City News
Date : 2025-08-11 Source : New Taipei City Government
New Taipei Youth Connect with the World: In-Depth Embassy Exchanges and English-Led Tours of Christmasland in November
NEW TAIPEI CITY – The International Youth Talent Development Program, organized by the Youth Department of the New Taipei City Government, has selected 60 participants this year. Through workshops and hands-on experience, participants engage in in-depth exchanges with diplomats. They visit the European Economic and Trade Office, the Australian Office in Taipei, and the embassies of Tuvalu and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, introducing Taiwan to international friends and practicing city diplomacy. Later, 15 participants will be chosen for advanced training, during which they will personally design English tours in November to host ambassadors from allied nations and international students visiting Christmasland in New Taipei City.
To broaden young people’s international horizons, the Youth Department of the New Taipei City Government has continued to promote the International Youth Talent Development Program, which has now entered its third year. As soon as the registration opened, it attracted over 300 applicants aged 18 to 30, reaching a historic high. The 60 selected participants come from diverse academic backgrounds, including business management, foreign languages, education, and political science, reflecting the strong interest of New Taipei’s youth in global issues and public affairs.
This year's workshop curriculum featured veteran filmmaker Alex Rednaxela, who shared techniques for conducting in-depth interviews with foreigners entirely in English. Other courses included formal diplomatic attire guidance from wardrobe consultant Lai Ting-he, as well as cultural experiences in century-old swing dancing and salsa social dance. Participants also led international youth from the United States, United Kingdom, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea through distinctive New Taipei attractions including The Lin Family Mansion and Garden, Banqiao Cihui Temple, Banqiao Jieyun Temple, and Daguan Academy, gaining deep insights into local culture and traditional folk beliefs. The highlight involved taking participants inside the European Economic and Trade Office, Australian Office in Taipei, and the embassies of Tuvalu and the Republic of the Marshall Islands to experience diplomatic work firsthand. The week-long comprehensive program left every participant thoroughly impressed with their gains!
Student Li from Tamkang University's Information Management Department shared that she initially thought citizen diplomacy was an unreachable grand affair, but discovered through the workshop that it actually exists in our daily lives. Student Liao from National Taipei University's Department of Foreign Languages and Applied Linguistics particularly enjoyed the interactive city tour segments with international students, learning to discover urban beauty and better understand how to present it to international friends.
To enhance tour participation and on-site experience, participants demonstrated creativity, execution capability, and cross-disciplinary integration skills. Some groups designed interactive worksheets using images and questions to guide foreign friends' participation, cleverly incorporating Q&A and games. Others created illustrated electronic tour guides combining maps, historical data, and life experiences, making tour content more extensible and preservable. This showcased youth capabilities in language, culture, and international exchange while embodying the diverse possibilities of city diplomacy that starts locally and connects globally.
Beyond diplomatic workshops, this year specially added an "Advanced Training Course," where 15 participants will personally design English-language tour content to host diplomatic ambassadors and international students visiting Christmasland in New Taipei City.
New Taipei City Youth Department Director Chiu, Chao-Mei expressed her special thanks to Lutz Güllner, Head of the European Economic and Trade Office; Daniel Bowman, Acting Deputy Representative of the Australian Office in Taipei; Lily Tangisia Faavae, Ambassador of Tuvalu; and Anjanette Kattil, Ambassador of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, for their support. During the visits, they shared with participants key topics such as international trade, education, healthcare, history and culture, as well as climate change between their respective countries and Taiwan. Moving forward, the Youth Department will continue to organize similar programs for New Taipei’s youth, not only cultivating practical foreign language skills but also enabling them to explore local cultural features, connect seamlessly with the international community, and build a participation platform with both global vision and practical orientation, while accumulating valuable hands-on experience.
For detailed information, contact: Comprehensive Planning Division Chief Xie Ming-ying: 02-29578510 ext. 101
Contact: Ke Ming-yue
Contact Unit: New Taipei City Government Youth Development Administration Headquarters
Contact Phone: 212
To broaden young people’s international horizons, the Youth Department of the New Taipei City Government has continued to promote the International Youth Talent Development Program, which has now entered its third year. As soon as the registration opened, it attracted over 300 applicants aged 18 to 30, reaching a historic high. The 60 selected participants come from diverse academic backgrounds, including business management, foreign languages, education, and political science, reflecting the strong interest of New Taipei’s youth in global issues and public affairs.
This year's workshop curriculum featured veteran filmmaker Alex Rednaxela, who shared techniques for conducting in-depth interviews with foreigners entirely in English. Other courses included formal diplomatic attire guidance from wardrobe consultant Lai Ting-he, as well as cultural experiences in century-old swing dancing and salsa social dance. Participants also led international youth from the United States, United Kingdom, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea through distinctive New Taipei attractions including The Lin Family Mansion and Garden, Banqiao Cihui Temple, Banqiao Jieyun Temple, and Daguan Academy, gaining deep insights into local culture and traditional folk beliefs. The highlight involved taking participants inside the European Economic and Trade Office, Australian Office in Taipei, and the embassies of Tuvalu and the Republic of the Marshall Islands to experience diplomatic work firsthand. The week-long comprehensive program left every participant thoroughly impressed with their gains!
Student Li from Tamkang University's Information Management Department shared that she initially thought citizen diplomacy was an unreachable grand affair, but discovered through the workshop that it actually exists in our daily lives. Student Liao from National Taipei University's Department of Foreign Languages and Applied Linguistics particularly enjoyed the interactive city tour segments with international students, learning to discover urban beauty and better understand how to present it to international friends.
To enhance tour participation and on-site experience, participants demonstrated creativity, execution capability, and cross-disciplinary integration skills. Some groups designed interactive worksheets using images and questions to guide foreign friends' participation, cleverly incorporating Q&A and games. Others created illustrated electronic tour guides combining maps, historical data, and life experiences, making tour content more extensible and preservable. This showcased youth capabilities in language, culture, and international exchange while embodying the diverse possibilities of city diplomacy that starts locally and connects globally.
Beyond diplomatic workshops, this year specially added an "Advanced Training Course," where 15 participants will personally design English-language tour content to host diplomatic ambassadors and international students visiting Christmasland in New Taipei City.
New Taipei City Youth Department Director Chiu, Chao-Mei expressed her special thanks to Lutz Güllner, Head of the European Economic and Trade Office; Daniel Bowman, Acting Deputy Representative of the Australian Office in Taipei; Lily Tangisia Faavae, Ambassador of Tuvalu; and Anjanette Kattil, Ambassador of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, for their support. During the visits, they shared with participants key topics such as international trade, education, healthcare, history and culture, as well as climate change between their respective countries and Taiwan. Moving forward, the Youth Department will continue to organize similar programs for New Taipei’s youth, not only cultivating practical foreign language skills but also enabling them to explore local cultural features, connect seamlessly with the international community, and build a participation platform with both global vision and practical orientation, while accumulating valuable hands-on experience.
For detailed information, contact: Comprehensive Planning Division Chief Xie Ming-ying: 02-29578510 ext. 101
Contact: Ke Ming-yue
Contact Unit: New Taipei City Government Youth Development Administration Headquarters
Contact Phone: 212
