Each year, before summer break starts, the Pingtung County Department of Labor and Youth Development recruits students to join local industries and organizations to help with product development, marketing, tour designing, and local specialty souvenir creation. This year (2025), the “Pingtung County University Youth Local Revitalization Internship Action Initiative” entered its third year, with a total of 60 students participating on 23 teams.
Three students from NPUST’s Department of Food Science—Yi-Han Tai, Pei-Min Zong, and You-Qi Huang—spent their summer interning at “Old House 54” in Chi-shan Community, Wanluan Township. Their collaborative project with community partners won first place at the “Local Revitalization Internship Action Results Exhibition.”
From Observers to Active Participants
The “Old House 54” team received the highest score in the competition, which evaluated criteria such as alignment with the project plan, overall completion, student feedback, presentation, and booth design. The judges noted the students’ transformation from “observers” to “active participants.”
The students demonstrated this change by listening to the community’s needs and using their expertise in food science to help with product packaging, visual design, and food safety inspections. Their work made the community’s products more professional and reliable. They also actively engaged with customers, developing new products and helping with sales. This effort fully embodied the program’s goal of “increasing youth engagement in local affairs to drive community development.”
Reflecting on their experiences, Yi-Han Tai said the two-month internship taught her about market sales and tour planning. It made her consider staying in Pingtung for her career after graduation. You-Qi Huang mentioned that through participating in and preparing for every activity, she became familiar with “Old House 54” and formed strong bonds with the women there. Pei-Min Zong added that the experience was a “precious and warm memory” that highlighted his need to improve on teamwork and attention to detail.
A Project Built on Collaboration
The three students had previously taken a general education course on “Chinese Culinary Culture,” where their instructor, Jia-Jun Gu, shared stories about the Chi-shan community. Gu also leads the “Chi-shan Narrative – Six Arts Agro-Tourism Project”, which previously involved students in a collaboration with “Old House 54.”
Wan-Xun Tang, the project manager for “Old House 54”, thanked Professor Gu for recommending the students. She said their energy and professional skills led to concrete results like food inspections, which made their products safer.
Assistant Professor Jia-Jun Gu from the Research and Development Center stated that this project was a true example of the USR spirit, showing how collaboration between university students, faculty, and local communities can lead to development.
Village Chief Jia-Ming Pan also praised the students for their efforts. He hopes their success will inspire more university students to collaborate with local communities, bringing new life and expertise to rural areas by applying what they learn in the classroom to promote local well-being.
