As representatives of Taiwan, students of the Department of Applied English under the College of Language Arts participated in the 2022 World Youth Meeting in Nagoya to have academic discussions on “How Wars Impact the World,” “The Mental Health of Teenagers in Taiwan and Japan,” and “The Cost of Being Yourself” and transformed what they have discussed into physical achievements, such as an animated video, radio programs, and the establishment of social media platforms. In the end, the students brought home two platinum prizes and the Exceptional Video Award.
Senior students Chien-Hui Liang and Hsiang-Yun Lin and junior students Yu-Chieh Weng and Angela from Honduras partnered with students of Nihon Fukushi University, focusing on “How Wars Impact the World” and exploring how different countries think about wars. From the perspectives of students from Taiwan, Japan, and Honduras, they talked about the negative influence that wars may have on the global economy, environments, society, and people’s lives and shared with others on social media and by recording radio programs. Liang, the team leader, indicated that he was very happy about winning the prize because this is his first time taking part in this event. In particular, the WYM achievement exhibition gave him opportunities to develop leadership skills, understand the importance of team communication, make good use of his English proficiency for the presentation, and stand on the global stage.
Another team winning the platinum prize was built by fresh graduate Fang-Yu Liu and senior students Ying-Hsuan Li, Chun-Hao Chen, Hsuan-Chi Wu, and Pei-Yu Lin. The team worked with students of Ritsumeikan University and explored the topic “The Mental Health of Teenagers in Taiwan and Japan,” further discussing when teenagers face mental health problems, what will happen and how they handle their emotions. Having set short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals, the team aimed to raise global awareness about teenagers’ mental health by interacting, conducting surveys, and releasing their radio programs on the social media forum they established. Chen, one of the team members, said that he appreciated ISU for giving him this opportunity to accumulate competition experience while broadening his horizons by making friends from other countries.
The Exceptional Video Award winner “The Cost of Being Yourself” was accomplished by the teams above mentioned working together. Every team member played more than one role and spoke fluent English in this video, which aims to show the inward stress and problems everyone faces. Dr. Grace Fang of the Department of Applied English said that students integrated creative elements with issues they discussed, and what they experienced will be their biggest asset in the future. Apart from English proficiency, students of the Department of Applied English are able to apply their professional skills in interdisciplinary fields.
