Carrying "Message in a Bottle," 11 Youths Soar the Skies with Cathay Pacific

Carrying drift bottles to Nepal, she invited backpackers she met along the way to write down their thoughts about the place and their visions of simple living, then tuck them inside the bottles and pass them on to the next traveler—finally asking the 10th person to mail the bottles back to Taiwan, sharing the courage and energy of backpackers from around the world with travelers in Taiwan... This is an ambitious travel plan by a university girl and one of the 11 "World Citizens Island: Travel with a Mission" explorers sponsored by Cathay Pacific, who hope to spread the concept of simple living through message in a bottle.

What kind of impact can a trip bring? In 2013, the "World Citizens Island: Travel with a Mission" event hosted by the World Culture Association sent 129 travelers to five continents around the globe, and the 11 travelers sponsored by Cathay Pacific will head to Swaziland, Sri Lanka, London, and other destinations in June to embark on multifaceted explorations and build their dreams.

 

Among these 11 travelers is Li Mengpin, currently a student in the Applied Mathematics Department at Kaohsiung University and the executor of the message in a bottle project—a lively and travel-loving individual whose experience as an international volunteer made her realize the importance of human communication and inspired her to bravely pursue new dreams. She plans to go to Nepal to experience the simplest and most ordinary forms of happiness. During her two months in Nepal, Li Mengpin will continue interacting with the outside world through the "message in a bottle" activity she conducted during her island-wide trip in Taiwan, bridging the increasingly distant hearts of modern society.

Xie Junhong from Kaohsiung Normal University, in addition to volunteering as a tutor at a Hope Primary School, is also pursuing a degree in interdisciplinary art studies and is particularly concerned about underprivileged children. Xie Junhong, who has never been abroad, will head to Swaziland, where the disparity between rich and poor classes and living environments is stark, using theatrical art therapy to help local children learn to express themselves and piece together a complete picture of themselves.

 

Traveler Zhang Enci, who is about to go to Sri Lanka, grew up helping her parents sell clothes in traditional markets and, facing financial hardship, earned tuition money through part-time jobs. She advanced from National Chengchi University's Department of Diplomacy to National Taiwan University's Graduate Institute of Political Science. With a passionate ambition, after completing a three-month internship at the Asia Foundation’s Sri Lanka office, Zhang personally witnessed post-civil war social reconstruction and the tense, enigmatic atmosphere between the Tamil and Sinhalese communities. She decided to use the perspective of a young Taiwanese to seek inspiration from the political rights struggles of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and the Moor community, and bring her reflections back to Formosa, an island nation much like Sri Lanka, to rethink the roles youth groups should play in political life and their future prospects.

Lu Xuehai, Chairman of the World Citizens Culture Association, pointed out that the "World Citizens Island: Travel with a Mission" event, which sponsors 129 young people to explore the world, is a globally unprecedented initiative. Despite encountering major obstacles in raising funds for air tickets, they still sought sponsorships one by one, giving young people the courage to venture out and the opportunity to explore the world.

 

Luo Yingyi, General Manager of Cathay Pacific Taiwan and Korea, stated that the power of a single trip can be immense. By supporting and encouraging young people to step out of Taiwan, embrace the world, and chase their dreams, they face various difficulties and challenges and help Taiwan find a new future.

 

These 11 young travelers will set off to different countries and regions one after another, personally experiencing the local political, economic, cultural, and social customs, and applying what they’ve learned. Using their own eyes and hands, they will immerse themselves in the real world. More stories about the travelers: www.wisland.org/html/index.php.

 

 

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