Addressing Recent Concerns About Our 2025 Program

Written By Admin

Click here to read the official statement in Chinese.

Dear Connexpedition Parents and Community,

We sincerely thank everyone for your continued interest, feedback, and suggestions regarding our organization.

We are aware that a parent recently shared their child's negative experience participating in our overseas volunteer service program, Connexpedition, on a Facebook group. We understand that this has caused concern among some families, and we recognize that different participants may have varying feelings and interpretations of the same experience. For any child who felt pressure, discomfort, or disappointment during the program, we are committed to addressing these concerns openly and honestly.

At the same time, in order to protect all youth volunteers, team leaders, and partner schools, we have a responsibility to provide factual clarification regarding content in the community discussion that has been misunderstood or significantly misrepresented.The following statement addresses, in order: program funding, volunteer safety management, team leader conduct, accommodation, parent communication, and other related matters.

I. Program Funding and Use of Fees

This program is supported by the New Taipei City Government. Government funding is primarily allocated to cover expenses for 420 student participants and 100 Taiwanese-American youth volunteers, team leaders, and on-site administrative staff during the 15-day service period in Taiwan. This includes costs for curriculum, instructional materials, transportation, insurance, accommodation and meals during non-camp periods, weekend cultural visits, an eight-month online tutoring program, and administrative operations. Any shortfall has consistently been covered by WCEO itself.

We ask that the community understand that Connexpedition is a volunteer service program, not a travel or tourism experience. Resource allocation must therefore prioritize education and service delivery.

II. Volunteer Safety Management

Volunteer safety is the top priority of this program. When children are entrusted to our care, we assume full responsibility for bringing each one of them home safely.

In accordance with New Taipei City school campus safety regulations, security guards routinely close stairwell gates at night and on weekends to prevent unauthorized individuals from entering and causing disturbances. This is standard safety procedure and is in no way intended as a restriction or punishment directed at any particular student. All schools are equipped with night security guards, on-duty personnel, and emergency contact systems, and provide elevator access cards for entering and exiting school buildings.

Regarding the claim circulating on social media that a "dead battery on the remote control made escape impossible," WCEO mobilized seven staff members and dedicated five days to reviewing records and conducting interviews with team leaders, administrative staff, school principals, department heads, and security guards. The findings are as follows:

The device that lost battery power was the remote control for the outdoor campus gate, not the stairwell gate. The team leader had planned to take volunteers to a nearby convenience store in the early evening. Upon reaching the campus gate, the leader discovered the remote was out of battery and immediately called the night security guard by phone. The guard indicated they could come to assist right away. The team leader, not wanting to disturb the guard during dinnertime, decided to cancel the outing and return with the volunteers to the classroom to prepare for lessons. At no point were students trapped inside the school building or unable to seek outside assistance.

Additionally, the school is located in a remote area with a quiet surrounding community and very poor nighttime lighting. During the service period, a small number of volunteers used school facilities for recreational purposes after lights-out without notifying the team leader, creating significant management pressure and inconvenience for the school. Upon learning of this, the administrative team instructed the team leader to exercise greater caution at night. These measures were taken entirely out of safety considerations and to uphold the volunteers' conduct.

III. Team Leader Conduct and Related Allegations

Regarding questions raised by some community members about the team leader's suitability, we would like to offer a balanced perspective from an educator's standpoint. Last year's group of volunteers was led by a team leader with eight years of experience, alongside a first-year team leader who holds formal qualifications as a special education para-educator. Administrative staff also provided daily scheduled support throughout the second week. Working with adolescent groups is inherently dynamic and challenging. Supporting a first-time team leader through mentorship, accompaniment, and hands-on assistance is a standard part of our approach. In environments with limited safety infrastructure, adopting conservative management practices at night is a necessary safety measure — and is often the source of friction between students and team leaders.

The team leader prioritized student safety and service quality throughout. Some students repeatedly requested weekday outings after class, so the team leader made arrangements on several occasions after careful assessment. We understand that some students still felt their experience fell short of expectations. However, Connexpedition is a volunteer service program, and it will inevitably be unable to fully satisfy participants whose primary goal is leisure and sightseeing.

Regarding the allegation that the team leader required students to pay for taxi fares, the administrative team confirmed the details with senior volunteer members from the group. A number of students had proposed taking a taxi rather than public transportation. In accordance with program financial policy, such expenses cannot be covered by program funds and must be paid by the students themselves. This unfortunately led to a misunderstanding over the use of funds and dissatisfaction amongst some students.

We would also note that of the 80 participants during last summer's service period, our records confirm that not a single person withdrew mid-service trip.

Finally, we wish to emphasize an important point: adolescents away from home will sometimes, out of curiosity or a desire for independence, break group rules. The role of an educator is to guide and communicate. This team leader was patient and deeply empathetic — perhaps overly so — consistently striving to meet the individual needs of each volunteer, quietly protecting everyone's dignity and supporting each student in completing this journey. Leading a group of adolescents is always a challenge requiring great patience and sound safety judgment, and the realities of educational settings are complex and ever-changing. It is deeply unfair to dismiss or wholly condemn a sincere and dedicated young team leader based on one-sided accounts or isolated incidents. We also do not wish for unverified content to continue circulating in the community, as doing so risks causing further harm to the youth, team leaders, and all participants involved.

IV. Accommodation

The program's resources are focused on educational service delivery. As a result, volunteers are housed in school classrooms or simple dormitories during the service period, rather than hotels. This has been the program's standard model for 15 years and was not a last-minute decision.

Connexpedition provided detailed information regarding housing and school facilities at parent information sessions held on February 16 and May 18, 2025, and followed up with email notifications sent to all parents on February 19 and May 22, 2025. Complete records are on file. At the first parent information session, families were clearly informed that if they were unable to accept the accommodation arrangements, they were welcome to withdraw from the program in February at no charge.

Taiwan's summer climate is hot and humid, with a higher presence of insects. Partner schools made every effort to clean facilities, prepare mosquito repellent supplies, and arrange for disinfection. Connexpedition also reminded volunteers on multiple occasions during U.S. training to wear long pants and bring their own medication or repellent. We acknowledge that some conditions fell short of what volunteers may be accustomed to at home. If volunteers found conditions unsatisfactory upon arrival, we encouraged them to raise concerns with the administrative team promptly, or to work together as a group to improve the space. Volunteers come to Taiwan primarily to serve and to grow — we sincerely hope that any discomfort experienced can become a valuable part of that journey.

V. Communication Channels and Parent Response

Over the past seven days, WCEO has conducted a thorough and careful review of all official and program-specific email inboxes in an attempt to locate the communications described by the parent in question. Regrettably, no such correspondence was found. From volunteer selection through training and return to the United States (covering February through July) Connexpedition sent a total of 52 official notification and reminder emails to volunteers and parents, covering itineraries, safety guidelines, travel documentation, and related matters. The pre-departure notice sent on May 22 included two 24-hour emergency contact phone numbers for Taiwan and U.S. administrative personnel. Neither of the two staff members holding those phones received any contact from this parent during the program period.

The only communication identified with content resembling the social media post was an anonymous response in a parent satisfaction survey dated August 2nd. As the response was anonymous, the administrative team had no means of following up directly. That said, Connexpedition conducted its standard end-of-program internal review and incorporated the survey feedback into improvement plans for the following year, which have since been implemented. We sincerely hope the parent we have been unable to reach will see this statement and contact us directly so that we may clarify further details together.

VI. Student Experience and Program Itinerary

Connexpedition is a volunteer service program. During the summer service trip, outings from Monday through Friday are generally not permitted unless the team leader determines that lesson preparation progress allows for it, in order to ensure that volunteers have adequate rest and to reduce the risks associated with leaving campus at night. Cultural experience activities are arranged on weekends and conducted as group outings. These arrangements were clearly communicated to all families at parent information sessions and in the student itinerary distributed in advance.

VII. Change of Farewell Dinner Venue

Last year's farewell dinner venue was changed on short notice, causing inconvenience for some students and parents regarding transportation. This was a lapse in judgment on the part of the Taiwan administrative team in evaluating venue accessibility and overall arrangements. We sincerely apologize. A review was conducted following the collection of post-program surveys, and this year we have made active improvements to ensure greater transportation convenience and better overall event logistics.

VIII. Volunteer Hours and the President's Volunteer Service Award

AmeriCorps announced the discontinuation of the President's Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) on May 27th, 2025. This came as a sudden shock to our program. Our team actively sought alternative solutions from May 27th onward, but were unable to identify a suitable replacement before the conclusion of last year's program. As a result, we issued service certificates under WCEO’s name, along with official volunteer hour records and letters of recommendation. This year, Connexpedition has been discussing with an independent volunteer recognition organization that serves as a possible successor to the PVSA. However, as of last year, there no longer exists an official, government-recognized volunteer service award. We will maintain clear communication and provide all documentation volunteers need to independently apply for their certificates and awards to formally recognize their dedication and service.

IX. Closing Remarks

We understand that no program can meet every participant's expectations, and Connexpedition never wishes to dismiss or minimize the feelings of any parent or volunteer. Every piece of feedback, positive or negative, is taken seriously. At the same time, we hope that community discussions will distinguish between personal feelings and factual descriptions, and avoid allowing incomplete information, speculation, or emotionally charged language to cause further harm to the volunteers, teachers, team leaders, or partner schools involved.

WCEO has been running overseas volunteer service programs for more than 15 years, with a cumulative impact on over 7,000 youth served abroad. Education has never been a perfect process — conflict and challenges are inherent parts of growth. We are deeply grateful to the more than 100 team leaders and 1,000 youth volunteers who have contributed their passion and dedication over the years, and we thank every parent who has trusted and supported this program.

We have always welcomed open and transparent communication. If you have any remaining questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out. We believe that only through sincere dialogue and mutual understanding can this program continue to grow, and can our children continue to learn and serve in a safer and healthier environment.

Official Contact Channels:

Sincerely,

Mei-Chih Lai

Executive Director

Wisdom Culture and Education Organization

Additionally, we have compiled the data from the 2025 program’s end-of-year feedback form from members and parents of the team mentioned in the Facebook post. We would like to note that 100% of members and parents filled out the feedback form and responded “yes” to the question “Would you recommend this program to a friend"?”.

Admin https://wceo.org
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