Kaohsiung Public Library (KPL) held the "2022 Camp of Youth Learning Together: Addicted to Learning" from July 18 to July 24, inviting a group of master lecturers to share various topics with the participants. After 7 days of solid courses and a full day of outdoor exploration, the group presentation was conducted on July 24. All the participants voted for their own personal favorite to receive an award, and the finalists were Zhuang Wei-zhen, Weng Sheng-xuan, Wang Miao-xin, Chen Yi-ling, Wang Mao-qi and Li Zhi-xin. In addition, the“Group Award” was given to the third group of Xie Xin-rong, Liu Zu-yun, Wang Yi-de, Zheng Zuo-ci, Wang Miao-xin, and Xu Jing-wen, who combined music with drama and played their own musical composition One Day of Wen with the electric guitar, and sang together to demonstrate their achievement of one week's learning.

The first "Youth Directors" were recruited by KPL last year, with representatives from teenagers aged 13 to 15 and youth aged 16 to18. KPL invited the youth of the city to participate in the discussion of public issues related to the library, and to plan relevant topics suitable for their age group. The 2022 Camp of Youth Learning Together focused on “Addicted to Learning”. Unlike previous years, the lecturers and curriculum this year were proposed to the youth directors and developed through a joint discussion. The three youth directors were also present to observe the whole event, symbolizing that the youth can take charge of their own affairs and learn to explore the issues by themselves.

Last year, due to the impact of the pandemic, the camp was cancelled and it was resumed this year. KPL invited a group of master lecturers, including Lai Hong-chi, Su Qing-yuan, Liao Yun-jie, Shao Ai-ting, Tung Chien-hung, Chen Kun-yi, Huang Chao- huang, Lin Pei-ying, Chu Bo-ru, as well as Yang Shi-yi, Xiao Yu-chen, Cai Yu-zhe, and Lin Da-yang.

This year, the Director-General of the Information Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government Dr. Chien-hung Tung reassumed the role of a professor of urban planning and led the participants to explore "how harbor cities can navigate to the world economy" with urban development thinking, guiding them to think about how cities develop, future construction and urban possibilities. Dr. Tung introduced to the participants how to invest his own experience into the industries in his hometown, and cited the current construction plan of 5G AIoT in Asia New Bay Area as an example to demonstrate how to combine cultural and technological industries to create an enriching base for young people to engage in creative ideas with no worry.

Calvin Lai, Chief Strategy Officer of the Center of Innovation and Synergy for Intelligent Home and Living Technology, National Taiwan University was also invited this year. With his lecture, he guided the participants to find their self-worth, understand the meaning of design thinking, and develop empathy and independent thinking skills. The week-long camp also included Lin, Yu-ying who participated in the camp for three consecutive years in high school and is currently studying in the Department of Education at National Pingtung University. With his passion for education, he holds the camp in high regard.

“The summer vacation coincided with the suspension of physical classes for nearly a month during the pandemic prevention period, and the creativity of team learning was revisited during this post-pandemic period. Many of the participants were brave enough to break through the framework and communicate freely, showing full confidence in their presentation,” said Acting Director Yi-Cheng Lin of the Kaohsiung Public Library.

On the last day, the participants applied what they had learned all week and made a group presentation, using various media tools to film and edit their best learning results. KPL also invited writer Lin Da-yang, a favorite of young readers, to be the commentator.

During the summer vacation, KPL will also offer practical English learning courses, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid-Guided Reading Session of English Novels” will be held on July 29 (Fri) and August 5 (Fri), and people who are interested in learning English are welcome to enroll.

Group photo of the participants.

Commentator Mr. Lin Da-yang (1^st from left) presents the award to the recipients

Acting Director Yi-Cheng Lin (3^rd from right) presents the certificate of completion to the participants

Participants combine music composition with drama and play their own music on the electric guitar

Director-General of the Information Bureau Dr. Chien-hung Tung serves as the camp's one-day lecturer on urban construction issues

The event comes with outdoor exploration of Kaohsiung literature and history.