'Culture Points' cash to be expanded to include 13-15-year-olds

Taipei, Dec. 17 (CNA) Taiwan residents aged 16-22 will be eligible to claim NT$1,200 (US$36.92) in cash handouts, known as Culture Points, from Jan. 1, 2025, to spend on cultural activities or at related venues, while kids aged 13-15 will be able to claim NT$600 in Culture Points for the first time, the Ministry of Culture (MOC) said Tuesday.

The program, which was launched in 2023 to encourage more young adults to take part in cultural activities and thereby boost Taiwan's cultural and creative sectors, was originally only open to 18-21-year-olds. It was expanded this year to include 16-17-year-olds.

In a press release Tuesday, Culture Minister Li Yuan (李遠) said that since taking office, one of his top priorities has been expanding eligibility for the Culture Points program down to age 13.

Li said that while he had raised his own kids reading children's books, he found that his grandchildren started to become more interested in electronic devices around age 10.

By allowing kids as young as 13 to claim Culture Points cash, it is hoped that early exposure to culture will help them become more creative, culturally literate, and build their self-identity, Li said.

From Jan. 1, citizens of Taiwan and foreign nationals holding alien resident certificates (ARCs) who were born between Jan. 1, 2003, and Dec. 31, 2009, will be able to claim NT$1,200 in handouts digitally through an MOC app, the ministry said.

Children born between Jan. 1, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2012, will be able to claim handouts worth NT$600, the ministry said.

The points, each equivalent to NT$1, can be used at designated independent bookstores, record stores, live music events and venues, cultural parks, bazaars and screenings of Taiwanese films.

They must be used during the calendar year 2025.

The points can be spent using a QR code on one's phone. Children who do not have smart phones can contact the MOC's customer service line to apply for a paper-based QR code, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, the ministry noted that around 248,000 children and young adults (16.4 percent of the total aged 16-22) eligible for 2024 Culture Points had yet to claim them, and urged them to do so before the end of the year.