Taiwan diaspora volunteer English teacher program concludes

Taipei, July 30 (CNA) A closing ceremony was held in Taipei Thursday for a volunteer program that placed 406 English teachers aged 17-24 from Taiwan's overseas diaspora in 66 schools in 15 cities and counties across the country.

Running from July 4-31, the "English Teaching Volunteer Service Program for Overseas Youth 2026" recruited eligible participants fluent in English with basic Mandarin skills to teach for two weeks at elementary and junior high schools, including some in remote regions, according to its chief organizer, the Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC).

The volunteers, who hailed from 20 countries, underwent a week-long training program at Taipei Medical University before commencing teaching.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chung Yao-an (鐘耀安), one of the participants, thanked the OCAC for giving him the chance to teach English to young Taiwanese.

"Over the past weeks, I was busy preparing for classes, thinking of new things to do for the kids every day. It was very exhausting but very fruitful as well," he said.

He said he learned how to teach young children English and how to be gentle with them by using encouragement throughout the process.

"There were many times when I just wanted to tell them to shut up, but I just said: 'Be quiet.’"

Chung said the teaching experience was extremely rewarding, adding that he believed he and his students had become better people.

Another volunteer, Peng Hao-en (彭浩恩), said some of his best memories included not only teaching children English but also barbecuing with them.

"We learned a lot from each other, not just through English teaching but also by sharing different cultures," he said.

He said he and his students both cried when they asked him to sign their clothes as a keepsake of the summer after the program ended.

In her address, OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) thanked the young volunteers for their service. She extended her best wishes to all of them, as many will soon be preparing to apply for university after returning to their home countries.

According to the OCAC, since the program's launch in 2006, more than 7,000 overseas youths have come to Taiwan to teach English and engage in cultural exchange, reaching more than 50,000 elementary and junior high school students.