Taiwanese Student Undertakes Internship with WHA in Brussels under the Taiwan Global Pathfinders Initiative
The Education Division of the Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium works with the World Youth Alliance (WYA) to provide meaningful internship opportunities for young people in Taiwan sponsored by the Ministry of Education’s Taiwan Global Pathfinders Initiative.
The Taiwan Global Pathfinders Initiative was launched by the Ministry of Education’s Youth Development Administration at the beginning of 2025. It has a budget of NTD $10 billion over four years to support young people aged 15 to 30 to broaden their horizons abroad and pursue opportunities on the international stage.
The WYA has an internship program open to university students, recent graduates, and young professionals aged 18 to 30. Many of the participants will go on to have careers in diplomacy, law, social innovation, and global advocacy, and the program is designed to equip them with professional training, practical skills, and firsthand experience in international advocacy. It provides theoretical and practical experience, project management and training with opportunities for advocacy and professional networking. The interns engage in activities that deepen their understanding of using human dignity as a guiding principle in global policy and development, project management, international and European law, and human rights.
They work implementing and managing WYA projects focusing on three core areas: education, advocacy, and culture, guided by WYA staff. This can include assisting with administrative work such as data entry, business correspondence, document filing, social media management, and representing WYA at events hosted by EU institutions and other international organizations. Such events give them exposure to high-level discussions and the value of building networks and professional connections across different sectors.
On September 22, “This isn’t just an internship — it’s a launchpad,” said Faye Ysabela S. Ong, WYA International Director of Operations. “Our interns leave with professional experience, a strong network, and a deeper sense of purpose.”
This year, Isa Wang 王宜萱, a recent high school graduate now in first year at National Tsing Hua University, was selected to join the internship program in Brussels and spend three months at WYA’s European headquarters. Dr. Nicole Yen Yi Lee 李彥儀, the Director of the Education Division at the Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium, Ms. Lin Ya-Ting 林雅婷, the Education Division Secretary, and Faye Ysabela S. Ong welcomed Isa at an orientation lunch on September 22. They briefed her about life in Brussels and the mission of the internship program.
Isa became part of a small, closely mentored cohort and began preparing for the Emerging Leaders Conference in Vienna in October, where she would join other young people from across Europe to engage in leadership training and discussions on pressing global issues. And as well as broadening her own horizons and gaining deeper insight into Taiwan–Europe relations, she will be able to give young people she meets a better understanding of Taiwan.
This partnership between the Education Division, Taipei Representative Office and WYA to send young people from Taiwan to Europe to undertake internships at the organization is helping to nurture leaders who will shape a more just and human-centered future.