Interview on Community Outreach Activities: Min Lun Li, National Chengchi University, Taiwan

Min Lun Li, National Chengchi University, Taiwan, is participating in our Community Outreach Activities from Fall Semester 2023 to Spring Semester 2024. We would like to introduce her experience at AIU.

This article was written by Mika Fukui, student staff member, who has been supporting university community outreach activities.

One of the opportunities for Min Lun Li to shine at AIU has been joining in activities with local communities. Her experiences with the Community Outreach program have brought her a new world through a variety of activities.

Encounter with Local Communities

The Division of Community Outreach offers all AIU students　hands-on experience interacting with people from kindergarten to high school.

An email from the Division of Community Outreach caught her eye. This was an opportunity to interact with the local community in her extracurricular time.

Her participation in cultural exchange for on-campus activities was engaging.

“It is not about me, it is about them”

She participated in activities such as presentations and self-introductions designed for students from elementary to high school.

Before joining the activities, she had concerns about participating in English since it’s not her native language. However, upon joining, she discovered that perfect English wasn’t expected. Instead, the activities were designed for children to practice speaking English.

Through encouraging them to speak English, there was a sense of pleasure in contributing to their English learning.

*Traditional Japanese game: Ohajiki

Being taught traditional Japanese games was another highlight. The children explained the rules in English and they enjoyed playing games together. Having the children explain and play together gave them confidence in speaking English. It also gave her a chance to learn about traditional Japanese games.

Having Lunch with Local Children

Her favorite part was having lunch with children. She had never imagined the opportunity to come to Japan and engage with kindergarteners while at university. When they grabbed her hands and asked her to sit with them, she was touched by their openness. The children even drew a portrait of her, with a triangle body and two thin legs, which she found adorable.

Discoveries from Community Outreach Activities

Before participating in her first Community Outreach activity, she had assumed that participants needed to be native English speakers and expected the experience to be somewhat formal. However, it turned out to be much easier to be involved and more joyful than she had expected.

One of the roles of these activities is to make it easier for students to speak English and provide a kick-start for their proactive learning. For the activities involving local students’ participation, she hopes to see more volunteers.

She also mentioned that it is not only local students who are involved in community outreach. There are also opportunities to meet local people. The discoveries that can be made are truly unlimited.

Postscript: Reflection on the Interview

Since I had seen her actively participating in our events, I was happy to hear her story during this interview.

It has motivated me even more as a student staff member to make sure that the activities we host are valuable to both international students and the local community.

It is because of its small size that AIU can offer many opportunities for students to be active contributors on and off campus. You may experience something you have never expected. We are looking forward to seeing new members participate in our activities soon.

To learn more about Community Outreach, click here.

Article writer

Mika Fukui
Graduate Student
Global Communication Practices,
Graduate School of Global Communication and Language
Akita International University