Sleep a Little, Perhaps Inspiration will Follow...
2015 Huatung Youth Communications Design Camp, organized by The Alliance Cultural Foundation (ACF) and Taiwan’s much praised Shih Chien University is in its fifth year running. As design programs offered in Huatung (Hualien and Taitung) high schools and universities are little to none, the region has a considerable deficiency of designers. Recognized by BusinessWeek as one of 60 top D-schools in the world in 2006 as well as one of the best 30 design programs in the world for its Master in Industrial Design program in 2009, Shih Chien University uses its strengths and opens an opportunity for Huatung youths to develop in their design interests and inspire them to continue in their dream. In total, 70 youths from Huatung’s technical-vocational high schools were selected to participate in the camp, 30 of which received full sponsorship from ACF.
2015 Huatung Youth Communications Design Camp, organized by The Alliance Cultural Foundation (ACF) and Taiwan’s much praised Shih Chien University is in its fifth year running. As design programs offered in Huatung (Hualien and Taitung) high schools and universities are little to none, the region has a considerable deficiency of designers. Recognized by BusinessWeek as one of 60 top D-schools in the world in 2006 as well as one of the best 30 design programs in the world for its Master in Industrial Design program in 2009, Shih Chien University uses its strengths and opens an opportunity for Huatung youths to develop in their design interests and inspire them to continue in their dream. In total, 70 youths from Huatung’s technical-vocational high schools were selected to participate in the camp, 30 of which received full sponsorship from ACF.
Several Shih Chien University students who led this year’s camp were past campers. The theme for 2015 – Sleep a Little, Perhaps Inspiration will Follow lured many and has led the camp through another year of creative success. From 3-8 July 2015, first and second year Communications Design students headed the 2015 Huatung Youth Communications Design Camp at the university campus. Second year students were responsible for planning, while first year freshmen assisted and underwent training of their own communication and implementation skills. Together they led Huatung youths to exhibitions at Taipei Fine Arts Museum and Museum of Contemporary Art; lectures were organized for university professors to share practical experiences valuable to current industry needs. Campers learned through experiential learning, group discussions, field activities, simulation; and covered areas of graphic design, animation production, image creation, media application, and the combining of animation design with new media.
Through camp activities, campers not only gained technical skills but also learned to observe shapes, figures, to understand movement as well as colours and character composition; they used diverse mediums and practiced expressing individual style. To put their new breadth of knowledge into practice, campers were divided into ten groups to each create one poster and one animation from photographs and video clips.
Although basic camp activities remain similar year to year, outcomes are incessantly unique with fresh intake and ideas from its new participants. Annual themes diverged from Pisilian Tribe's PawPaw Drum in 2011, I draw, therefore I am in 2012, Phototaxis in 2013 to Linkage in 2014. To conclude this year’s Huatung Youth Communications Design Camp, three works were selected as judge favourites. Through a combined effort, campers learned to work together with peers from different backgrounds; they learned to listen, understand, express individual ideas, and overcame problems, challenged themselves as well as others, and learned that success comes through time and perseverance.
Huatung Youth Communications Design Camp is a great stepping stone for entering the design field. Students are able to learn many things from practicing to tell a moving story, to creating an attractive theme as well as sharing great experiences with fellow students. We believe that through the camp, youths will be able to foresee their own futures earlier than others. – Stanley C. Yen, Chairman of ACF
