Taichung student magazine builds social connections

2015-04-28

A journal published by National Taichung First Senior High School in central Taiwan is capitalizing on the institution’s rich traditions to forge a new era of social engagement for the student body.

Yutsai Street, which means “talent cultivation” in Mandarin, is derived from the street connecting the school and nearby National Taichung University of Science and Technology. Originally a biannual magazine, it was relaunched as a monthly this year in an effort to better reflect the zeitgesit.

Editor Chien Lyu-kang said unlike most entertainment-oriented or navel-gazing high school publications, Yutsai Street is singular in its social concerns and liberal views. “We believe in students’ autonomous exploration of diverse agenda in society, which is why our recent issues cover such thorny subjects as the 12-year public education program, student protests, textbook criteria and urban tree transplanting.”

A passion for comment and active participation in politics and social movements seems to be a common thread linking past and present members of the editorial team. The alumni includes some of the biggest names in Taiwan’s public arena like Vice President Wu Den-yih, social commentator Li Ao and student activist Hung Chung-yen.

“As students, we feel obliged to step out of the comfort zone and document everything transpiring around us in our own words,” Chien said.

“More importantly, we encourage dialogue between different perspectives to spark critical thinking. This is why we are calling for contributions from teachers this semester as a way of giving our readers the complete campus story.”

The reach of the montly extends beyond the school walls. It now boasts editorial links with 13 other educational institutions in the region and is leading the way in organizing extracurricular events to train new generations of editors.

Chien believes it is through such collaborative networks that the seeds of tomorrow’s writers can be planted, watered and grown. “We have a long, 28-edition tradition of nurturing budding writers,” he said, citing the literary prize jointly held with National Taichung Girls’ Senior High School as one of the many fruitful results of this undertaking.

“In competently and confidently carrying the torch passed to us, we are providing a link between the youth and society,” Chien said. “We will keep our shoulders to the grindstones and continue marching toward a bright but excitngly unknown future.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=229765&CtNode=413)