Talking Taiwan: Christine Su of TANG: Enriching Youth Through a Loving Taiwanese Community

Summer is upon us and in the past it’s been a very busy time for the Taiwanese American community with several summer conferences and camps being organized across the country. There’s TAF, the Taiwanese American Foundation, TACEC, the Taiwanese American Conference East Coast, TAC-WC, the West Coast version of the Taiwanese American Conference, and TANG just to name a few.

These conferences and camps have become an annual tradition, the basis for lifelong friendships, a place for reunions of sorts, and a way to build and connect with our community.

After all we’ve been through these past couple of years, it’s good to be back and able to meet again in person.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of TANG (the Taiwanese American Next Generation). This year TANG will be held at West Chester University in Pennsylvania from July 1-4.

You may have heard this organization mentioned in past episodes of Talking Taiwan with my guests Rolla Chng, Peter Lin and Ed Lin (who incidentally are not related to me or to each other). Also, several of my past guests like Michelle Kuo and Tim Chng have been involved with TANG or invited to speak there.

TANG’s mission statement is: For the youth to be enriched by a loving Taiwanese community, so they can obtain a stronger sense of self and passionately pursue their convictions.

I invited Christine Su to stop by Talking Taiwan’s podcasting booth at Passport to Taiwan in May to talk about TANG and how it’s connected to TACEC. The Taiwanese American Conference East Coast, is an annual conference organized the TAA, the Taiwanese Association of America, one of the oldest Taiwanese organizations with chapters all across the United States. Each year TACEC is organized by a different East Coast chapter of the TAA.

This episode of Talking Taiwan has been sponsored by NATWA, the North America Taiwanese Women’s Association.

NATWA was founded in 1988, and its mission is:

1. to evoke a sense of self-esteem and enhance women’s dignity,

2. to oppose gender discrimination and promote gender equality,

3. to fully develop women’s potential and encourage their participation in public affairs,

4. to contribute to the advancement of human rights and democratic development in Taiwan,

5. to reach out and work with women’s organizations worldwide to promote peace for all.

To learn more about NATWA visit their website: www.natwa.com

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

• The origins of TANG (Taiwanese American Next Generation) and its connection to TACEC (Taiwanese American Conference East Coast)

• This year is the 20thanniversary of TANG and 52nd anniversary of TACEC

• TANG staff consists entirely of volunteers

• The theme of this year’s TANG is “Identity: Write Your Story”

• The Taiwan Night show that happens at TACEC and TANG

• The programs for the different age groups that attend TANG: high schoolers, juniors, tiny tots, TANG parents, college, and young adults

• TANG and TACEC are usually held together over the July 4thweekend and is a multigenerational experience with kids, their parents and grandparents attending

• What TANG did during the pandemic

• How the TANG high school counselors created a virtual program for high schoolers during the pandemic

• In 2020 TANG organized a “Helping Hands Virtual Walk & Run” for the community to stay connected during the pandemic

Related Links:

TANG (Taiwanese American Next Generation): https://www.tangeneration.org/

TACEC (Taiwanese American Conference East Coast): https://www.tacec.org/#/

TAA (Taiwanese Association of America): https://www.taa-usa.org/

TAC-WC (Taiwanese American Conference West Coast): http://tac-wc.org/about/

https://www.tac-wc-az.org/

TAF (Taiwanese American Foundation): https://www.tafworld.org/#

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