wfn.org | Fruit of Presbyterian Ecumenical Participation Visible in Youth NGO

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Participation
Taiwan Church News 2726, 24 through 30 May 2004
Reported by Li Hsin-ren. Translated and Rewritten by David Alexander

Taiwanese participants in Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) activities are
an important part of this nation's international relations. At a recent forum
on youth participation in global society a member of a congregation of the
Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) shared her experience.  Ms. Yeh Ta-hwa, a
deacon at Ho-ping-tau Presbyterian Church in Keelung, serves the Taiwan Youth
Rights and Welfare Alliance as executive secretary. She recommended that the
government take advantage of the experience of church youth in international
forums. She noted that this participation has been abundant and has created a
class of people who know how to "do" NGO work.

The forum, held on May 21st, was sponsored y the Taiwan International Medical
Education Alliance. Participants from a Global Social Forum held in India
last
January were invited to make comments and share their NGO experiences.

Ms. Yeh noted the extent of PCT members' international experience and
commended participants to government and social agencies as resources. She
sees this as an avenue through which youth can be internationalized and
Taiwan
can become visible in the world.

Another PCT participant in the forum, Tzeng Ju-fang from Ta-an Church in
Taipei, said, "The church often sends young people to participate in
international activities. Apart from having us share these experiences in our
home congregations I hope the PCT can provide venues to enable us to report
to
the society at large. This is a way in which Taiwan and the world outside get
to see each other."

For More Information: Ho-ping-tau Church wsh3231@ms31.hinet.net
		   Ta-an Church     taan4477@ms37.hinet.net
Taiwan Church News is published weekly in Taiwan's local languages.
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