“We light up the children now, and the children will light up the world in the future.”- Program Manager Jay Hsu
Passionate volunteers Reflect lens with lens, influence lives with lives
“To me‭, ‬the nearly 55‭ ‬volunteers in Shining Hope are all chosen ones‭. ‬We have a tacit understanding‭! ‬We are all similar‭, ‬willing‭ ‬to give‭, ‬taking the initiative to help‭, ‬keeping a low profile‭, ‬and always thinking about others first‭!” – ‬Wu Yingchi‭, ‬volunteer‭ ‬and leading instructor at Gongliao Elementary School
 
“I am very grateful to every volunteer‭. ‬They are not only teaching photography‭, ‬but affecting lives with lives‭. ‬Children always‭ ‬ask me why the volunteers are so elegant and low-key every time they come‭. ‬The children say they want to be a photographer when‭ ‬they grow up‭!” – ‬Su Yuhua‭, ‬teacher of Lunshan Elementary School‭,  ‬Hualien
 
In addition to the support of the Foundation and the full cooperation of the schools‭, ‬the success of the Shining Hope Photography Project is also due to the photography volunteers who have become the main backbone of the project‭. ‬Without the support of volunteers‭, ‬the implementation of the project would have been greatly undermined and hindered‭. ‬It seems sometimes that‭, ‬instead of‭ ‬volunteers‭, ‬they are more like full-time professionals who apply the professional knowledge and valuable experience gained in the workplace and from parent-child education to the project‭; ‬sometimes they are more like parents‭, ‬brothers or sisters‭, ‬or role models to the parentless children in rural areas‭, ‬offering them warm company and affections‭.‬
 
The most invaluable aspect of the photography project is relationship building and companionship‭. ‬What the project offers is not‭ ‬only photography classes‭, ‬but also occasions for language exchange‭, ‬exposure‭, ‬exploration‭, ‬aesthetic layout learning‭, ‬and emotional education‭. “‬Photography project allows me to be a child again‭,” “‬It’s not about what we give to the children‭, ‬but what the‭ ‬children give to us‭,” “‬Whenever a volunteer doesn’t show‭, ‬the children will ask how come so and so didn’t come‭,” “‬What the photography volunteers bring is not just photography‭, ‬but love‭!” ‬I have heard many feedbacks from volunteers and comments of others on the volunteers‭. ‬They are indeed a group of angels who reflect lens with lens and influence children’s lives with lives‭.‬
 

Number of schools: Eleven in total‭, ‬of which four in New Taipei‭, ‬three in Yilan‭, ‬two in Hualien‭, ‬and two non-profit institutions
Hemei Elementary School‭, ‬Gongliao‭, ‬New Taipei‭; ‬Bitou Elementary School‭, ‬Ruifang‭, ‬New Taipei‭; ‬Gongliao Elementary School‭, ‬New Taipei‭; ‬Pingsi Elementary School‭, ‬New Taipei‭; ‬Nanshan Elementary School‭, ‬Datong‭, ‬Yilan‭; ‬Dajou Elementary School‭, ‬Sansing‭, ‬Yilan‭; ‬Sanmin Elementary School‭, ‬Jiaosi‭, ‬Yilan‭; ‬Lunshan Elementary School‭, ‬Chuohsi‭, ‬Hualien‭; ‬Sanmin Elementary School‭, ‬Chuohsi‭, ‬Hualien‭; ‬Dream House‭, ‬Yilan‭; ‬and Orphan Welfare Foundation‭, ‬Neili‭, ‬Taoyuan

Number of children‭: 160
Number of volunteers: An accumulated total of 55‭ ‬volunteers have participated in volunteer photography services‭. ‬As of now‭, ‬five fully trained lead instructors are responsible for curriculum planning of individual schools‭.‬
Volunteer background: They come from Taipei City‭, ‬New Taipei City‭, ‬Yilan‭, ‬Taichung‭, ‬Hualien and other areas‭, ‬and they are professional photography‭, ‬psychologist‭, ‬medical examiner‭, ‬retired teacher and other education-related industries
Hours of instruction: 16,200‭ ‬hours in total‭ (‬nine 90-minute classes per semester per school‭) ‬with an overall volunteer attendance rate of‭ ‬89%