TAF（Taiwanese American Foundation臺美人協進會）夏令營今年在印第安納州北曼徹斯特的曼徹斯特大學舉行。 近年來，由於 COVID-19 大流行，該會議以在線形式和減少容量的形式舉行，而 2023 年的這次會議代表了接近新冠疫情之前的經歷，也可能是我們的「新常態」，儘管今年我們仍然受到 COVID-19 的影響，但我們得到了員工、家人和社區的大力支持，共同努力計劃安全的團聚。今年我們有 308 名學員、146 名志願者、6 名演講嘉賓。結果我們整週的總出席人數為 460 人，這是我們TAF迄今為止最大的夏令營活動。
每年TAF 夏令營活動都會重點關註四個核心主題之一，幫助我們的營員成為自信的人並充分發揮其潛力：身份、道德與價值觀、溝通和領導力。 TAF 2024 的重點是領導力，主題是「加油，FUEL UP!」為了作為領導者互相點燃，與會者探討了火的基本要素：成長中的氧氣、個人賦權中的熱量、友誼中的燃料以及單一火花的變革力量。此外，與會者還學會了「加油！」作為一個團結的社區，沒有任何一個人會精疲力竭。
夏令營共分為6大班（小學低年級班 Sprouts、小學高年級班 Juniors、初中班 Junior High、高中班 Youth、TAF實驗室班 Labs、和週末家長班) 。今年我們有 6 位不同的嘉賓演講者與我們的志工工作人員一起加入我們，他們透過演講者會議、小組活動和促進小組討論來探討我們的主題。現場還有台灣文化地理工作坊、烹飪工作坊、手工藝工作坊等。我們還舉辦了傳統的搖擺合唱團活動（精心設計的團體舞蹈）、合唱團排練和「家庭時光」活動，其中年長的營員與年輕的營員在導師制度下配對。週末TAF 舉辦了我們傳統的 TAF 之夜表演。
由於一週內新冠肺炎和其他類似流感疾病的發生率不斷上升，TAF 工作人員做出行政決定，將所有週末節目（包括家長之夜和 TAF 之夜）改為虛擬形式。這種妥協讓與會者仍然可以享受計劃好的節目，同時確保我們社區所有其他成員的安全。所有家長節目均透過 Zoom 在線進行，TAF Night 進行了直播，供社區在自己家中安全觀看。雖然我們很高興地歡迎了芝加哥僑教中心陳怡珍副主任，但如果她在現場加入我們那就更完美了。
儘管發生了這一轉變，TAF 工作人員仍孜孜不倦地努力確保為所有與會者提供安全的環境和最佳的體驗。工作人員採取了額外的措施，例如分開課程時間和用餐時間以保持身體距離，甚至在周末安排返程巴士交通，以確保營員安全回家（因為家長沒有到場參加 TAF 之夜）。我們正在更新新冠肺炎政策，以降低明年患病的風險。營員、家庭和社區對事情的處理方式表示感謝，我們仍然期望 TAF 在未來幾年繼續成長。
The TAF (Taiwanese American Foundation) 2024 Summer Conference was held in-person at Manchester University in North Manchester, Indiana. Although we were still impacted by COVID-19 this year, we had great support from our staff, families, and community to work together and plan a safe conference. We had 308 campers, 146 volunteer staff, and 6 guest speakers attend this year. As a result, our total attendance number for the full week was 460 –our largest summer conference of campers to date.
Every year, the TAF Summer Conference focuses on one of four core themes to help our campers become confident individuals and grow into their fullest potential: Identity, Ethics & Values, Communication, and Leadership. For TAF 2024, the focus was Leadership with the theme of “加油, FUEL UP!” To ignite each other as leaders, attendees explored the essential elements of fire: oxygen from growth, heat from individual empowerment, fuel from friendships, and the transformative power of a single spark. Additionally, attendees learned to “FUEL UP!” as a united community, such that no single individual has to burn out.
We had 6 different age programs: Sprouts, Juniors, Junior High, Youth, Labs, and Parents. We had 6 different guest speakers join us this year with our volunteer staff who explored our theme through Speaker Sessions, group activities, and facilitated small group discussions. There were also workshops on Taiwanese culture and geography, as well as cooking workshops and arts and crafts. We also held our traditional activities of swing choir (choreographed group dances), choir rehearsals, and “Family Time” activities where our older campers are paired up with younger campers in a mentorship system. At the end of the week, TAF hosted our traditional TAF Night performance.
Due to increasing rates of COVID and other flu-like illnesses throughout the week, TAF Staff made the executive decision to shift all weekend programming (including Parents and TAF Night) to virtual. This compromise allowed attendees to still enjoy planned programming while keeping all other members of our community safe. All Parents programming was conducted online via Zoom and TAF Night was livestreamed for the community to watch from the safety of their own homes. While we were excited to welcome OCAC Deputy Director Chen, it would not have been favorable for her to join us on-site.
Despite this shift, TAF Staff worked tirelessly to ensure a safe environment and the best experience possible for all attendees. Staff implemented additional measures, such as staggered program sessions and meal times to maintain physical distances, and even arranged return bus transportation at the end of the week to make sure campers got home safely (since parents did not come onsite for TAF night). We are updating our COVID policies to decrease risk of illness next year. Campers, families, and the community have expressed their gratitude on how things were handled and we still expect continued growth of TAF in future years. To accommodate the growing demand, we are continuing to brainstorm ways to make the most of our physical space at Manchester University and are also exploring options of moving to a larger conference venue.
Our theme this year was “加油, FUEL UP!" and we focused on leadership
The Sprouts program made green onion pancake (and made their own chef hats too!)