RESPONDING TO THE QUESTIONS

The most important questions asked of us over the past two decades have shaped the Indigenous Bridges Youth Ambassador Program.

Atayal sisters in an Indigenous village in Wufeng District, Hsinchu County.

How are your activities benefiting the Indigenous communities?

The activities of the ATAYAL Organization have always supported the mission of Cultural Exchange and Preservation. We have shared Indigenous culture through media, exhibits, and exchange events but the question always remained whether or not our activities made any impact on the Indigenous communities. The vast majority of Indigenous youth have no access to their traditional language, culture, and wisdom, which have their roots with the elders in the Indigenous communities. After generations of cultural suppression, there are major physical and mental barriers to overcome. Most Indigenous communities are marginalized and economic pressures force adults to leave their villages to seek jobs in the cities. Small children lack parental guidance and become disconnected from the local culture as they grow up. Parents and the elders lack the incentives to teach the native language and culture to the youth. If we want to fulfill our Mission, we need to directly impact the local communities and provide the locals with the incentives to stay in the villages and stay connected to their culture.

Indigenous Taiwanese visiting the Seminole (FL) Nation in 2004.

What are you doing differently than other organizations?

In the past decade, aside from the pandemic hiatus, there have been an increase in Indigenous cultural exchanges among governmental and non-governmental organizations around the world. In fact, the ATAYAL Organization was one of the pioneers of this trend, organizing the Indigenous Heritage Festival in Florida in 2004 and the Taproot Cultural Exchange Program in Taiwan in 2011. We don't believe in reinventing "the wheel." Our organization prefers to partner with existing organizations and exchange programs as a "bridge" that offers value-added services and results for our partners and especially for the youth. The Indigenous youth do benefit from participating in inter-tribal exchanges, as they become inspired and perhaps more deeply connected to their traditional culture. But, then what? The youth are primed for more. We were led to develop a program that provides results-oriented development to young leaders who want to make a difference for their communities. Being a flexible, grass-roots organization, we are able to respond to the evolving needs of the communities.

Working together to build a lasting legacy.

What is your organization's legacy?

In 2022, this question made us think about what would be left behind after the current leadership were no longer part of the organization. What would we want to be remembered for? More importantly, what do we want to leave the next generation to take over? Our thinking shifted from being project-oriented to being legacy-oriented. It required us to develop a long-term vision and plan for our future. We would like our Indigenous Bridges Youth Ambassador Program (IBYAP) to transform the lives of the young people and empower them to revitalize their communities and restore value to their traditions and wisdom. We would like our organization to be led by future graduates of IBYAP, giving ATAYAL a life well beyond our own.