中華民國外交部

Young Diplomats from the Republic of China (Taiwan) to Visit US

No.003
Young Diplomats of the Republic of China (Taiwan) 2009, a delegation of twenty four members, is scheduled to visit New York City, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. of the US from January 26 to February 2, 2010.
This year marks the eighth time that the Young Diplomats have traveled overseas. The group consists of 16 high school students from Sacred Hearts High School, Taipei Wego Private Senior High School, Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School and Ming-Dao High School in Taichung. Accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education, as well as teachers, they will visit government and legislative agencies, international organizations such as the UN, Taiwan’s overseas missions and NGO representatives. The young diplomats will also exchange views and join panel discussions with local senior high school students, and visit well-known cultural sites and academic institutions to broaden their global perspectives and enhance their understanding of our overseas missions.
The participating schools were chosen last year from 119 schools nationwide through a competition with such events as group performances and impromptu English public speaking. The winners earned the opportunity to represent Taiwan in people-to-people diplomacy abroad.
In the era of globalization, interaction with the international community is more vital than ever. As such, in 2002 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education started co-sponsoring the Young Diplomats program to encourage young people to pay greater attention to international affairs. The program also aims to encourage high school students to improve their English skills so that they might better participate international affairs and cultural exchanges in the future. The program have sent 19 high schools, a total of 77 students, abroad visiting Singapore, Australia, the US, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, the UK, the Holy See, Italy and Australia.(E)