Have ideas for your hometown but not sure where to begin? The Youth Development Administration （YDA） of the Ministry of Education is once again holding the Dream Idea Awards Challenge this year under the Youth Hub Regional Revitalization Talent Development Incentive Program. The challenge invites young people who have completed a local course or an on-site practice placement to turn what they have observed in their communities into concrete proposals for action. To give more of these ideas a chance to take shape, the program is expanding this year, with 40 outstanding proposals expected to be selected. Each will receive an NT$10,000 cash voucher!
Last year, the YDA piloted the Dream Idea Action-based Capacity Building Mechanism to an enthusiastic response. Fifteen teams were selected from among the Dream Idea award winners, each receiving NT$20,000 in implementation funding plus mentor support throughout a three- to four-month implementation period. Every team successfully reached its interim goals; four were subsequently selected as Actors under the Youth Community Participation and Action 2.0 - Changemaker Project, allowing them to continue developing their ideas through action. Building on that momentum, the mechanism will expand to 20 teams this year, giving more young people the support they need to bring their ideas to life.
Two of last year's selected teams show what that support can make possible. Chang Ying-chia completed an on-site practice placement last year with Comma Creative Design Integration Studio. This year, with continued mentorship from CAN Culture, Art & Nature, she proposed the project "A Taste of Shuanghan: Stories of Shuanghan's Seasonal Flavors." Her project took her into Shuanghan Village, Liujiao Township, Chiayi County, where she spoke with village elders, produced videos about local dishes, then brought the material together in a booklet titled "Shuanghan Seasonal Flavors," preserving farming and food traditions that are gradually disappearing. Huang Cho-wei, who previously took part in a local course at Hoanya Bookstore, later teamed up with on-site practice participant Chen Chia-yen to form Sound Core Studio. Working alongside local professionals, they designed a 12-hour community exploration course for adolescents living in group homes in Xingren Community, Chiayi City. Furthermore, they arranged three-week internships, giving the young participants access to locally rooted, structured learning opportunities.
The YDA hopes that the call for submissions, together with the support offered through the Dream Idea Action-based Capacity Building Mechanism, will help more young people move their ideas for local action off the page and into the community. Anyone who has taken part in a local course offered through the Youth Hub this year or is a 2026 on-site practice participant is welcome to submit a proposal. Entries must be uploaded to the official program website （https://changemaker.yda.gov.tw/） by 12:00 noon on September 21. Join Youth Hubs across Taiwan in opening up new possibilities for local communities!
The 2026 Dream Idea Awards Challenge submission period closes at 12:00 p.m. （noon） on September 21.
Anyone who has completed at least one local course, or who is a grassroots practicum trainee for this year （2026）, is eligible to enter the Dream Idea Awards Challenge.
Submit your proposal at the program’s official website （https://changemaker.yda.gov.tw/） starting today.
This year’s Youth Community Participation and Action 2.0 - Changemaker Project results exhibition and awards ceremony will be held December 5 to 6 at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park in Taipei.