In order to encourage youth to participate in local and turn ideas into practice, the Youth Development Administration （YDA） of the Ministry of Education has opened up youth’s understanding of local affairs through on-site courses and internships by Youth Hub, and encourage young people who care about local affairs to initiate practical actions through the Changemaker program. Members of the 2024 Action team “港灣溜魚文化工作室” and “五漁村How野青年” both began to understand the place and participate in local affairs from Dreamer training, and took concrete actions to start the road of regional revitalization to meet the sea by "fishing".
The “港灣溜魚文化工作室” located in Lukang, Changhua, has been paying attention to the eel industry and marine issues for many years. One of the founders, 趙俊傑 （Zhao Jun-Jie） returned to his hometown to take over the family business of eel, he then actively searched for relevant information starting in 2020 and participated in the YDA’s Dreamer training. Not only did he understand the culture and industrial characteristics of his hometown, he also cooperated with his team partner 郭珮蓉 （Guo Pei-Rong）, and established the studio the following year （2021） to apply for the Changemaker program. The team work from eel meal development, farmer sharing, lesson plan development, etc., making the industry is no longer just for export, but will also expand its focus on marine and environmental education. This year （2024）, the team also proposed the “藍色彰化，濱海童行（Blue Changhua, seashore walking with child）” project, which went into campus, and designed diversified courses and children's camps to allow more students and team members to care about Changhua's coastal development and conservation.
The members of the “五漁村How野青年” were attracted by the mountains, sea resources and local life of the 5 fishing villages in Yilan, they moved from Taipei to Toucheng in 2022. Among them, 莊沂儒 （Zhuang Yi-Ru） who has a background in educational planning and as a professional narrator, served as a trainee at the Youth Hub in 2023. During the time, she observed that school children of the 5 fishing villages were affected by the busy work of their parents, and the influence of 3C, plus the lack of accompanying by local youth population, result in unfamiliarity and distance from hometown. Therefore, the team applied for the Changemaker program this year （2024）, and proposed the “海村囝仔小學堂—青幼共學提案 （Sea village primary school - youth and children learning together proposal）” action, through co-learning among youth and children to design the cultural and industrial space game-based walking tour, let youth become a bridge between tradition and modernity, translate local natural and humanistic knowledge, and lead local school children to explore their hometown environment.
The YDA's promotes Changemaker Project and encourages young people to form teams and show their love for their hometown through actions. Do you want to know more stories about young people's local actions? Come and follow the official website of the YDA （www.yda.gov.tw） and the official website of the Youth Community Participation and Action 2.0 （https:// www.ydachangemaker.tw）, also join the YDA Facebook fan page to stay up to date with the latest news!
Team partner 俊傑 （Jun-Jie） teaches children to pay special attention to the differences in characteristics of fish when observing eels. （Provided by 港灣溜魚文化工作室）
Team partner 珮蓉 （Pei-Rong） uses specimens to teach children about eels. （Provided by 港灣溜魚文化工作室）
Team partner沂儒 （Yi-Ru） leads the children to learn about the Eastern Daxi river. （Provided by 五漁村How野青年）
The team organized an outdoor education and training camp at the Shikong Ancient Trail in Waiao, recruiting local youth to join and learn about the 5 fishing villages. （Provided by 五漁村How野青年）