Taiwan teen diplomats set for Down Under tour

2015-02-04

A team of 12 students from three Taiwan senior high schools will visit Australia Feb. 5-15 as part of the Teen Diplomatic Envoys program organized by the ministries of Education and Foreign Affairs.

“The government is committed to promoting youth diplomacy and bolstering our young people’s connections with the international community,” MOFA Vice Minister Vanessa Shih said. “I am confident these youths will serve as outstanding representatives of Taiwan and display the energy and vibrancy of our country.”

Shih made the remarks at a send-off event at MOFA headquarters Feb. 3 in Taipei City. Other attendees included Catherine Raper, representative of the Australian Office Taipei, and Murray Davis, commissioner of the Queensland Trade and Investment Office Taiwan.

Selected from 500 candidates nominated by 121 educational institutions nationwide, the students performed peerlessly in the key assessments of impromptu English speech contests and group-based activities. These were deemed essential by the MOE and MOFA as the envoys are undertaking an extensive itinerary filled with numerous opportunities for exchanges with their Australian peers.

The students, who hail from National Wu-ling Senior High School in Taoyuan City, Taipei Municipal First Girls’ High School and Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School, will visit government and nongovernmental organizations in Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney.

In addition, the group is scheduled to tour academic institutions and cultural attractions, as well as stop by Taiwan’s representative offices. They are to be accompanied by teachers and MOE and MOFA officials.

Since its launch in 2002, the program has sent 140 Taiwan high school students to 30 cities in 10 countries across the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=227090&CtNode=413)