To promote cross-regional education cooperation and strengthen post-pandemic economic recovery, the "2023 APEC Youth Impact Forum" initiated by the Ministry of Education (MOE) takes place from 25-27 October. More than 70 young people are invited from 16 APEC member economies as well as the Republic of China (R.O.C., Taiwan) to participate in this important three-day event. The 2023 APEC Youth Impact Forum focuses on regional revitalization and inclusive development, enhancing regional economic resilience in the post-pandemic era. It aims to showcase best practices of policies and educational initiatives for regional revitalization and sustainable entrepreneurship, and discuss how to predict the future development of the regional economy by fostering local industries.
During the opening remarks, Dr. James H.C. Liang, Deputy Director of the Department of Higher Education, MOE, will mention that the ongoing pandemic in recent years has continued to limit the youth employment rate and women's economic participation, significantly impacting regional economies. Dr. Liang will state, “The Forum hopes to create new opportunities for young students and women through “Sustainable Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education” and “Regional Revitalization Programs", and to strengthen the impact of education in promoting social, personal, economic and sustainable development, as well as enhancing the sustainable development and inclusive growth of remote areas.”.
On the first day of the forum, Mr. Ozzie Su, founder of Za Share Co., will serve as the keynote speaker, sharing innovative strategies for regional revitalization and regional innovation in the post-pandemic era. Sub-investigator Mr. Jwu-ting Chen from the Center for University Social Responsibility of MOE, and Professor Ming-yen Lee, Director from the Sustainability Governance Office of Chung Yuan Christian University will be invited to share how higher education institutions implement University Social Responsibility (USR) programs and sustainability education. Mr. Alex Guo, Chairman and CEO of Riversoft Inc., Mr. Masaru Ito, CEO of SHIBAURA HOUSE, and Mr. Annon Chang, Co-founder of The Kids from Lukang Co., Ltd., will also share their entrepreneurial experiences related to regional revitalization programs.
On the second day of the event, young entrepreneurs from R.O.C., Taiwan and several member economies including Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia, will share their insights into regional sustainable entrepreneurship and introduce regional revitalization resources. After the sessions, a networking meeting will be arranged, allowing participants to share innovative ideas on regional revitalization and sustainable startup ideas.
On the third day of the event, participants will embark on a field trip to the Magical Mushroom Tribe in Changhua County and the historic Lukang Old Street. These visits will provide participants with hands-on encounters with the fruitful achievement of regional revitalization endeavours spearheaded by local young entrepreneurs.
The 2023 APEC Youth Impact Forum is organized by the MOE and hosted by National Taipei University of Technology. It is hoped that through exchanges and interactions among young entrepreneurs in the Asia-Pacific region, regional revitalization will be strengthened and regional economic development will be stabilized, thus contributing to the sustainable prosperity of the APEC region.