Youth Travel Experience in Jiaxian – Deep Interaction with Local Families

Reported by You T-Ru / Taipei

The value of rural life is an experience that urban dwellers seldom encounter deeply. To offer young people a uniquely meaningful travel experience that combines local immersion with hands-on work, the Kaohsiung City Government Tourism Bureau, in collaboration with the Jiaxian Love Township Association, Jiaxian Image Business District Promotion Association, and Guanshan Community Development Association, is organizing a six-day, five-night youth work camp from April 29 to May 4. Ten participants will be selected to engage in in-depth interaction with local host families.


▲ Youth sorting long bean shoots in Jiaxian. (Photo / Provided by Kaohsiung City Government)

During the registration period for the Jiaxian work camp, a total of 20 applicants from diverse backgrounds applied. Participants came from Taipei, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and even Hong Kong, spanning a wide age range of 20 to 40 years old, with varied backgrounds and expertise including students, office workers, homemakers, designers, small-scale farmers, and community workers. The organizers screened applicants based on their areas of expertise and motivation for participation. In the end, two additional spots were added, bringing the total number of selected participants to 10. They come from fields such as interior design, marketing planning, and agricultural volunteering. The group also includes an illustrator from Hong Kong, a staff member from the National Palace Museum, and a young person who has just left their job and is preparing to return to their hometown. The list of selected participants was announced on the “Jiaxian Stroll” website and the Facebook fan page “Off-Topic Travels,” and the organizers have individually confirmed via email.

Director of the Tourism Bureau, Hsu Chuan-sheng, stated that although the event is named a “youth” work camp, it is not limited by age or formal definitions of youth—what matters more is the mindset. Participants in the Jiaxian work camp will live for six days with host families in the Guanshan Community of Jiaxian, formerly known as “Ali Guan.” This provides elders with the opportunity to introduce their community in depth, while participants can learn valuable experience and wisdom through companionship with them. The Tourism Bureau hopes that through the experiences and future sharing of the participants, more travelers will be attracted to visit Jiaxian, injecting new creative energy into the area.
 

▲ Participants can also learn valuable experience and wisdom through companionship with elders. (Photo / Provided by Kaohsiung City Government)