highlighting taiwanese america

  • Home
  • Stories
    • Interviews
    • Perspectives
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Community Orgs
    • Food & Travel
    • Social Issues & Politics
  • Events
    • National
    • East Coast
    • West Coast
    • Midwest
    • South
  • About
    • Community Organizations
    • Donate
    • Submissions
  • Contact

TaiwaneseAmerican.org

  • Home
  • Stories
    • Interviews
    • Perspectives
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Community Orgs
    • Food & Travel
    • Social Issues & Politics
  • Events
    • National
    • East Coast
    • West Coast
    • Midwest
    • South
  • About
    • Community Organizations
    • Donate
    • Submissions
  • Contact

Experience the 2016 TACL Summer Political Internship Program

Posted on Friday, January 29th, 2016 at 2:43 pm.

Written by Kristina

taclpipheader2016

Since 1992, the Taiwanese American Citizens League (TACL) Political Internship Program (PIP) has been the flagship internship program demonstrating its commitment to civic participation. PIP’s mission is to empower the best and brightest students to make an impact in our community through civic engagement. Their aim is to foster the next generation of leaders and increase Taiwanese American representation in our country’s crucial decision-making processes.

The program places college students in local and federal elected officials’ offices for a summer internship that emphasizes identity and community impact while gaining leadership and networking experience. During the eight week Washington, D.C. program, participants learn the inner workings of the political process and attend sessions throughout the summer on leadership, identity, policy, and networking. They will also have opportunities for lobby visits with Congressional offices on issues important to the Taiwanese American community.

We asked Phoebe Shen, one of the 2015 TACL Political Internship Program interns to share her experience. Originally from Arcadia, CA, she is a student at Scripps College majoring in Legal Studies with a Sociology minor. She shares her experiences below:

taclpip_pshen3

I participated in Taiwanese American Citizens League’s Political Internship Program (TACL PIP) in DC last summer. My office placement was with a progressive political consulting firm called New Partners Consulting, and my intern class’s advocacy project focused on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander mental health.

The Political Internship Program was such a valuable learning experience for me. First, it helped me connect with my Taiwanese identity and place it in a politicized context. Before PIP, being a Taiwanese American was nothing more than how I would simply describe myself. Now, I view it as a unique position in the racial and political structures of the US.

It was also so much fun being in a new environment, and I consider the other TACL interns as well as the interns from my office placement good friends to this day! PIP is such a unique opportunity to engage with the Taiwanese American community and the Asian American community as a whole. I gained so much practical and valuable insight into how civic participation and the advocacy work of organizations such as TACL can further the goals of the community and improve the quality of life for all.

I would encourage anyone interested in gaining valuable work experience while further exploring their racial identity in a political context (while having a great time with the other interns!) to apply to this year’s PIP, which is going to be back in Los Angeles.

All college students interested in Taiwanese American issues — regardless of previous political experience, major, or career goals — may apply. Questions? Email [email protected]

APPLICATION:
Visit the website at: http://tacl.org/programs/internships/political-internship/

KEY DATES:
Saturday, June 4 – Sunday June 5: Mandatory Orientation Retreat @ Big Bear
Monday, June 6: First day of internship
Friday, July 30: Last day of internship
Wednesday, August 3 to Friday, August 5: Sacramento Lobbying Trip
Saturday, August 6: Closing Ceremony

taclpip_pshen1

Share:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

Related posts:

Accepting Applications for 2015 TACL Summer Political Internship Program My Signature Represents Me: Writing in ‘Taiwanese’ on the United States Census Applications Available for the International Leadership Foundation Civic Fellowship Program NYC Gala Celebrates TACL’s 30th Anniversary

Tags: advocacy civic engagement decision making foster internship leaders mentorship Politics students TACL workshops

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Facebook

This message is only visible to admins.

Problem displaying Facebook posts.
Click to show error

Error: An access token is required to request this resource.
Type: OAuthException
Twitter
  • RT @NYWriters: Deadline is March 31, 2021! https://t.co/4Ylb3BFbnV 2d ago
  • Historian 楊翠 Yang Cui will be the keynote speaker at the Taiwanese American Federation of Northern California's ann… https://t.co/WyPDQEQNfa 2d ago
  • RT @FAPA_HQ: We @FAPA_HQ are grateful for the ongoing bipartisan support for #Taiwan’s inclusion in the @WHO and the WHA. But we… https://t.co/m4nOAIbXLO 4d ago
Follow @TaiwaneseAm_org
Instagram
Historian Yang Cui will be the keynote speaker at Historian Yang Cui will be the keynote speaker at the Taiwanese American Federation of Northern California's annual 228 commemorative event, hosted virtually this year. She is the Chairperson of the Commission for the Promotion of Transitional Justice. ⁠
This free event will be conducted in Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese Hokkien. ⁠
⁠FB event info here and in bio: https://fb.me/e/blr99Tp8Z?ti=icl
MARS LANDING: SEVEN MINUTES OF TERROR! Did you cat MARS LANDING: SEVEN MINUTES OF TERROR! Did you catch a glimpse of Taiwanese American Allen Chen--the EDL team leader--who guided a brilliant team of engineers from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory during the breath-taking Perseverance rover landing on Mars? What an amazing and inspiring performance! We’re so proud of you!  Elements of Success: His mother is a chemical engineer with a graduate degree from MIT—which is also Allen’s alma mater. His father is a polymer chemistry scientist who attended NTU before they immigrated to the US.  (photo screen captures from NASA video)  Video linked here and in bio: https://youtu.be/lFiTjZDOekg
He sure did! Read more about this contest and how He sure did! Read more about this contest and how to apply here: http://www.taiwaneseamerican.org/2021/02/national-book-award-winner-charles-yu-establishes-prize-for-young-taiwanese-american-creative-writers/
Thinking about this interview with Michelle Kuo fr Thinking about this interview with Michelle Kuo from 2017 on her debut memoir, "Reading with Patrick," and especially her frank notes on the often-clumsy relationship between upwardly mobile Asian Americans and the Black community: ⁠
⁠
"More recently I’ve wondered if our invisibility as Asian Americans is a freedom in addition to a handicap. Part of my teaching failure, as I explore in my book, is how I tried to force-feed “classic” African American texts that I loved to my students, who were all African American. Not all of them liked Malcolm’s autobiography or Baldwin’s short story or Obama’s speech, or believed that these men represented them. What a classic—and idiotic—mistake." ⁠
⁠
For everyone else, this is an inspirational story about literacy as a form of resistance; about the power of educators; a critique of systemic and institutional racism. For [Taiwanese Americans], "Reading with Patrick" is this and more. It is equal parts an affirmation that we belong in the conversation and a reminder of our own privileges: our ability to leave, to play both sides, to have been both broken body and parasite. Kuo gets our hesitant neutrality, our imperative to be both filial and civic.⁠
⁠
Interview linked here and in bio: http://www.taiwaneseamerican.org/2017/07/interview-michellekuo/⁠
Love this from @tsai_ingwen — we’ve got the ro Love this from @tsai_ingwen — we’ve got the roundup of Taiwanese movies and shows available on US Netflix, linked here and in bio: http://www.taiwaneseamerican.org/2021/02/what-to-watch-taiwanese-shows-movies-on-netflix-now/
In partnership with TaiwaneseAmerican.org, Nationa In partnership with TaiwaneseAmerican.org, National Book Award winner Charles Yu (“Interior Chinatown”) has established a Taiwanese American creative writing prize for college and high school students in honor of his parents, Betty Lin Yu and Jin-Chyuan Yu, for their longtime service to the Taiwanese American community. American Book Award winner Shawna Yang Ryan (“Green Island”) joins him in the inaugural judging panel. 
View full announcement and submission details at https://bit.ly/3tBHIIs.
Welcoming year of the ox with @bikhimhsiao energy Welcoming year of the ox with @bikhimhsiao energy ⚡️
Field notes from a Clubhouse conversation titled " Field notes from a Clubhouse conversation titled "TAIKANDA: Why is 臺灣 Asian Wakanda?" -- ⁠
⁠
"Unlike Wakanda, whose obscurity is a strategic calculation against outside influences, Taiwan exists, for the most part, in that latter space of being deliberately and systematically ignored. For the Taiwanese people, the aspirational elements of Wakanda may not be superior technology (besides, we kind of already have that covered) or superpowers; they are agency, power, institutionalized legitimacy. Wakanda hides its innovation until compelled otherwise by T'Challa's resolve to help the world at large; Taiwan suffers the indignity of having to beg to help, of openly and willingly proving its own competence over and over, only to be denied membership to the United Nations and the World Health Organization." ⁠
⁠
Linked here and in bio: http://www.taiwaneseamerican.org/2021/02/on-clubhouse-%e8%87%bakanda-taiwans-wakanda-fantasies/
#taiwanese #taiwaneseamerican #clubhouse #joinclubhouse
But every day is an opportunity to put community a But every day is an opportunity to put community and collective care at the forefront of our work, to serve and hold each other even when it seems others don't. ⁠
⁠
Today, we're thinking of the increased violence among Asian America's most vulnerable. Like you, we are devastated seeing our most valued - our elders - become the victims of such hostility and hatred. ⁠
⁠
*And* we're thinking of how other minority groups, including Hispanic, Black, and Pacific Islander Americans, have stepped into our grief with so much generosity and concern. Let's be tender about the ways we validate each other's fears, and smart about what will and won't address them. Human dignity is not a zero sum game. Anti-blackness cannot be our vengeance. ⁠
⁠
Finally, we can be upset that our pain isn't more widely acknowledged *AND* support longstanding community organizers who have always quietly done the work. We don't have to wait to be saved. ⁠
⁠
We are thinking about you. We always will. ⁠
⁠
[Reposted to correct earlier typo for Steven Yeun's name; corrected with apologies] ⁠
⁠
Feature photo credit: Jeremy Kwok
From the ICONIC 2005 Taiwanese series 王子變青 From the ICONIC 2005 Taiwanese series 王子變青蛙 (The Prince Who Turns into a Frog) with its ambitious fulfillment of all the classic elements (two exceptionally hot guys feuding over a clumsy protagonist, collision-based amnesia) to the highest-grossing LGBTQ+ film in Taiwanese history, Your Name Engraved Herein, we can't wait to watch our way through Netflix's lineup of Taiwanese shows and movies.⁠
⁠
Let us know what you'll be watching at your next Netflix Party!⁠
⁠
Linked here and in bio: http://www.taiwaneseamerican.org/2021/02/what-to-watch-taiwanese-shows-movies-on-netflix-now/
Image 1 Credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwa Image 1 Credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan @mofa_taiwan 
Image 2 Credit: excerpt from @theeconomist Intelligence Unit Democracy Index 2020  Read the full report (linked here and in bio): https://www.eiu.com/n/campaigns/democracy-index-2020/
Tu Cheng-Sheng (杜正勝) is known for a lot of t Tu Cheng-Sheng (杜正勝) is known for a lot of things. He has served as Director of the National Palace Museum and of Academia Sinica, as well as the Minister of Education during the second Chen Shui-bian administration. But one thing is profoundly clear: his passion for the Taiwanese people to learn about Taiwanese history on Taiwanese terms. In a spirited keynote delivered to a N. Californian Taiwanese group, he talks about his decision to install a school curriculum that sought to create a national narrative preceding and transcending Chinese nationalism: "previous [school materials] were Chinese-centric and didn't mention Spanish or Dutch colonization... but even these were an essential part of Taiwanese history and her connection to the greater world." ⁠
⁠
A recording of his lecture (conducted primarily in Mandarin Chinese and some Taiwanese/Taigi) is available here (and linked in bio): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEGP7YbNtXQ&feature=youtu.be⁠
⁠
#taiwanese #taiwan #taiwaneseamerican #taiwanesehistory
Whether you were inspired by Professor Li Khin-hua Whether you were inspired by Professor Li Khin-huann's talk yesterday about the urgency of fully reviving and sustaining Taigi/Taiwanese together, or it's been on your to-do list to develop your Taigi fluency for years, we were SO happy to get your DMs asking for more ways to learn Taiwanese!⁠
⁠
Here's a crowd-sourced list of resources - from podcasts to Taiwanese dictionaries to blogs - on Taigi AND Hakka (and linked in bio): https://bit.ly/2YwnQrO⁠
⁠
Credit: Catherine Chou (@catielila) for aggregating⁠
Feature photo by Taiwan-based @lisanto_⁠
⁠
#taiwanese #taigi #taiwaneseamerican #hokkien ⁠
⁠
Who’s adding “learn Taigi/Taiwanese Hokkien” Who’s adding “learn Taigi/Taiwanese Hokkien” to their LNY resolutions? ⚡️Tag your accountability partner to get cracking on the NEW @bitesize_tw print publication, “Short Takes: A Scene-Based Taiwanese Vocabulary Builder,” with 800+ commonly used words and phrases in 20 thematic lessons, marked tone changes with notes on context, grammar, and usage, and *importantly* designed as a standalone resource for newbies AND elementary levels! Linked here and in bio: http://bit.ly/2KeqDSv
By @karissaychen for @resy — “As a Taiwanese A By @karissaychen for @resy — “As a Taiwanese American, I’m frustrated to see the popularity of the pork bun decoupled from knowledge of the gua bao... At a moment when the American culinary landscape is increasingly including food traditions from outside the West, when diners are willing to try everything from Sichuan dry hot pot to Korean fine dining or Filipino kamayan, how is it that the pork bun’s Taiwaneseness is overlooked? It feels like a metaphor for the ways Taiwan and its culture exist — or not — in the American consciousness: misunderstood, if not downright ignored.”  Read full here and in bio: https://blog.resy.com/2021/01/pork-buns-have-become-an-american-favorite-why-cant-we-acknowledge-theyre-taiwanese/
About

Founded in 2006, TaiwaneseAmerican.org is a web portal site highlighting many of the interesting people, events and organizations that make up Taiwanese America. It is both a volunteer-driven website and a non-profit organization that intends to connect and promote those who identify with the Taiwanese identity, heritage, or culture. By establishing our niche within the broader Asian Pacific American and mainstream communities, we hope to collectively contribute to the wonderful and diverse mosaic that America represents.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter
© 2021 TaiwaneseAmerican.org