Since 2005, the NTU Overseas Service Learning Corps has led expeditions to render service in Malaysia with outstanding results. This year, Mr. Chou Hang-Tong, Director of the Overseas Student Advising Division, led 12 NTU students deep into four charity organizations in Penang and Kuala Lumpur where they interacted with local college students, promoted mutual understanding and respect between Taiwan/Malaysian culture, and let the spirit of service take root .

“Love without frontiers” prevailed in Malaysia

This year, 12 NTU students, led by Mr. Zhou Hang-Tong, Director of the Overseas Students Advising Division, joined the NTU Overseas Service and Learning Corps and made a special trip to Malaysia where they rendered service to four charity organizations in Penang and Kuala Lumpur , interacted with local college students, and promoted mutual understanding and respect between Taiwanese/Malaysian culture. The Service and Learning Corps was comprised of 4 Malaysian Overseas Chinese students and 8 NTU Taiwanese students. They arrived in Singapore on July 31st, where they made a transfer into Malaysia, and embarked on a 20-day journey of service and communication. The scope of their service was very broad: on August 8th they went to the Shuang Fu Double Blessing Disabled Independent Living Association and the Kai-Chi Learning Disabilities Center in Kuala Lumpur where they helped the physically handicapped and provided tutorial service to the autistic children. Then, on August 13th, they went to Kuala Lumpur again, where they provided warm caring and companionship to the elderly, the disabled, and the disadvantaged in the Rumah Charis and the Eden Handicap Service Center. Director Chou Hang-Tong pointed out that , in the process of providing service, the students not only spread love to the needy and thus promoted social welfare, but, more importantly, they learned how to cherish and be grateful through their personal experience and arrived at self-affirmation, satisfaction and happiness.

The spirit of cultural heritage

In addition to providing social service, the NTU Overseas Service and Learning Corps paid visit to Nanyang Technological University and many independent high schools. Through academic counseling, members of the Corps helped overseas Chinese students in Malaysia establish a link platform to Taiwan, and promote a basic understanding of Taiwan and National Taiwan University. On August 4th they held a two-day living camp at the Multi-media University of Malacca, where they interacted with local students, and, espousing the spirit of “letting service take root locally”, they hoped to sow the seeds of service into the minds of the local youth, so that more local people could be involved with social service work. They devised a series of games and activities such as “experiencing the blind,” “green garbage collection iron man competition,” “Taiwan/Malaysia Culture and Gourmet Meet”, etc., which were all very interactive and interesting in nature, to connect the central idea, whereby the friendship between Taiwan/Malaysia could be enhanced, and mutual understanding could be deepened.

To enforce environmental protection through green action

This year’s NTU Overseas Service and Learning Corps expanded its scope of service. Its service target was no longer confined to “people,” but was expanded to include assistance and care for Mother Earth. After the UN conference on climate change in Copenhagen, many biological species and natural environments now existing on planet Earth in the 21st century have become the “new disadvantaged groups “ in dire need of help. In view of this, the NTU Overseas Service and Learning Corps evaluated the environmental awareness in Malaysia, and called on local population to initiate an activity called “vacating the beach by the hundreds” , while at the same time, they arranged for environmental films to be shown, taught the local students the green outlook on life, and demonstrated the heritage concept of “letting service take root locally”. The ultimate goal of the Corps, in a nutshell, was to establish a close tie between Malaysia and Taiwan through s short 20-day journey, where they helped each other grow through service, cultural exchange, and concern for the land, until, at the very last, “love without frontiers” could prevail in Malaysia.