The Institute of Social Innovation in National Sun Yat-sen University has been committed to cultivation of social innovative talents for Taiwan and aimed to contribute to the social virtuous cycle. The department also encourages classmates to connect with issues such as local industries, the development of agriculture and educational innovation in order to put them into practice and contribute what they have learned. In the course “Sustainable Development Issues in The Context of Globalization and Localization,” led by Professor Hung Shi Chian, the director of The Institute of Social Innovation and Assistant Professor Zhang Jia Hao from the Department of Biological Sciences, accompanied with Assistant Professors You Ming Ren and Yang Shi Qi of our institute. They embarked on a journey to Taitung to work on site-based collaborative learning. The visit included destinations such as Luye Red Oolong Cooperative, Rice County School and the Library of Children, where the participants experienced the practical value of social innovation.

During the visit at the Red Oolong Cooperative, the chairman Chuan Nan Yan led the participants in tea picking and tasting sessions while sharing her entrepreneurship journey in the local community. Despite being a youth returning to Taitung, Chuan Nan Yan demonstrated proactive action and exerts innovative spirit. The original intention of establishing the cooperative with Luye local partner was due to the difficulties of tea farmers handling large orders alone. They improvised and developed a cooperative purchasing mechanism and coupled with the upgrades of friendly farming methods as well as the development of diversified products. They were dedicated to increasing the Luye’s exposure and fostering local recognition among farmers.

Rice County School of Guan Shan township agricultural association is a significant institution that handles off-campus agricultural education in recent years. The headmaster, Peng Yan Fang is the member in the agricultural association. In order to revitalize idle resources and create new markets for agricultural education as well as local characteristics, utilizing tourism as a medium to promote agricultural products in Taitung. “We aim to build a stage, not an arena. ” She hoped to reconnect the farming memories for elderly while introducing young people to the rural spirit through agricultural education-“from mud to mouth”, which created a mutually beneficial local ecosystem.

In terms of educational innovation, the Institute of Social Innovation visited “the Library of Children,” which provide education services for Dazhi community. They did not apply for a library subsidized by public sectors and in many years, invested in non-mainstream educational. They instill the success experiences and confidence in children through enriching activities such as riding bicycles around the island, canoeing around the island and mountain climbing. The public relations manager, Wu Jin Cang shared “Once we start a case, we will not close it.” The library has become an important social safety net in Taitung after the efforts of founder Chen Dad and second-generation members. Many teenagers willing to come back to serve the community even after they acquired a skill. They are grateful to the library, which shows that education inheritance brought positive influence on the society. 

After the visits, students and the professors of the Institute of Social Innovation gained a deeper understanding of the social difficulties of agriculture and education. They were encouraged to think about addressing the difficulties, contemplating innovative thinking. The students also inspired by the enthusiasm and persistence of the entrepreneurs. Yang Meng Jia, from the Institute of Social Innovation believed in the Red Oolong’s carbon sequestration to achieve sustainable goals, looking forward that the Rice Country School to regaining agricultural dignity and how the Library of Children changed youth’s destiny further illustrate the importance of sustainability and innovative energy to the society. Wang Pei Ru also expressed appreciation for the collective dedication towards commons good. Xie Xiang Bin, from the Department of Oceanography reflected on the policy aspect and he suggested that the collaborative actions of governments should pursue the benefits of sustainability instead of short-term results, which was helpful to courage the solution of social problems.

(Photographer: He Yi-De, Huang Pei-Wei)