• Created：2011-01-22
• Data Source：Bureau Of Consular Affairs
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No.001 January 21, 2011

Young Diplomats to Visit the UK and Ireland

A group of Young Diplomats from the Republic of China (Taiwan) is scheduled to visit the United Kingdom and Ireland from January 21 to 31, 2011, the ninth such overseas trip that Taiwan''s Young Diplomats have made.
This year’s group consists of 12 high school students from National Wu-Ling Senior High School, Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School and Taipei Wego Private Senior High School. Accompanied by teachers, as well as officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education, they will visit government and legislative agencies, NGOs and Taiwan’s overseas missions. They will also exchange views and join in panel discussions with local senior high school students, and visit well-known cultural sites and academic institutions.
The participating schools were chosen last year through a nationwide competition, in which 156 schools took part, involving such events as group performances and impromptu English public speaking. Winners earn the opportunity to represent Taiwan in people-to-people diplomacy abroad.
In this era of globalization, interaction with the international community is more vital than ever. In 2002, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education began co-sponsoring the Young Diplomats program to encourage young people to pay greater attention to international affairs. The program also aims to encourage high school students to improve their English so that they might better promote international cultural exchange in the future. Since the program began, 93 students from 22 high schools have gone abroad as the nation''s Young Diplomats, with visits to Singapore, Australia, the US, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, the UK, the Holy See and Italy. (E)