Urban Farming and After School Activities

The volunteering project was a two week long trip across Taiwan, co-leading with a local youth charity on their programme, HYDROVEGE. The purpose on this trip was to help run the local urban farm that delivers fresh produce to the community and deliver after school activities to the nearby youth.

Our amazing group that travelled to Taiwan, Girlguiding Midlands, took up this amazing project as part of their dedication to building their girls’ confidence and raising their aspirations in order to discover their full potential to be a force for good. Their goals for the project was to foster a cross-cultural connection with the locals and grow their practical skills.

Planning and Preparation

When creating a volunteering project that hit all of the Girlguiding’s educational goals, we reached out to one of our Taiwanese charity partners to find a project that really benefits the community. We agreed on joining one of their existing programmes, Hydrovege, where girlguiding would co-lead on this exciting urban farming site.

As part of the concordia package, we organised absolutely everything from arrival to departure, so Girlguiding only had to attend the pre-flight training sessions. Preparing Girlguiding for the exciting project ahead, they partook in numerous in person and online training sessions with their dedicated Concordia team leader around safety, Taiwanese culture, and timetable.

Activities and Experiences

On arrival from the airport Girlguiding was brought to the Hydrovege farm site and given time to settle before an orientation of project side facilities, ending with a traditional welcome night performance by the locals.

Urban Farming: The main activity over the 2 weeks, maintaining, growing, planting and weeding the farm site, Hydrovege. This was a co-lead project by the local charity and girlguiding to help ensure there was a sustainable source of food for the local community that made a lasting impact outside of the two week project.

Community Challenges: Games and activities were organised to help girlguiding to be involved with the locals over a friendly series of matches and acted as a great way to relax after learning about sustainable farming practices.

Cultural Workshops: Keeping up an educational side to the project, girlguiding had time to get a hands on approach to local lifestyle and also teach them specific girlguiding skills, such as knotting, camping, and survival skills.

Skills Workshops: Getting a lesson in traditional woodworking skills with hand held tools, the group was able to create some beautiful wooden keyrings with their new found skills.

Observatory Construction: Using a combination of their new skills and teamwork, the girls were able to build an observatory post that also acted as an installation art piece for the grounds.

Cross-Cultural Nights: With our aim to spread cultural awareness, girlguiding put on a show for the local Taiwanese to showcase British culture, spending the day prepping for this event that they put on later in the night.

Tea Ceremony Performance: The group were able to experience the traditional tea ceremony practices that have been held for over 400 years. They also learnt the important history and significance of these events and the culture that surrounds it.

Gaomei Wetland: The most famous wetland in Taichung, full of a rich ecosystem. The group was able to visit this amazing location and watch the amazing sunset.

Hou-li LC Saxophone Museum: A great spot, where they learnt about the local Saxophone manufacturing in Taiwan and interacted with local people.

Yuamei Sugar Factory: The group visited this no longer operational factory to learn more about how this business helped industrialise Taiwan into mass manufacturing.

Campfire Party: Celebrating the achievements of the Girl Guiding skill lessons the group put on a campfire party, as a symbol of Girl Guide spirit, consisting of dancing, singing and games.

Taichung Visit: A trip to the nearby city of Taichung, a city that still contains much greenery, where Girlguiding were able to learn about traditional mud-brick building technique, visit cultural spots and witness Taiwanese city life.

Achievement and Outcomes

Community Impact: Co-leading on a project set up by the local charity meant that this project will continue to supply local produce to the community after Girlguiding have left, creating a long term impact.

Cultural Exchange: For the locals and Girlguiding, this was many people's first time interacting with someone from England or Taiwan. Both groups were taught new skills and learnt about individual life from across the globe through games and lessons.

Sustainable Food: The Hydrovege project created a great system for locals to grow food on a smaller scale, using primarily hand tools on small plots of land, helping to educate people on how to grow their own food, maintain a self-reliant system of food and reducing the carbon footprint of transporting food large distances or using machinery to do so.

Girlguiding Team Leader

Final Words

The group volunteering project in Taiwan offered the chance for the group to learn more, but also give back to others. Staying true to the Girlguidings’ objectives, it provided a transformative experience where they were able to gain real world experience, creating lifelong memories, and push themselves in a safe environment.

If you’re interested in creating a personal volunteering trip for your group or want to find out more, you can enquire through the button below and we’ll get an expert to get back to you as soon as possible.