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Taiwan YouthClimate CoalitionUpcoming events in 2012…ENviroNmENtTExT & IMAGES: SARAH CHEn LInAfter a well-deserved winter break, the youngstersfrom Taiwan Youth Climate Coalition (TWYCC)are back for another exciting year with avariety of ambitious plans. We’ve re-structuredourselves and started to execute projects designated forthis year. Believe me when I say it’s not an easy task tocoordinate all TWYCC core team members as we’re allspread throughout the island.It is also my pleasure to announce that TWYCCis finalizing its submission to become Taiwan’s firstenvironmental non-governmental organization (NGO)managed solely by young people. We’ve been runningaround and meeting with other well-establishedenvironmental NGOs who have shown full support forour youth movement in Taiwan. It’s been roughly halfa year since we began building TWYCC from scratchand I’m still amazed by young people’s capability formobilizing and getting things done when driven bypassion. Dare I say sometimes I really feel like we’reunstoppable!We invite you to take part in one or more of our fourmajor projects this year: Rio+20 in Brazil, the 18thConvention of the Parties (COP) in Qatar, Design forClimate Change (DFCC), and the Conference of Youthin Taiwan (COYTW). The first and second projectsinvolve travelling overseas to Brazil and Qatar toattend respectively the United Nations Conference onSustainable Development (which takes place once everyten years) and COP18 (which takes place once a yearand was mentioned in the article published in the lastissue of Centered on Taipei). This year, in particular,is of great importance because the world’s blueprintregarding development in all corners of the world hasbeen laid out and will become legally binding at Qatar.What TWYCC does is train youth delegates in Taiwanprior to the conferences and upon returning sends them togive lectures in schools throughout Taiwan to share theirexperiences. We want to give young people a broaderperspective of what is going on in the international arenathrough practical means. This is something that cannotbe learnt from books or in schools and is certainly not anopportunity to be missed!The third project, DFCC, was developed in partnershipwith Design for Change, which was also featured inCentered on Taipei in a previous issue. This year theproject managers of Design for Change have given usan opportunity to lead the environmental branch ofthe program. For those unfamiliar with it, Design forChange is a summer activity whereby teams of elementarystudents from local schools compete with each otherin developing creative ideas for changing somethingthey believe needs to be improved. The importance ofgetting the young generation involved is to ignite theirpassion and nurture them to become the great leaders oftomorrow.Last but not least, the fourth project, COYTW, will beorganised and led by TWYCC, as an opportunity to geta taste of how the United Nations conferences are run.Because TWYCC is environmentally focused, COYTWwill naturally place an emphasis on environmental issues.We welcome anyone from any school to sign up in duetime to experience something out of the ordinary! If youwould like to volunteer with TWYCC, just to get a tasteof how to see the world from a different perspective, ourdoors are always open!I must confess that being with this group of passionateyoung people has renewed my personal motto, onewhich I encourage us all to adopt in order to lead a morefulfilling life: when you strongly believe in something,fight for it, give it your all and don’t regret a singlemoment, despite any bitter days and exhaustion youmight feel. And if the outcome is not what you expected,at least you’ll have great memories to cherish and excitingstories to share! Quoting one of my favourite Aerosmithsongs, ‘life is a journey, not a destination.’I can feel an exciting year awaiting all of us!Website: www.twycc.twFacebook group: https://www.facebook.com/twyccTwitter: @twyccBorn and raised in Venezuela by Taiwanese parents, Sarah has been exposed to worldcultures since she was young. She recently graduated with an Environmental Science degreefrom Southampton University in the UK and has returned to Taiwan to familiarize herselfwith her roots. Sarah currently works as TWYCC’s Media Coordinator, the main point ofcontact in Taiwan for ECYTF (Earth Charter Youth Task Force), as a radio host for RadioTaiwan International with a weekly program that focuses on everything related to theenvironment throughout Taiwan, and is a freelance writer and translator.www.communitycenter.org.tw march 201225