History
In February 2018, following the Hualien earthquake, the Alliance Cultural Foundation utilized the "Hualien and Taitung Sustainable Development Fund," donated by Mr. Tung Tzu-Hsien of Pegatron Corporation, to support the Taipei Dun'an Social Welfare Foundation (hereinafter referred to as Dun'an Foundation) in their mental healing efforts. The aim was to combine professional resources from the private sector to assist disaster-stricken areas and schools with care and companionship. Inspired by the "Friendship Bench Programme," community volunteers were trained in listening and companionship skills to help those they accompanied clarify psychological or emotional issues and provide more proactive solutions.
The Dun'an Foundation has long been involved in promoting youth mental health and depression prevention, as well as cultivating and implementing youth service-learning actions. By combining professional counseling resources, they have established a volunteer training and service mechanism. Adhering to the principle of resource sharing, they envisioned using Dun'an Foundation's training courses and working models in collaboration with local non-profit organizations and schools in Hualien. This collaboration aims to train community and tribal members to serve as companion volunteers, promoting children's and adolescents' mental health and depression prevention, emphasizing the effectiveness of prevention over treatment.
Goals
- Connect with local NPOs in Hualien to train companion volunteers and promote mental health and depression prevention for children and adolescents.
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Encourage middle-aged and elderly individuals to participate in volunteer services, leveraging their wisdom and experience to achieve intergenerational integration through interactions with those they serve..
