Summer in Taiwan Blog! 台灣暑期活動訊息

Video: Ten fun facts about Taiwan!

If you have an interest interest in studying, working and living in Taiwan, China or Asia, there are currently multiple opportunities for you to do this through a whole array of unique summer programs and scholarships!

For the most part, the purpose of these programs is one of the following:

1. To help ethnically Chinese and Taiwanese individuals living overseas get re-acquainted with their cultural heritage.

2. To help shore up international support for Taiwanese, Chinese and Asian interests.

3. To help individuals consider Taiwan, China and Asia as places to live and work.
4. To help raise the international status of the host academic institutions and universities offering these programs.

If you have an interest in spending an unforgettable summer in Asia, have a look at the descriptions and see which program is the right fit for you!

The quickest means to learn about new programs on the site is to join the Facebook group. All new programs are posted to the wall. Invariably, the posts will show up on your wall when you login to your Facebook account.

Though many programs are listed here, there are still many more to come! I add them when I can spare the time to build the site.

Happy surfing and good luck!

Aid Summer

Overseas Youth English Teaching Volunteer Service Program
海外華裔青年英語服務營活動簡章

Official Site : 2017 Application
Organizer: Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission and the Ministry of Education
Facebook: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017.

Official Program Objective: "The mission of Assisting Individual with Disadvantages (AID) is to provide various growth opportunities to youth through volunteer services either within the US or abroad in order to promote understanding of other cultures and the development of a wider worldview. In addition, by making such programs available, our organization strives to impart youth volunteers with the chance to engage in creative thinking and teamwork, to develop their leadership skills, and to learn new languages and cultures, all the while coming to recognize the happiness of helping others in need."

Program Eligibility:
"(1) Applicants must be between the ages of 17 and 25 (as shown on passport) by November 30, 2017, and must currently reside in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, or Belize.
(2) Applicants must currently be in 11th grade or higher; applicants in higher grades of study will be preferred.
(3) English must be the applicant’s native language.
(4) The applicant must be in good health.
(5) The applicant must be highly motivated and have basic communication capability of spoken Mandarin.
(6) The applicant must have never participated in any previous A.I.D Summer or Winter programs.
(7) The Hakka group participants must be recommended by authorized Hakka organizations.
(8) The program is recommended for applicants of Chinese or Taiwanese descent, but some openings are available for non-expatriate youths who are advocates of Taiwan."

Number of Participants: "There are 440 volunteer spots available this year including a Hakka group for 70 descendants of Hakka people."

Program Duration: The 2018 AID summer program will be held between June 30 and July 28, 2018.

Cost: None. Meals, accommodations and transportation is provided by the program sponsors. Participants are responsible for their travel expenses to and from Taiwan.

Admission Difficulty: In past years, there have been about 1100 applicants for 350 positions.

Repeat Participants? Yes, but rare.

Application Window: The online application will be open in the first week of January and closed by the end of February.

Related Links:
Link : 2008 Taiwan Government Article
Link : 2008 Taipei Times Article
Link : 2016 Participant Video
Link : 2016 Participant Video

AIT Internship

American Institute in Taiwan Commercial Section Internship Program

Official Site
Organizer: AIT Commercial Section

Official Program Objective: "AIT is a private, non-profit corporation established to carry out relations between the people of the United States and the people of Taiwan. The Commercial Section is charged with the mission of helping U.S. firms export their goods and services to Taiwan. The Commercial Section of AIT has had interns in the past and is interested in having interns in the future. Internship opportunities are available in both our main Taipei office, in the heart of the World Trade Center complex, and our downtown Kaohsiung office. The purpose of the program is to provide college juniors, seniors, and graduate students of economics, business administration and related fields with “hands-on” experience."

Program Eligibility: "Interns must be U.S. citizens and currently enrolled students (college juniors, seniors, and graduate students)."

Number of Participants: Unknown.

Program Duration: "Each intern will be expected to serve 35 hours a week for an entire academic period (i.e. Summer, Fall, Spring)."

Cost: None. "All internships are unpaid and we cannot assist with either airfare or housing expenses."

Admission Difficulty: Unknown.

Repeat Participants? Unknown.

The Low-Down: The AIT is the de-facto embassy in Taiwan. This internship looks like a great opportunity for those studying business/economics and who would like to intern in either Taipei or Kaohsiung. Participation is restricted to US citizens.

Ambassador Program

Formosa Foundation Ambassador Program

Official Site : Application
Organizer: Formosa Foundation
Facebook: Here.

(the official website appears to be down)

Official Program Objective: "The Formosa Foundation seeks to preserve the American values of democracy and human rights through broadened involvement of future leaders in the making of U.S. policy. The Ambassador Program uses U.S. foreign policies on Taiwan and China as case studies to provide participants with opportunities to:
- Understand the intricacies of US foreign policy making and its impact;
- Gain insight from experienced professionals on the art of advocacy;
- Acquire skills to effectively present views to policy makers, media and the public."

Program Eligibility: "The Program is designed primarily for recent college graduate or current college and/or graduate students who support the advancement of human rights, democracy and the right of self-determination for the people of Taiwan. Selection criteria include academic excellence, extracurricular activities, participation in community affairs, and interest in promoting U.S.-Taiwan relations."

Number of Participants: "Up to 30 applicants will be selected for the 2011 program, including up to 7 to be recruited from Taiwan".

Program Duration: June 13-24, 2011, in Washington D.C.

Cost: "The Formosa Foundation will provide for participants' training, workshops and lodging for the duration of the Program. Participants are responsible for their own meals and travel expenses."

Admission Difficulty: Presumably difficult.

Application Deadline: March 15, 2011.

Repeat Participants? Unknown.

The Low-Down: This program is held in the United States for individuals interested in getting involved in Taiwanese-American political affairs.

Related Links:
Link : 2006 Taipei Times Article
Link : 2010 Business Wire Press Release

Blakemore Fellowship

Blakemore Foundation Fellowship

Official Site : Info
Organizer: The Blakemore Foundation
Facebook: Here.

Official Program Objective: "The Blakemore Foundation was established in 1990 by Thomas and Frances Blakemore to encourage the advanced study of Asian languages and to improve the understanding of Asian fine arts in the United States."

Program Eligibility:
- Be pursuing an academic, professional or business career that involves the regular use of a modern East or Southeast Asian language
- Have a college undergraduate degree
- Be at or near an advanced level in the language as defined below in “Definition of Advanced Level” (minimum requirement is fluency equivalent to 3 years of college-level study of the language)
- Be able to devote oneself exclusively to full-time intensive language study during the term of the grant; grants are not made for part-time study or research
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the United States

Number of Participants: About a dozen per year.

Program Duration: One year.

Cost: The stipend covers one year of study, and includes airfare and living expenses.

Admission Difficulty: Highly competitive.

Repeat Participants? Unknown.

The Low-Down: This is a competitive travel grant to Asia intended for advanced learners of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Khmer or Burmese. For students of Chinese, the award must be held at either the Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies (IUPCLS) at Tsinghua University, Beijing, or at the International Chinese Language Program (ICLP) at National Taiwan University in Taipei.

Boren Awards

Boren Awards for International Study

Official Site : Forum
Organizer: National Security Education Program and Institute of International Education
Wikipedia: Here. Facebook: Here. Twitter: Here.

Official Program Objective: "Boren Scholarships and Fellowships provide unique funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to add an important international and language component to their educations. We focus on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study that are critical to U.S."

Program Eligibility:
Boren Scholarships
- A U.S. citizen at the time of application. 
- A high school graduate, or have earned a GED, and are matriculated in an undergraduate degree program in a U.S. post-secondary institution, including universities, colleges and community colleges accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. 
- Applying to engage in a study abroad experience in a country outside of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand that meets home institution standards. 
- Planning to use the scholarship for study abroad, and the study abroad program ends before you graduate. Boren Scholarships are not for study in the United States. 
Boren Fellowships
- A U.S. citizen at the time of application. 
- Either enrolled in or applying to a graduate degree program at an accredited U.S. college or university located within the United States. To receive the award you must provide evidence of admission and enrollment in such a program. Boren Fellows must remain enrolled in their graduate programs for the duration of the fellowship.

Program Duration and Award Amount:
Boren Scholarship
- 8 000 USD for a summer program 
- 10,000 USD for a semester 
- 20,000 USD for a full academic year 
Boren Fellowship
- Can be held a minimum of 12 weeks and a maximum of 24 months 
- The maximum support is 30,000 USD over 24 months

Admission Difficulty: Highly competitive.

Repeat Participants? Unknown.

The Low-Down: This is a prestigious study-abroad award available to U.S. citizens. Although the award can only be held in countries deemed "critical" to U.S. interests, the list of countries is extensive and can be found here. Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam are among the many permissible Asian destinations.

CCU Youth Camp

Chinese Culture University Mandarin Learning Center 中國文化大學華語中心
International Kids & Youth Summer Mandarin Language Camp

Official Site : Brochure
Organizer: Chinese Culture University Mandarin Learning Center

Target Students:
(A) Age 7-9 and age 10-15 overseas children who come back to Taiwan for their summer vacation.
(B) Age 7-9 and age 10-15 overseas children who are interested in learning Mandarin.

Number of Participants: Unknown.

Program Duration:
First Session: 2.5 weeks in July.
Second Session: 2.5 weeks in July to August.

Cost: One session: 18 000 NT. Both sessions: 32 000 NT.

Admission Difficulty: Presumably not competitive.

Repeat Participants? Yes. Previous attendees get a discount on fees.

The Low-Down: A day-time program in Taipei for elementary and middle-school kids, this program is directed towards parents who would like their children to spend their summer in Taiwan in an organized fashion. Mandarin classes, culture classes (Chinese macrame, diabolo, martial arts, etc.), elective classes (Zhu-yin, word recognition, Chinese idiom application, essay composition, etc.) and field trips compose the daily activities. Chinese Culture University ranks alongside National Chengchi University as the second-most popular destination for Chinese language learning in Taipei behind NTNU.