The ninth group of servicemen entering the Taiwan Youth Overseas Service were officially admitted on October 5, during a ceremony at the Tien-Mou International Convention Center in Taipei. After completing an eight-week training course, 99 young men who have opted to perform diplomatic service in lieu of military conscription will head overseas to work in TaiwanICDF partner countries.

The Taiwan Youth Overseas Service has grown considerably since its first group of 31 servicemen were enlisted in 2001, and the ninth group brings the cumulative number of servicemen to 618. The service provides an opportunity for young Taiwanese men to apply their enthusiasm, skills and expertise in a diplomatic setting and offer-up an influx of fresh ideas, while gaining valuable personal experience along the way. Although the choice to forego home comforts and loving families is not easy, the number of servicemen applying and being enrolled has increased with every group, illustrating the growing determination of Taiwan’s youth to integrate their personal goals with those of their country — to experience a diversity of cultures and broaden international horizons, while also taking Taiwan to the world.

Nearly 20 skill-sets are represented within this year’s group of servicemen, covering medicine, agriculture, animal husbandry, aquaculture, food processing, information and communications technology, and economics and trade. Reflecting current international trends, servicemen with knowledge of financial management and industrial design have also been drafted for the first time. After graduating from training courses in foreign languages, life skills and cultural awareness in late November, the servicemen will be dispatched to serve at 27 TaiwanICDF technical and medical missions in 23 countries across Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Africa.

During eight years of nurturing talent within the Taiwan Youth Overseas Service, the TaiwanICDF has drawn on feedback provided by previous groups to bolster its training programs. This year, “adventure education” – a series of team experiences and shared activities – will raise awareness of cultural differences and encourage tolerance, teach communication skills, nurture problem-solving attitudes and promote conflict management. The TaiwanICDF hopes that through this novel curriculum, its servicemen will be better placed to cross cultural barriers and overcome any lack of resources faced while serving overseas. Ultimately, the organization hopes that servicemen will use their newly acquired skills to open doors to a wider world, while also making and consolidating friendships between Taiwan and its overseas partners.

In a further innovation, the ninth group of servicemen are the first to receive lectures by experts drafted from outside the TaiwanICDF or its supervising agency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who will share first-hand experience of working in international cooperation and development. Providing a practical footing for the servicemen to build on when they embark on their period of service, this initiative will also increase awareness of Taiwan’s history as a provider of overseas assistance, and it’s mission and purpose abroad.

• Update: 2010/12/31
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