07/22/2026
2026.06.29-07.10 TCYA Taiwan Service Learning Trip (2026慈少台灣人文營)
美國11個州共57位慈濟青少年(慈少),於6月29日至7月10日參與為期12天的回台人文營,其中包括來自亞特蘭大的4位成員。此行主要是深入體驗慈濟文化,並從中學習與實踐利他精神。
活動由花蓮開始,慈少們前往花蓮慈小陪伴孩童練習英文、至環保站學習資源分類,並至花蓮慈濟醫院擔任志工,於付出中體會生老病死。最後返回靜思精舍隨師父們出坡勞作,實踐「一日不做,一日不食」的靜思精神。
花蓮尋根行程結束後,隊伍轉往台北,參訪關渡靜思堂及大愛電視台,也到內湖環保園區,深入了解環保理念並學習環保回收實作,亦參訪「29放光 慈濟六十人文特展」,體驗推廣低碳蔬食的複合空間「植境」。7月8日,美國慈少48位與雙和慈少14位、臺灣慈少大使17位,共79位學員齊聚雙和聯絡處,展開為期一天的「美臺慈少交流」。
此行對美國慈少而言,不僅是一次尋根與參訪,更是一段學習付出、感受愛與自我成長的珍貴歷程。
[Trip Summary, by Fiona Qi]
The past two weeks I spent on the TCYA Taiwan Service Learning trip has shaped the way I have viewed Tzu Chi, brought about meaningful experiences, and created amazing friendships. I have always known that Tzu Chi is an impactful organization that prioritized service, but it wasn’t until I visited Taiwan that I realized the scope of Tzu Chi’s influence. Most importantly, the retreat helped me understand why Tzu Chi’s mission is necessary and how it executes meaningful change.
The trip utilized interactive service activities to teach us about Tzu Chi. One of the best volunteer opportunities was being able to visit Hualien’s Tzu Chi Hospital and Recycling Center. I knew that medicine was one of Tzu Chi’s 8 footprints, but visiting the Tzu Chi Hospital and interacting with the patients allowed me to understand how Tzu Chi went about benefitting the community. As a hospital volunteer, I was able to speak to a variety of patients, some of them being past Tzu Chi volunteers themselves. At the Recycling Center, I saw the hard work that goes from turning trash into treasure. The area was covered in a pile of trash, and we were expected to sort it out into various categories: paper, soft plastic, hard plastic, cardboard, metal, aluminum, and disassembly. I was nervous at first; I didn’t want to dig through piles of garbage. However, once we began, my friends and I turned this process into something fun. We yelled as we passed down piles of disassembly products down the mound of trash. I gathered a multitude of brooms and tech products, laughing as I filled up yet another basket full. The experience began as one I dreaded, and turned into both a cherished memory and lasting inside joke. It taught me that doing any task, however mundane, can be fun with the right people. It also brought upon a newfound appreciation for those who work in recycling, and encouraged me to place products in the correct bins. Through this trip, I learned what Tzu Chi does with this trash we recycled. In Taipei, we visited another recycling center, one that turns the trash into reusable products. Plastic water bottles get turned into beds, pens, and blankets that then get distributed during relief drives. Being able to go from recycling plastic bottles to seeing them get turned into yarn taught me how Tzu Chi is tangibly benefitting the environment and community.
As American Tzu Shao’s we were also given plenty of opportunities to exchange cultures with Tsaiwan Tzu Chi. One of the highlights of the trip was being able to teach English to the Tzu Xiao Elementary students. My team and I were given a group of second graders to teach. While I have taught students through Tzu Shao in the past, I was nervous teaching students so young. As we went through each lesson and activity I was able to watch the kids warm up and their personalities shine through. Compared to other groups, we had rather well behaved kids. While they liked to play on the rolling chairs and complained about dancing, they all worked diligently on their activities. It was great to have an opportunity to build friendships with these adorable younger kids, and something I won't forget. Throughout the teaching experience, we were also given two Tzu Zhongs, middle/high schoolers at Tzu Chi High School, to guide us. My Tzu Zhong's Lizzie and Queenie were incredibly sweet and helpful. Through break times and our trip to the night market, I was able to ask them about their lives in Taiwan and compare them to my own. Despite living thousands of miles away, we were still able to bond over things like TV shows, music, and travel, even making plans to visit if we were in each other’s respective countries.
Throughout the trip, Tzu Chi etiquette was instilled on each student. We were to abide by strict rules when it came to eating, walking, and carrying ourselves. This ultimately accumulated on our trip to the Jing Si Abode and our visit with Master Cheng Yen. One of my first memories in Tzu Chi is touring the newly built building and seeing the picture of the Jing Si Abode on the wall. I didn’t know much about it before visiting Taiwan, and I thought it was just where the center of Tzu Chi was located. Visiting the Jing Si Abode, I learned about its importance. It is not only the home to monks, but also represents the heart of Tzu Chi. Through learning about how Tzu Chi was founded and seeing the items Master Cheng Yen and the housewives first used, I was able to understand the hard work that went into creating such an organization. At night, we debriefed our day and learned from a specific monk. Our Shifu discussed her personal life, how Master Cheng Yen’s teachings inspired her to continue her battle with cancer. Being able to converse with her and learn about why she became a monk was extremely interesting. It showed me that each Shifu was a human as well, going through struggles I too can relate to. Visiting Master Cheng Yen brought about a similar experience. Throughout my experience as a Tzu Shao, I have seen her on a screen and heard her aphorisms read out loud. We entered the room with Master Cheng Yen and listened as our staff members talked to her about their experiences in Tzu Chi and how the organization has impacted them. Through their words I reflected on my own journey, from watching the Tzu Chi Atlanta building be built from the ground up to teaching my first class and now ending my time as a Tzu Shao in Taiwan. Listening to Master Cheng Yen’s wisdom helped me realize that she is no different from anyone else. She is a person, but one who utilized her life to give back to others, the environment, and her community.
Above all, I met the most amazing people in Taiwan. Prior to coming on the trip I was already excited to reconnect with my friends from the 2024 National Retreat in San Dimas, whom I always kept in contact with, yet I would have never expected to meet as many people as I did. Through conversations over a bag of Guai Guai to karaoke on the social time floor, I realized that the people are what makes a place. The trip was filled with meaningful work and education, but what amplified this experience to an unforgettable one was the joy I found doing it with people I love. What I recalled most fondly at the Jing Si Abode was riding the Shifu’s tricycles with my friends and trying to hold in laughter during our silent meals. I looked forward to our long bus rides because it meant that we could yell out inside jokes and gossip with the staff members. When bonding with my Tzu Zhong's I remember screaming ecstatically when I realized we liked the same celebrities. I spent my eighteenth birthday pretty unconventionally, at the Plantarium making vegan tuna sandwiches. While it was unlike any birthday I had, my friends surprised me with a feast from the Jing Si Bookstore-- a combination of vegan snacks, vegetarian ramen, cheesecake, and a picture of a candle to blow out. I finished the day by attempting to teach 20 fellow Tzu Shao the choreography for Twice’s What Is Love? dance. It was truly one of the most memorable days and showcased how Tzu Chi can bring people together.
Overall, the Tzu Chi Taiwan Service Learning Trip changed the way I view about Tzu Chi. I entered the trip only knowing that I had to teach kids English, but left motivated and inspired. Small moments like finding joy in recycling or having conversations with the patients at Tzu Chi Hospital showed me how service can be meaningful. I was able to learn from experience: touring the Jing Si Tang and hearing about Tzu Chi’s disaster relief work, seeing how recycled materials get turned into distributed products, and listening in on Tzu Chi’s unique initiatives like the Silent Mentor Program. This taught me the scope of Tzu Chi’s work and how each action brings about compassion, gratitude, and love for the world. Even smaller things like mandated etiquette and a vegetarian diet created positive changes in my posture, health, and demeanor. Other activities like visiting the Jing Si Abode and meeting Master Cheng Yen left me inspired. These people sparking real change are human like myself. I too can make the world a better place. Lastly, the people, from my kids at the Tzu Xiao to my roommates in Room 4, have made this trip memorable. I enjoyed learning about Taiwan from my Tzu Xiaos, Tzu Zhongs, and fellow Tzu Shaos. While we live differently, we are connected through our love for Tzu Chi and compassion for the world. Meeting them has taught me how to build bridges and communicate effectively. My friends I made, Tzu Shaos across America, brought me so much joy during the trip. Despite the heat, lack of sleep, and sometimes uncomfortable situations, my days in Taiwan were full of laughter. For that I am tremendously grateful for Tzu Chi and Tzu Chi Atlanta for creating this opportunity, allowing me to learn and create friendships. I want to thank all the staff members who worked tirelessly managing 48 kids, designing education materials, and making sure we had a good time. I will forever remember these two weeks in Taiwan.
[Trip Summary, by Vincent Lane]
I was actually very nervous on the days before the retreat, thinking about how long this trip would be and hoping that it wouldn’t be boring. I had only been to one prior Tzu Chi USA retreat, and I didn’t make any friends there, and I was worried that I’d be left out and not know anyone. I also expected there to be numerous long and boring presentations and classes that would have me falling asleep. However, that couldn’t be farther from what actually happened.
After all the transportation, we finally made it to Hualien. Immediately I noticed that Tzu Chi was extremely prominent in this area and was actually a part of the culture, rather than it just being something that existed in America. The buildings were massive and built with so much care and love and maintained so well, and I was astonished by the love that everyone had for Tzu Chi. Every tile of the floor was squeaky clean. Every plant was watered and cared for. The people here were committed to keeping the place perfect, and it showed. When we took a tour of the building, the scale of everything amazed me. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen in Tzu Chi before, and that's when I realized how much more Tzu Chi was than I imagined. I would always see what they do globally on the screen during year-end ceremonies, but I never imagined the absolute scale of the buildings, the reach, the effort, and everything else.
As the rest of Tzu Chi was extremely thorough, everything that I did in the retreat was extremely thorough and strict as well, and though at the beginning I thought it was a bit silly, I came to realize why it mattered so much. The 90 degree turns, all the uniforms being perfect, all the bowing, the straight lines, the way we sat down at the table, the way the EPKs were facing, all of these things helped us learn discipline and helped us get more into the mindset of Tzu Chi.
When we went to the Jing Si Abode, I was very used to all the discipline that we had been doing, and so it was much easier to follow all the regulations in front of the shifus. Even though the fact that all the Shifus were there made it more stressful, all of the careful etiquette conditioning we had done made it much more relaxed. At the Abode, we toured the grounds and learned a lot about Master Cheng Yen’s early life. When the shifu was explaining the story to us, I found it very inspiring, especially when she prayed and committed herself to becoming vegetarian to save her mother when she was in grave sickness. We then went to learn about the things Tzu Chi did while it was still very small: recycling, growing food, creating trinkets and little necklaces out of plastic bottles… Even though these things seemed small, they made a huge difference through the message it spread.
After learning about Master’s early life and the early days of Tzu Chi, we lived a day in a shifu’s life. While most people went to the fields to go farm, me and 3 others stayed to do recycling. At first when the shifu was teaching us how to do the job, I really did not understand it. It seemed almost like she was putting plastic in random containers, but as I started to learn to do it, it made more and more sense. Still, it was hard work, and there was so much plastic that I had to sort through. I couldn’t imagine doing this every day, and this gave me so much more respect for the shifus.
All of the regulations and meeting shifus eventually led to meeting Master Cheng Yen in Taipei. To me, she had always been a person with such a powerful presence that I saw on the screen in my own chapter. But as I learned more about her life in the Jing Si Abode, and learned about her good deeds at the Tzu Chi hospital, she became more and more of a legend in my mind. When all the Tzu Shaos were in the room with her, we were told to kneel down, and I felt extremely nervous, because Master was a person with such importance in the world, and I was worried what she would think of us. The atmosphere of the room felt very tense and emotional, especially when the camp leaders began to talk about their own experiences with Tzu Chi to the Master. These camp leaders had been very commanding and strong during the entire time we were in Taiwan, but now they weren’t. I could hear their voices shaking, and one of them even cried. Even though I wasn’t speaking, I almost cried too, watching all of these people break down in front of the person who created this organization that meant so much to not only them, but also me as well. Even though it was very stressful, I was very glad to have met Master. Standing in the same room as someone who had done so much good for the world, who had created a global army of volunteers who would immediately fly out to give aid to places in need at a moment’s notice, and hearing her give a group of 48 random kids her sincere blessing really touched my heart. With all the things going on around the world, Master spent time to uplift the next generation of Tzu Chi, and I thought that was really beautiful.
For me, the most meaningful part of the trip was how I got to give back to Hualien by teaching elementary school kids English. I have had experience teaching younger kids before, both in and out of Tzu Chi, but the kids I taught in Hualien were in 1st grade, and spoke very little English. Over 3 days, I got to know every one of the 9 kids in our class, and though there were many struggles along the way, it was a great exercise to keep the kids in check and concentrate on learning the material. I feel like the biggest takeaway from this experience, though, was how hard it was to be a teacher. I will admit that I was just as rowdy as some of the kids I taught when I was in first grade, and during the English teaching, we had 9 kids and 6 teachers. When I was in first grade, there were 25 kids and just 1 teacher. The ratio is so much higher, and us 6 were already struggling sometimes to get the kids to concentrate. The fact that 1 teacher could get 25 kids to focus is something truly remarkable.
One of my favorite parts of the trip was how I got to experience the culture and beauty of Taiwan. Hualien was one of the most beautiful cities I had even been to. The mountains were truly remarkable, and the ocean was right there too. I even learned how the Taiwanese don’t pronounce “trash” as “la ji” but rather as “le se,” which took a while to get used to. I could also taste the culture in the food, eating in the dining halls at the jing si tang, but also at the night market. Going to the night market was a very special part of the trip, and though I could only visit the vegetarian stalls, the atmosphere there was amazing. Squeezing through crowds and trying to keep my group together while eating amazing food was an unforgettable experience. When we went to Taipei, it was completely different. It was a huge city with towering buildings, but the culture there was just as strong.
Going into the trip, I was nervous and a bit unwilling to go, but by the end, I had made so many new friends and unforgettable memories, and I am so glad that I went and experienced Tzu Chi in Taiwan. This trip has very much increased my love for Tzu Chi, and in the days since the trip ended, I have been thinking nonstop about doing more for Tzu Chi, doing more events, doing more cleanups, doing more service. One of the biggest things I noticed among the other chapters was the closeness that they had. Especially in some of the California chapters, the Tzu Shaos had bonded especially well, and that bonding was something I really hope to see in the Atlanta chapter. Not only that, I also think the kindness and care that Tzu Chi showed in Taiwan for everything is something that I could learn and apply to not only Tzu Chi Atlanta but also my own life as well.
I think though, by far the most important takeaway from the trip was to be grateful for everything. Starting from the train to Hualien, we went through rural areas and fields with houses that looked very old and worn. When I learned about the life of Master Cheng Yen, I learned of great suffering in and around her life, and when I visited the Tzu Chi hospital, I saw suffering there as well. On the screen at the Jing Si Abode when they showed the Tzu Chi aid to countries in need I saw suffering there too. With all the suffering in the world, I am extremely grateful that I live in a place with far less suffering, and I am grateful that I am fortunate enough to be able to help those who are less fortunate than me.
[Trip Summary, by Acadia Liu]
Throughout the 2026 TCYA Taiwan trip, I learned so much beyond just the local dialect or fun places to visit. Firstly, let's begin with the English teaching. Although I have had extensive teaching experience, I was at first extremely hesitant when learning about what we had to do. I had never taught in a language I was unfamiliar with, being Chinese, and never taught English, a language that was so easy to me. I was worried about bombarding the kids with too much information, or too little; making the curriculum too hard, or perhaps too easy; including too many games, or not enough. Luckily, I had the support of my other English teaching group members. We all had our strengths and weaknesses, and when combined, we balanced each other out perfectly. What Ella lacked in engagement I made up for; what I lacked in Chinese vocabulary Lim Kai made up for; What Lim kai lacked in motivation, Yshawn compensated; what Yshawn lacked in experience, Ella made up for. But still, I was feeling tentative and extremely underprepared; creating what-if scenarios in my mind. Yet, in all my calculations leading to certain failure in teaching, I never considered the kids we were teaching and the support of the tzi zhongs (慈中) that were helping us. The kids were eager to learn, and the tzi zhongs helped patch up our language differences. English teaching was a success, and when it was over, I felt an inexplicable pang of longing; I knew that I might never see these kids again, but hopefully they would remember the girl in a blue shirt and white pants, with crooked braids and purple hair---the one who always spoke in broken Chinese but taught with a smile on her face even when blabbering incoherent Chinese phrases. Hopefully they would look back at the 3-day experience with as much pride as I will.
Secondly, the friends. Considering this trip was open to ages 12-18, and I was only 14, I knew that I would be on the lower end of the spectrum, which led to me hoping and praying that the other kids would be the same age. It didn't work; the majority of the tzi shaos were older, which made me dismay and despair; I wasn't very good at frolicking with people out of my age group, after all. But I was wrong. I won't get into the gist of making friends, since there wasn't a lot to it. We all just realized we had so much in common putting aside where we're from, and what age we were. I met a girl who liked the same kpop group as me, one who enjoyed meaningless debates; a girl who shared the same love for cats as me; a guy who refused to buy me tanghulu. We laughed and cried together, danced and smiled together, ate and worked together. I know, with utmost certainty, that we will all keep in touch until the next retreat.
Finally, the enlightenment. We were able to meet with the Dharma master during the trip, and that encounter changed all of us. Kneeling in front of the Dharma Master, I looked around. People I had bonded with were crying—some of whom I had branded with the title of "most non-emotional person ever." The woman we were standing in front of us was, quite frankly, frail and unassuming. Yet, we all knew that this was the aura emanating from a truly pure, enlightened human being. We all knew that if everyone was like her, the world would truly be peaceful and without strife. Yet, with just one human, Tzi Chi was born--- Tzi Chi, which caused ripples globally and saved thousands of people. If even 25% of us, 12 out of 48, became like her, what would happen?
Throughout this trip, I learned so much; beyond what words can describe. What I can say, though is that this Taiwan retreat changed me for the better.
[Trip Summary, by Sangho(Steven) Lee]
這個人文營隊是來自美國慈青學長們舉辦回台灣學習慈濟精神的營隊,我很感謝他們舉辦這個營隊讓我們參加。雖然我平時都會參加慈濟的活動,這讓我覺得自己已經很瞭解慈濟在做的事情。不過我其實也沒有每天去做環保或上課,但是透過這次的營隊,我們也有去做環保、上課和教小朋友英語,還有見 師公上人,還有去精舍、關渡靜思堂,這些都是令我印象相當深刻的事情。
我們有去花蓮的慈大附中國小部教課。我們教了三天的英語,我覺得幸好我們教的是四年級,雖然他們還是還是有點調皮,可是當我們在教課的時候,他們都很專心地聽我們在教課,問他們問題時,他們也都很踴躍地回答。我們在這三天中教了許多東西,在第一天我們教了水果的名字和如何點餐還有餐具的英語講法,第二天我們也有教運動類的東西,第三天我們教的是交通工具的名稱。雖然我們教的課程就只有這樣,但是我們還有一個最重要的小劇場──我們表 演的是有一群人來到餐廳點餐和吃東西的一個小短劇,雖然小短劇的內容不難,可是他們要把他們要講的話全部記在頭腦裡,然後還有許多單字他們不知道要怎麼唸,所以我們必須得教他們怎麼念。而且我們的表演是在第三天的最後一堂課,所以我們也沒有多少時間可以來練習,其實我覺得如果沒有那兩位慈中同學來協助我們教英文的話,我覺得我們應該沒辦法順利完成這個表演。然後還有幾位我的朋友問我們:「明明其他班選擇要跳舞或唱歌之類的項目,但是你們為什麼選擇要表演,不是唱歌或跳舞比較簡單嗎?你們為什麼選擇了比較困難的演戲?」
演戲的確是比較難沒有錯,可是我覺得透過演戲可以把我們所教的內容實際運用在生活情境裡,學習效果會更好。但是跳舞的話,我們只需要配舞蹈,雖然唱歌要背歌詞,可是不會用到我們 所教的單字或句子。但是如果是演戲的話,我們就可以利用到我們所教的單字或句子,所以我 覺得演戲會比較好把我們教的單字或句子記起來。另外,我也很感謝我們這一隊的慈中夥伴幫 我們製做服裝和一些道具,很可惜我沒有拍到他們的照片。經過這次的教學活動,我再次覺得 老師們真的好厲害!
最後,第一天開幕典禮的時候,我有上臺當主持人,我其實那時候蠻緊張的,雖然這不是我第一次上臺講話,可是這次他們是有 100 多位學生坐在我面前聽我講話,所以我講錯了幾句話…ㅠㅠ 可是幸好好像沒有人發現我講錯,所以我暗自下決心,下次如果還有這種機會的話,我一定會練習好,然後不會再講錯了。
我們要去學插花的時候,我原先覺得插花應該會很無聊,然後我們在插花的時候,剛開始我的確是覺得無聊,但是就在我快要完成插花的時候,我發現我其實很喜歡插花這個活動,然後我也其實沒有做的很好,但是我覺得做的漂亮不是插花的重點,我覺得插花的重點是讓你可以放輕鬆、讓你思考要怎麼插才會美,我覺得這幾件事才是插花的重點。
然後我們還有去花蓮慈濟醫院做志工。我們在慈院做志工的時候,我們有去醫院各處還有病房 裡邀請患者來慈院的大廳看我們的手語表演,雖然不是每位都能來看我們的表演,這點讓我覺 得很可惜,可是到了表演時間,我看到很多人都有來看我們的表演的時候,我超感動的!雖然 剛開始觀眾們都是無表情或是板著臉,所以我還一度以為他們是不是覺得很無聊,所以才這樣?讓我有點擔心。但是隨著我們的表演逐漸進入高潮,這其中有我很喜歡的「跟他們互動」這個環節,他們好像也很喜歡,因為我看到他們的臉各自都展開了笑容。然後我們在表演的時候, 也有跟慈院的師姑師伯們一起比手語,那個時候我也覺得很開心。
我們還有去精舍出坡,我們這一組是去摘辣椒。我們在摘辣椒的時候,師父有說如果你想要試吃看看的話,可以吃看看,所以我們幾個就真的吃下去了。我吃完辣椒的時候,發現很多人的臉都紅起來了,包含我自己的臉也紅起來了,最後我們都跑去喝水了。然後我們就開心地一邊聊天一邊摘辣椒,最後到了我們要收工回去的時候,發現我們已經裝滿了六盒了!還有我們把工作完成之後,師父有給我們師父們自己做的愛玉和珍珠奶茶!我在吃的時候,我一直想怎麼會這麼好吃。我們吃完點心之後,我們就回到精舍裡等其他組回來,可是我們在等其他組回來的時候,也一點都不無聊,因為我們還有在精舍的後面騎腳踏車!那天我真的覺得很開心,那天是這十二天中最快樂的一天。我們還有在精舍裡吃飯,然後我聽到這些飯菜都是師父們煮的時候,我又更驚訝了,我心裡一直想著師父們煮的東西都很好吃!所以我希望還有機會回精舍去吃師父們煮的飯和出坡。
我們還有去台北關渡靜思堂旁邊的常不輕菩薩餐廳吃飯,我們在吃飯的時候,有一位老師幫我們介紹這是什麼食物、是怎麼做的,雖然我沒有很認真地聽她講話,可是我還是很謝謝她幫我們介紹食物。因為這不是我第一次來這裡吃飯,可是上次來的時候,沒有人幫我們介紹,所以我聽的時候覺得蠻有意思的。然後我還是覺得那裡的食物真的很好吃。用完餐後,我們還有去關渡靜思堂裡的全家便利商店,那家全家讓我很驚艷,因為那裡面的東西全部都是素的,真的太開心了。然後我們這次去關渡靜思堂,他們還有帶我去七樓看大愛電視主播臺和他們在工作的地方,我覺得很神奇,然後那上面的風景真的超美的。然後我還有看到一隻很神奇的鳥,我很想要知道那隻鳥叫什麼,可惜我查詢不到。
我真的很希望下次還有這種營隊可以參加,希望明年還有,然後我真的沒辦法忘記師父們煮給我們吃的飯。最後再次感謝慈青學長學姐們幫我們舉辦了這個活動讓我們參加,然後所有的師姑師伯們謝謝你們陪伴我們、照顧我們,也謝謝我的所有同學們。