Community Learning Seminar Celebrates Three Generations of Civic Engagement in Taijiang

The She-da Taijiang branch hosted a seminar titled "Learning Locally, Narrating Taijiang Teaching Experiences," bringing together over 100 teachers, students, and parents. The event focused on sharing life experiences gained through the "Great Temple Education" initiative, which has been fostering civic learning in the Tainan region for nearly two decades. Teachers' teaching journeys were transformed into story maps, deeply moving the educators.

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The "Great Temple Education" initiative not only promotes local learning but also deepens participants' understanding of Taijiang culture, fostering a stronger sense of belonging and connection to their land.

The initiative, which began in the ancient Taijiang area of Tainan, now spans 107.2 square kilometers and serves over 200,000 residents. By integrating with 16 village temples, the program cultivates nearly 2,000 civic learners each semester. Organizers emphasize the importance of lifelong learning, especially in an aging society, stating that "learning brings blessings." The program not only promotes local learning but also deepens participants' understanding of Taijiang culture, fostering a stronger sense of belonging and connection to their land.

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Participating in the "Great Temple Education" course fulfilled my childhood dream of learning calligraphy. I can now write Spring Festival couplets for friends and family, applying what I've learned, which is very meaningful.

Participants shared personal stories of growth and fulfillment. Liu Su-lan, a calligraphy class student, realized a childhood dream by learning calligraphy and now shares her skills by writing Spring Festival couplets for friends and family. Yeh Yi-ting, from the Southern Pipe music class, found that learning the elegant and serene music helped her slow down her life pace, cultivate patience and focus, and expand her social circle, contributing to the preservation of traditional culture.

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Learning Southern Pipe music, with its elegant and serene characteristics, has helped me slow down my life pace, cultivate patience and focus, and expand my social circle, contributing to the preservation of traditional culture.

Teachers also expressed enthusiasm for the collaborative nature of the seminar. Teacher Chang Chun-yeh noted the positive feedback from students, which greatly encouraged the educators. He highlighted the joint development of public participation courses between teachers and students, sparking hope for possibilities like the Taijiang Land Art Festival. Teacher Wu Mei-yen emphasized the value of dialogue between teachers and students, which provided numerous ideas. She suggested exploring artistic participation through dance narratives, such as "Thank You, Mom," and encouraged cross-class collaboration to inspire more people to join the "Great Temple Education" program.

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The "Narrating Taijiang Teaching Experiences" round-table discussion received a lot of positive feedback from students, which is a great encouragement to the teachers. Especially the joint development of public participation courses between teachers and students, creating possibilities like the Taijiang Land Art Festival, is full of hope.