The 2018 Global Youth Trends Forum came to an end on November 4th. Minister of Education Yeh Jiunn-rong attended the closing ceremony and listened to 300 youth representatives from 19 countries, including Taiwan, Australia, Canada, Germany, Guatemala, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Russia, Sweden, Thailand, the UK, the US, and Vietnam present youth initiatives on the following themes:  Global Office, World Traveler, and Speak up for the World. Minister Yeh also visited the cultural booths set up by the delegates and interacted with them, encouraging young people from all over the world to build an international network, enhance global mobility and shine on the global stage.

In his speech, Minister Yeh expressed that it is necessary for young people to understand different cultures and themselves through grand tours. In the tour across Taiwan over the past few days, the delegates got to know Taiwan’s diverse peoples and cultures. He explained that “Youthquake” is happening and young people are making a great impact on cultural, political, economic and social changes with their actions. He also stressed the importance of youth participation. A platform like the Global Youth Trends Forum can facilitate young people to have dialogue and come up with constructive solutions to all kinds of problems and challenges. We can change our destiny and flip the future through education. The subsidies provided by the Government are for young people to fully develop and achieve self-actualization. Last but not least, he welcomed the world to befriend Taiwan. The longer one stays in Taiwan and continues to explore, the more one can learn about Taiwan’s all walks of life and beautiful culture.

After two days of lively discussion, the participants developed pioneering initiatives (as attached), reaching a concrete conclusion. All participants also agreed with the final conclusion and express their hope of contributing to youth development and shaping their common future! Minister Yeh also attended the forum and mentioned in his speech that President Tsai Ing-wen referred Oxford Dictionaries named “Youthquake” as word of the year in 2017 on annual press conference. It revealed a worldwide fact that young people arise significant cultural, political or social change in actions. He encouraged the youth delegates to never underestimate their influence and have courage to propose new ideas, change society, and shake the world! Young people are pivotal in driving global development. He also urged them to connect with the world and take the opportunities that Ministry offers to enhance youth mobility around the world.

The forum served as a platform for international exchange that sparked creative thoughts. Youth representatives were invited sign a pledge during the opening ceremony themed Future, Promise. They agreed to put the declaration into practice. Minister Yeh turned the Future Ferris Wheel to the year 2019 and wished to meet the participants again next year to review the results achieved. 

Young people from around the world participated in lively discussions, watched cultural performance staged by participants from 19 different countries,  and had enjoyable experiences in Taiwan. They even promised to meet again and have fun in Taiwan in the near future!

Global challenges and issues transcend national boundaries, requiring concerted effort and cooperation of different countries. In addition to policies formulated by governments, youth participation is necessary for addressing the issues. You are more than welcome to take part in the forum in 2019 if you hope to brainstorm and hold discussions with young people from different countries on the latest international trends. For more information, please visit the websites of the Youth Development Administration(http://www.yda.gov.t) and the iYouth Platform (https://iyouth.youthhub.tw/main.php).