Giving Back Through Sports and Education: International Students teach English at an Rural Elementary School Chiayi

Lyon Chiang, New York

On New Year’s Eve, Project C and The Bridge, two foundations led by students, held their annual event at Sansing Elementary School (三興國小), a rural school in Chiayi County, Taiwan.

The one-day program brought Taiwanese students studying abroad back to Taiwan to teach English and basketball to local children. The event was organized entirely by the students, who also secured funding from Chiayi’s town foundation to make it happen. The initiative was led by Lyon Chiang, a Taiwanese boarding school student in New York along with Ian Chiang, a graduate of an international school and now a student at New York University (NYU) and Brent Hung, a Taichung-based international school graduate also studying at NYU. 

Project C and The Bridge are student-led initiatives that focus on connecting international students with communities in Taiwan. Combining education and sports, the programs aim to inspire and empower children while bridging gaps in access to learning opportunities. By organizing events like this, the teams strive to give back to their home communities and provide children with skills and experiences they might not otherwise have.

The day’s activities included interactive English lessons and basketball drills. The English sessions focused on practical vocabulary and basic conversational skills, while the basketball drills emphasized teamwork, discipline, and perseverance. The goal was to create a fun yet educational experience for the students, combining academics and athletics. This annual collaboration between Project C and The Bridge has become a tradition, with the team returning to Chiayi each year to continue their work. By organizing and leading this program, the students aim to make a lasting difference in their communities, showing how young people can take the lead in meaningful initiatives.

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