect became a platform for cultural exchanges between Taiwan and other nations. Selfless acts, of this nature, proved to be critical in breaking down national and cultural boundaries. Luke, the subject of our project, is one of several people we interviewed. Nine people, including the American volunteers, Mike Dishnow and Jerry Becwar, offered their thoughts on Luke Lin and My Culture Connect. All together, we recorded more than 40 hours in our quest to understand this incredible selfless man. Luke Lin’s dreams come to life in the words of these witnesses and participants in his life. Our goals go beyond exploring Luke’s dreams and extend to sowing the seeds of hope in the minds of students. Careful cultivation of these seeds will promote the growth of young people who grow up to give back to the society that has nurtured them.

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