2019 college student association competition result expo and mutual learning event
The annual celebration of student autonomy, the “College Student Association Competition Result Expo and Mutual Learning Event”, took place with a bang at Minghsin University of Science and Technology, Hsinchu, on March 31! In a display of how student associations have grown, this year a total of nearly one hundred college students took part.
Apart from encouraging students determine their own affairs, pay more attention to public issues on campus, and promote the development of campus democracy, the aim of the Student Association Competition Result Expo and Mutual Learning Event is to assess the development and current status of their organizations and further improve healthy organizational development through competition and mutual leaning. In a word of encouragement to all schools, Lo Ching-Shuei, director general of the Youth Development Administration (YDA), Ministry of Education (MOE), said student associations were important organizations for schools, so in the future MOE would help build the capacity of student associations, create partnerships, and more importantly, establish a platform for students to voice their opinions and participate actively. “I hope schools can partner with student associations, and advance their development,” Lo added.
This year, the organizers continued to use a grading system that does away with limitations on the number of entries in each category, making networking and mutual learning the focuses of the event, which is why the number of topical lecture exchanges increased. Graduates with experience in self-governance were invited to the event to give presentations on, “How to win rights for students through internal mechanisms, “How to build a robust student association”, “Student associations can really be different” and other topics. Over 500 autonomous student leaders gathered at the venue with senior leaders of the student movement to jointly discuss developing student associations, claiming student rights and other relevant issues. The wealth of experiences shared by their senior schoolmates gave the students something to apply when they returned to their schools. Apart from clarifying the future direction of student autonomy on campus, the students also got to know many other kindred spirits.
At the closing and award ceremony on March 31, student associations at Mackay Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and Management, Chinese Culture University, Feng Chia University, Tainan University of Technology, Chihlee University of Technology, Chaoyang University of Technology, and Shu-Te University all received outstanding achievement awards. For a full list of the winners and other news updates, please check the YDA, MOE website (www.yda.gov.tw).