Disadvantaged youth in urban centers get a place to pursue studies and art

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• published: 20 Jun 2016
• views: 106

Rural communities in Taiwan are often seen as being at a disadvantage when it comes to education, but some students in prosperous urban areas face the same fate. These young people also suffer from a wealth gap and are tempted by other distractions and easily obtained drugs. Today we take you to visit Liao Wen-hua, who founded the "House of Dreams" to give disadvantaged youths in cities a better education. After school, these children walk in Ximending, not to go shopping, but to go to another class.This lesson is in English, and going on next door at the same time are classes in math, biology, and other subjects. This is the "House of Dream" founded by Liao Wen-hua.Liao Wen-hua "House of Dream Director I found that when most people in Taiwan talk about teen issues, they discuss how to help or guide teens after they’ve dropped out or committed a crime. I think the problem can be compared to that of a river. If a river is polluted, then it is hard to make the water clean downstream. We must go upstream to the source of the pollution to solve the problem. Actually, the problem of educating the underprivileged in Taiwan is not restricted to rural areas but also bustling metropolitan areas. Chen Yu-wen NTU Social Work Department HeadPoverty is not only due to income, but also includes spending. In metropolitan areas, spending is much higher than in rural areas. Also, there are far fewer temptations in rural communities than in the city.Wang Yu-ningHouse of DreamMany of our children don’t have money to go to cram school. But half of the students in their class go to cram schools. For them, this creates quite a large gap and makes it very easy for them to give up.At the "House of Dream," students don’t need to pay tuition to attend class. But registration for every course requires a NT$500 deposit. If a student misses fewer than three classes during a term, they get their NT$500 deposit back.Wang Yu-ningHouse of DreamMoney isn’t the main issue. We just want to teach the children that they need to be responsible for attending class. There’s lots of back end support and social resources that go into these classes as well as many caring volunteers who teach classes who are not paid but are contributing their time and heart. Teaching this class is Hsieh Yao-an, who as a middle school student received support from the House of Dream. And now he’s a volunteer teacher.Hsieh Yao-anVolunteer TeacherReturning back to House of Dream, I can help a few students or teach a few classes that can provide support, which can be a big help in improving the future of these children.Liao Wen-hua "House of Dream Director Even if people come from the poorest, most broken home but they still get a good education, they will be of good character and be very happy to give back to others. This is something I really look forward to.Nine years ago, Liao Wen-hua was studying in a graduate law program. During his frequent visits to a legal service center, he saw many juveniles who had gone astray. This led to a decision to give up being a lawyer and directly taking to the streets in Ximenting to find a way to help these teenagers. Recruitment activities allowed the program to attract some 200 people within three months. But there was also one occasion when word got out that a local gangster was looking for Liao and wanted to see him.Liao Wen-hua House of Dream Director He gave me a thick envelope which he said contained money. He said that if anyone wanted to study, I should use the money for anyone that wanted to join.When the after school cram sessions began, Liao started to think of how to attract more young people to the program. A volunteer later gave him an idea.Liao Wen-hua House of Dream Director He said children don’t necessarily like to study, but they like to do street dancing. Out of 10 junior high school students, 7 or 8 think this is cool so we opened such a class. Art classes began with street dancing, but the center then slowly added other courses such as guitar and jazz drumming.Wang Yu-ningHouse of DreamAt the start of these art classes we had a few goals. The first was to give students more confidence. Some children aren’t able to rank in the top of their class but they can be creative, and these art courses could allow them to express themselves.Chen Yu-wen NTU Social Work Department HeadWe ignored something which was that many students simply weren’t suited to this type of educational program. They simply wanted to enter society a little earlier as not everyone in a society needs to be an engineer or a banker or a scholar. Actually there are many professions in which one can be happy.Since starting the House of Dream in Ximenting, Liao’s next goal is to create a similar center in all of Taiwan’s major urban areas, allowing all disadvantaged youth the opportunity to pursue their studies.

Disadvantaged youth in urban centers get a place to pursue studies and art

• Report rights infringement
• published: 20 Jun 2016
• views: 106

Rural communities in Taiwan are often seen as being at a disadvantage when it comes to education, but some students in prosperous urban areas face the same fate. These young people also suffer from a wealth gap and are tempted by other distractions and easily obtained drugs. Today we take you to visit Liao Wen-hua, who founded the "House of Dreams" to give disadvantaged youths in cities a better education. After school, these children walk in Ximending, not to go shopping, but to go to another class.This lesson is in English, and going on next door at the same time are classes in math, biology, and other subjects. This is the "House of Dream" founded by Liao Wen-hua.Liao Wen-hua "House of Dream Director I found that when most people in Taiwan talk about teen issues, they discuss how to help or guide teens after they’ve dropped out or committed a crime. I think the problem can be compared to that of a river. If a river is polluted, then it is hard to make the water clean downstream. We must go upstream to the source of the pollution to solve the problem. Actually, the problem of educating the underprivileged in Taiwan is not restricted to rural areas but also bustling metropolitan areas. Chen Yu-wen NTU Social Work Department HeadPoverty is not only due to income, but also includes spending. In metropolitan areas, spending is much higher than in rural areas. Also, there are far fewer temptations in rural communities than in the city.Wang Yu-ningHouse of DreamMany of our children don’t have money to go to cram school. But half of the students in their class go to cram schools. For them, this creates quite a large gap and makes it very easy for them to give up.At the "House of Dream," students don’t need to pay tuition to attend class. But registration for every course requires a NT$500 deposit. If a student misses fewer than three classes during a term, they get their NT$500 deposit back.Wang Yu-ningHouse of DreamMoney isn’t the main issue. We just want to teach the children that they need to be responsible for attending class. There’s lots of back end support and social resources that go into these classes as well as many caring volunteers who teach classes who are not paid but are contributing their time and heart. Teaching this class is Hsieh Yao-an, who as a middle school student received support from the House of Dream. And now he’s a volunteer teacher.Hsieh Yao-anVolunteer TeacherReturning back to House of Dream, I can help a few students or teach a few classes that can provide support, which can be a big help in improving the future of these children.Liao Wen-hua "House of Dream Director Even if people come from the poorest, most broken home but they still get a good education, they will be of good character and be very happy to give back to others. This is something I really look forward to.Nine years ago, Liao Wen-hua was studying in a graduate law program. During his frequent visits to a legal service center, he saw many juveniles who had gone astray. This led to a decision to give up being a lawyer and directly taking to the streets in Ximenting to find a way to help these teenagers. Recruitment activities allowed the program to attract some 200 people within three months. But there was also one occasion when word got out that a local gangster was looking for Liao and wanted to see him.Liao Wen-hua House of Dream Director He gave me a thick envelope which he said contained money. He said that if anyone wanted to study, I should use the money for anyone that wanted to join.When the after school cram sessions began, Liao started to think of how to attract more young people to the program. A volunteer later gave him an idea.Liao Wen-hua House of Dream Director He said children don’t necessarily like to study, but they like to do street dancing. Out of 10 junior high school students, 7 or 8 think this is cool so we opened such a class. Art classes began with street dancing, but the center then slowly added other courses such as guitar and jazz drumming.Wang Yu-ningHouse of DreamAt the start of these art classes we had a few goals. The first was to give students more confidence. Some children aren’t able to rank in the top of their class but they can be creative, and these art courses could allow them to express themselves.Chen Yu-wen NTU Social Work Department HeadWe ignored something which was that many students simply weren’t suited to this type of educational program. They simply wanted to enter society a little earlier as not everyone in a society needs to be an engineer or a banker or a scholar. Actually there are many professions in which one can be happy.Since starting the House of Dream in Ximenting, Liao’s next goal is to create a similar center in all of Taiwan’s major urban areas, allowing all disadvantaged youth the opportunity to pursue their studies.