WT Foundation launched Shining Hope, a photography-inspired learning program, in 2021. It is a one year cross-disciplinary photography thematic teaching initiative aiming to care and accompany children and bring about benefits of aesthetic education, self-confidence building, and hometown exploration through photo taking. From July 28 to August 19, 2023, the Shining Hope Project held a nine-school joint photography exhibition “Children’s First Sight” for the school year 2022-2023 at Chung Hsing Cultural and Creative Park in Yilan. The exhibition was more like a small celebration of what this shining mission had accomplished, knowing that the school children’s shining works had created fond memories that will be cherished for years to come.
An extension of the five senses from photos
The Exhibition was held in a restored old paper mill, featuring historical traces and coolness of the light steel concrete structure, to which the photographs brought some warmth. On the right side of the ground floor are white T-shirts printed with photos from Gongliao Elementary School, and on the left side is an introduction board of WT Foundation and Shining Hope, as well as a spotted rainbow refracted by glass that can only been seen at 3:30 every afternoon. Right in front are works from Sanmin Elementary School in Hualien displayed in pairs for comparison, and a photographic work of mathematical poem from Sanmin Elementary School in Yilan, which impressed every visitor.
The Exhibition was spread across three floors with photographic works displayed in various formats including large-scale works, photo books, sensory maps, and waterfall picture cards. The frames sponsored by Tin Tint gave the photos a polished look, and the “sea breeze” produced by a fan for photos taken on the coast, together with a light music playlist, created a laid-back ambiance making it like watching the sea at the beach. And there was a smell of coffee, and a set of slides showing the photography classes in each school. There were also photography workshops on Saturdays. Indeed, great feedback was received from many visitors during the threeweek joint photography exhibition.
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The exhibition was held in a restored old paper mill, featuring historical traces and a spotted rainbow refracted by glass that can only been seen at 3:30 every afternoon.
A foreign traveler burst into tears seeing love through the works
It was the most impressive to see that one evening during the exhibition, when the museum was about to close at six o’clock, a foreign young man on a walking holiday in Taiwan picked up the photo album and took time flipping through it. He then looked at Jay Hsu, the Shining Hope Program Manager, with red eyes and said: “I see a lot of love through your collective works. From those photos and the children’s description, I can feel how free you volunteers are and how you love these rural children unconditionally. Such freedom would allow these children to close any gaps in the world with love, making Taiwan and the world a better place through a cycle of kindness.”
It was the most encouraging and moving comment received this summer. Indeed, the love, creativity, and patience of Shining Hope volunteers are a cornerstone of the program, which has been rolled out gradually with the children’s works proving to be inspiring and heart-touching.
We will miss you. You will miss us.
The photo exhibition was not only a celebration or touching experience, but also a proper farewell to the children. To this day, some of those who have graduated keep coming to the exhibitions to visit the volunteers who used to work with them. The friendship is long lasting and dearly cherished.
Continuing to influence lives with lives
The 2024 Shining Hope photo calendar is a collection of photos taken by children who participated in the program over the past three years, with each photo showing its photographer’s feelings, observations and appreciation towards the surrounding environment, and confidence in photographic expression. The calendar selects some impressive works and matches them with handwritten texts and hand-drawn illustrations. It is more than a calendar or an album. It is a testimony that everyone can make a change to and inspire hope in rural communities and their children.
The 2024 Shining Hope photo calendar gathers the children’s photographic works and their perceptions of their surroundings, and incorporates handwritten notes and illustrations to convey the hope and feelings.
| Number of schools︱ | Thirteen in total, of which two in Taoyuan, three in New Taipei, four in Yilan, and four in Hualien |
| Gaoyuan Elementary School, Taoyuan; House of Dreams, Taoyuan; Quchi Elementary School, New Taipei; Pingsi Elementary School, New Taipei; Dapeng Elementary School, New Taipei; Sihji Elementary School, Yilan; Genfang Elementary School, Yilan; Kelin Elementary School, Yilan; House of Dreams, Yilan; Fengren Elementary School, Hualien; Huaren Elementary School, Hualien; Ihunang Egg Production Cooperative, Hualien; Etude bookstore, Hualien. | |
| Number of children︱ | 164 |
| Number of volunteers︱ | An accumulated total of 55 volunteer photographers, and five lead instructors. |
| Volunteer background︱ | They come from Taoyuan, Taipei, New Taipei, Yilan, Hualien, Taichung, Kaohsiung, Taitung and other areas, and they are professional photographer, designer, serviceman, banker, retired teacher and individual from other education-related industries. |
| Hours of instruction︱ | 1,971 hours in total (nine 90-minute classes per semester per school) |
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Huaren Elementary School is located in the Liou Tribe o
WT Foundation launched Shining Hope, a photograp