【Zhi-Shan Foundation Taiwan Press Release 20231117】

To encourage middle schools and teachers to create a more friendly learning environment for ethnic minority students, Zhi-Shan Foundation held the "1st Diversity- Campus Community Friendliness Award Ceremony" today. Group awards were presented to Kaohsiung City Municipal Padan Tribe Junior and Elementary School, Badou Senior High School in Keelung, and National Fengshan Senior High School, while individual awards were granted to principal Peng Qing-hong of Hsinchu County Jian Shi Junior High School, section chief Ji Hong-wei of National Hualien Girls' Senior High School, New Taipei Municipal Jinshan High School teacher Huang Hsiao-hui, and Mingdao High School teacher Tsai Ming-heng.

Jay Hung , the CEO of Zhi-Shan Foundation Taiwan, pointed out that indigenous children and youth face discrimination in campuses in four main forms: inappropriate language resulting from stereotypes, discrimination caused by government policies for indigenous peoples such as the preferential treatment system, discrimination arising from prejudice in unequal power relationships within organizations, and discrimination within indigenous communities themselves. Faced with discrimination, indigenous students generally lack social support networks, and campuses lack relevant discrimination complaint channels and procedures, resulting in setbacks in interpersonal relationships, individual rights, and ethnic identity development. He called on all presidential candidates in next year's elections to address the issue of ethnic discrimination and the plight of indigenous students on campuses.

Zhi-Shan Foundation held the "Taiwan Indigenous Children and Youth Friendly Campus Symposium" and the "1st Diversity-Friendly Campus Award Ceremony" today. Under the recommendation and evaluation of many indigenous issue experts, scholars, and representatives of children and youth including Ciwang Teyra, Associate Professor of Social Work at National Taiwan University, Wang Ming-huey, Associate Professor at the Department of Geography and the Research and Development Center for Indigenous Peoples at National Taiwan Normal University, Chang Pei-Lun Chen, Associate Professor at the Department of Ethnic Affairs and Development at National Dong Hwa University, and Legislator Wu Li-hua, schools and individuals promoting ethnic-friendly environments, education systems, and teaching-related matters on campuses were selected.

The three group awardees were Kaohsiung City Municipal Padan Tribe Junior and Elementary School, Badou Senior High School in Keelung, and National Fengshan Senior High School. The four individual awardees included principal Peng Qing-hong of Hsinchu County Jian Shi Junior High School, section chief Ji Hong-wei of National Hualien Girls' Senior High School, New Taipei Municipal Jinshan High School teacher Huang Hsiao-hui , and Mingdao High School teacher Tsai Ming-heng.

Hualien Girls' Senior High School teacher  Hong-wei Ji shared that she led girls to establish the "UwaKaying" club (girls names in the Taroko and Amis languages) to cultivate ethnic identity and assist school teachers in developing courses and activities related to indigenous peoples, allowing non-indigenous students to recognize the diversity of different ethnic groups. Jinshan High School teacher Huang Hsiao-hui connected foreign experts and alumni on indigenous issues to conduct school-wide and classroom lectures, promoting indigenous culture while documenting the growth of students and letting students know that they are not alone.

Jay Hung expreexpressed hope that the performance of the awardees could spark a trend in education - responding with wisdom and resilience to enhance the awareness of discrimination behavior among all parties on campus, while working together to create a respectful, inclusive, and safe social environment. The mission is to help all young people growing up in Taiwan to establish a sense of belonging with all of humanity and become proactive world citizens through a respect of diverse cultures.