With the onset of the summer vacation, the Good Shepherd Social Welfare Foundation will start a series of “Young Volunteers’ Camp” on July, inviting parents to bring their children for memories of a very special summer, allowing children to learn to use their abilities to help others and see the value of life from a different perspective.

The Foundation says that several parents wish to bring their children to the institution to serve as volunteers, to learn to give and help others but unfortunately, not much service work would need the help of a child. Thus, a camp was planned for these young volunteers to experience and know what is community service work and for them to learn how to exert effort.

At the same time, the Foundation hopes to reduce the misinterpretation or labelling of the public towards the institution through the “Young Volunteers’ Camp”. As examples, Tainan Babies Home has frequently been identified as an orphanage but in fact, every child has a father and a mother. Children have been taken into the institution for unavoidable reasons. Adoptive parents are usually considered to be very caring and full of love for adopting children but in fact, there is not much difference between an adoptive family and an ordinary family. Young parents are often considered as young people raising children, not knowing how to take care of their babies but in reality, they are earnest and seriously learning how to become fathers and mothers. Through the activity, we wish to convey “a person is worth more than the whole world”, take off the basic context of everyday life and learn to appreciate oneself and the advantages and worth of others too. From their young age, learn to be able to know how to treat people in different situations with empathy.

Apart from this, the Good Shepherd has always been using “resilience” in providing company to those who have suffered from trauma or frustration, to find one’s worth and head for a new life. Thence in the “Young Volunteers’ Camp”, the Foundation will teach the children to know resilience through games hoping that in the future days to come, they can learn to use resilience to find the courage to be positive.

The Foundation expresses that the theory of resilience includes 5 big concepts namely: community support network and acceptance without conditions, the ability to explore the meaning of life, the ability to interact socially and solve problems, the ability to look at oneself positively and the ability for humor. The Foundation believes that if we first promote prevention, it could lessen sad and unfortunate situations happening in society. And every year, use a different method such as pictures, drawings, exhibitions, selection of golden phrases to hold the “Good Shepherd Feast of Resilience” to promote resilience to the general public.

This year, we are promoting the Feast of Resilience towards its tenth year and hoping that through “Good Shepherd’s Young Volunteers’ Camp”, bring parents and their children in a carefree and interesting manner, to know and recognize the mission and the services done in each facet of the Good Shepherd Social Welfare Foundation, and also to know oneself through games, find one’s personality and good character traits to enable the seedling of resilience to be planted in the heart of every child.

The Good Shepherd Social Welfare Foundation has served many mothers in different circumstances for more than 30 years now. On Mother’s Day this year, the Foundation has established “Confidence Workshop” to empower women who have suffered violence and make drawstring bags as a gift for full payment of donations made, using sewing to represent cutting away the hurt and pain, mending oneself and finishing a piece of fine detailed work. At the same time, we invite the public to give more empathy and support to these mothers who are struggling to leave violence and working hard for their future.

The Good Shepherd Family solely sheltering victims of violence, set up “Confidence Workshop" last year to help battered women express their emotions, restore their physical and mental health through handcraft and needlework. While restoring and building up self-confidence, it also develops various skills to prepare for a future independent life. Cai Hui-ting, director of Good Shepherd’s Confidence Home, says that women can feel the sense of accomplishment when someone appreciates their products, and let these women feel: “I have more confidence." “I am valuable." This is our real purpose and intention.

Finding One’s Self-Worth from Sewing
A-mei (fictitious name) escaped from the dark shadows of domestic violence and came to the Good Shepherd Family. Here, with the other women having similar backgrounds like her, giving encouragement to each other and growing up together. Through the presence of the social worker helping her, she gets to know that “being treated with violence” is not her fault and safety, law and taking care of oneself are very significant.

A-mei has had experience doing sewing work at home, but her thin body makes her worry that she can’t afford living costs, but through the hands-on course offered at the Shelter, she finds that she can look forward to the future. After which she worked hard to be self-independent, rented a small booth, helped to repair and mend clothes and became the proprietor herself. On the other hand, she sewed cloth bags at the Confidence Workshop. And thus A-mei regained confidence in herself and saw more landscapes of life.

Numerous Forms of Violence, be brave to seek help and not suffer silently
Good Shepherd Social Welfare Foundation CEO Sister Therese Thong expresses that because the mind and body experiences more stress than before due to the effect of the COVID-19 epidemic during the recent years, thus exposing women and children originally in unstable family situations to increased risks of violence. Good Shepherd social workers can feel from their services, that many women facing domestic violence are prone to choose to endure silently for the sake of livelihood and their children.

But asking for help is not an act of weakness. Women should stand out and ask for help so that social security networks can have the opportunity to provide suitable resources. Never face it alone. On the other side, there are several forms of intimate relationship violence. We must learn to be aware of violence, to know that it is improper and bravely say NO to violence.

3 Steps in Violence Awareness:
Being aware of violence is not only for protecting yourself. It can also make you aware of hidden violence, thus reducing the harm inflicted by violence to families and people.

Step 1: Know and understand what violence is
Violence may appear in different forms. You must first understand the various types of violence before you can be alert and sensitive to its danger.

Step 2: Be aware and observe your own feelings
Every person has the right to make decisions for himself, establishing his self-worth with “I have, I am, I can”. Learn to love yourself. If the behavior of others makes you afraid and insecure, never endure silently. Explore your own inner feelings so as to be able to reduce the possible harm to the very least.

Step 3: Establish a healthy borderline
Establish healthy boundaries with “trust”, “respect” and “mutual communication”. Find your own mode of relationship with other people. Develop interests and hobbies. Set the bottom line. Firmly say “NO” when needed or select to stay away.