Expanded youth exchanges with allies to continue next year: Taiwan

Taipei, Nov. 25 (CNA) A government-funded program enabling young people from Taiwan's diplomatic allies to participate in cultural exchanges in Taiwan and vice versa will continue for a second year in 2026, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official said Tuesday.

The Taiwan Global Pathfinders Initiative, introduced in early 2025, was initially designed to offer more than 800 opportunities for Taiwanese aged 15 to 30 to participate in short-term overseas programs to cultivate global connections and exchanges for young Taiwanese.

The program later expanded into two-way exchanges, with young people from the country's 12 diplomatic allies invited to visit Taiwan for short-term cultural and educational experiences, according to MOFA Department of Policy Planning head Ke Liang-ruey (柯良叡).

A total of 19 youths from 11 of Taiwan's formal diplomatic allies joined the inaugural inbound program in July.

A second group of 23 youths from six of Taiwan's allies in the Caribbean and Latin America region are currently in Taiwan in a month-long program, he said during a MOFA regular news briefing.

The 23 are divided into two groups: one English-language program under the theme of "sustainable tourism" and another Spanish-language program under the theme of "smart agriculture," he said.

Meanwhile, the outbound program for Taiwanese youths traveling overseas to friendly countries and Taiwan's allies has recently begun taking applications for the 2026 initiative, he said.

In 2026, the program will enable 361 selected Taiwanese aged 18-30 to travel to Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Romania, and three diplomatic allies -- Belize, Paraguay and Guatemala -- for a month or months-long internship programs.

The program's travel will span the fields of diplomacy, security, environmental protection, science and technology, the arts, medicine, and agriculture.

Those who are interested are advised to log into the following website at https://twpathfinder.org/overview1830 to apply before the Dec. 31 deadline.