Change through education
Huang has done numerous internships related to politics, and discovered that many problems are systemic in nature and can only be resolved through education. Therefore she joined Design for Change, Taiwan (DFC Taiwan) to teach children problem-solving through design thinking.
When in university Huang hosted foreign visitors, attended many conferences, and did an internship at the Kaohsiung Branch Office of the American Institute in Taiwan, and through these discovered she has a knack for public relations. Therefore, since joining DFC Taiwan she has been head of the public affairs section.
Huang’s role at DFC is to express the organization’s brand values and ideals. Besides the daily task of staying in touch with the media, she is also responsible for planning social media operations and visual design. She hopes that “through unification of visuals the brand will have a uniform tone.”
DFC is an international educational non-profit originating at the Riverside School in India. Students are taught to solve life problems through four steps: feel, imagine, do, and share. In the process they learn empathy, confidence, creativity, and activism. As well as holding competitions (called “challenges”) that enable the children to apply the four steps, DFC also offers a support system for teachers so they have a place to share and discuss experiences and find appropriate pedagogical methods.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, DFC has held the awards ceremonies for its challenges online, allowing even more people to see the spirit of DFC. Primary-school children were not at all hesitant in front of the videoconferencing cameras, articulately laying out their feelings about problems and their ideas and methods for solving them. Huang found the student presentations thrilling: “Our kids all shine!”
Some schools competing in DFC challenges build on previous results and propose new ideas. Huang cites the example of Yi-Chang Primary School in Hualien County, whose initial proposal for marine environmental conservation through beach cleanups turned out not to be very effective, so the next time around they proposed community-based marine environmental education. Some ideas turn into local activities, and gradually have a positive impact on the environment.
There’s more to Huang Yuwen than meets the eye, and she is impacting the world in her own way. Asked about the prestigious title of youth ambassador, she feels grateful but also emphasizes: “We are not some group of incredibly super people. We are just people who see problems and are willing to speak out.”
In 2019 Huang (second right) was an intern at the Kaohsiung branch of the American Institute in Taiwan. At the end of her stint there she took a photo with then-chief Matthew O’Connor (center).
Huang Yuwen taking part in a gay pride parade in Tainan in 2019.
Huang believes we can all change the world through our actions.