Along the way from Tunghai University to Youyuan S. Rd., what you see is varieties of stores and many people gathering around the area. But, when you keep going west, the community looks different, you can see old and new buildings scattered around the area. In the alleys, when you go up to an old man sitting by the doorway, they will tell you a story about a professor, Prof. James Hunter, in Tunghai University, who helps to solve the problem of water usage in the community, and the story pass on and on.
Actually, in the Ching Dynasty, Dadu Mountain already has many communities. But the soil there was dry and poor, these extremely needy people in the early days were having a tough life. Till today, though the quality of the living improved, still, in culture and economy-wise, compare to the city, they are in a weaker position, there are many kids in school still in a poor condition, so their school are all education priority area (EPA). All the above influences the students' motivation to learn and choosing their job in the future.
Following the footsteps of Prof. James Hunter, from 2018 till 201, we started the first phase setup stage project, connecting three elementary schools, NPOs, and local businesses together they can explore more innovative ideas and possibilities for the underprivileged young generation. In 2020, we continued the second phase setup stage project: The Curriculum Renewal at Mt. Dadu. From the first phase to the second phase, we still believe the issue of Dadu community needs to connect with the students in-depth, develop creative classes that help students to learn from their life experiences, even they can create new ideas and use them in the community.
With this as a base, we opened some classes in Tunghai University, letting the students know how bad it is the conditions and issues the community is suffering right now, then we guide them to act on what is happening to the place they live in. On the other hand, we cooperated with the three local schools to develop "Spiral Curriculum Based on Community", helping the kids start knowing their community, then guide them to see the needs and value in the place they are living in, finally they would take action to improve the community. At the same time, we cooperated with three after school caring centers to create a system that they can support each other, and help those students can grow up happy and healthy in the place they know best. Furthermore, we worked with local communities and made the local knowledge website, to show the vigorous culture and vitality of the land, it not only can reserve and apply local know-how but also having the chance to create a value of local culture.
Because of USR, it gathered many minor efforts from many places and connected them into different organizations conversations, new creative activities and depict a vision of local education. This vision shows that our University and the local community are inseparable. We got the resources from the community to connect our lives into classes and become an educational activity to the students, and local organizations became the support and nutrient of us, Tunghai University, and local schools.
Back to Tunghai University, the words of a local community member "Tunghai University should have done this earlier!" echo around us, "If a university does not care about the society and community, it will lose its existence value." Prof. James Hunter once said, it still encourages us to become a "local" higher educational worker.
Since the beginning till now, the project gathered the resources from the university and local communities and send them into those needy schools, it also strengthens our resource network. And what we brought to the children is creative thinking and innovative energy into their classes and giving them space to try what they like. We wish one day the children in Mt. Dadu can tell the story of their home, can have the opportunity to stay and work here, can wholeheartedly love this land, can shout out to people:" I come from Mt. Dadu!"