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關於 2025 年 Connexpedition 計畫之說明公告

Click here to read the official statement in English.

各位關心 Connexpedition 的家長們：

誠摯感謝大家這段時間對本組織的關心、提醒與建議。

近期社群中有家長匿名分享孩子參與海外志工服務的負面感受，我們理解此事引發部分家長擔憂，也理解不同參與者對同一段經歷可能有不同感受與解讀。對於任何孩子在過程中曾感受到壓力、不舒服或失望，我們都願意誠懇面對與探討。

同時，為保護所有青少年志工、帶隊老師與合作學校，我們亦有責任針對社群中遭誤解或嚴重偏離事實的內容，提出進一步說明與釐清，以下將針對計畫經費用途、學員安全管理、Leader帶領方式、住宿環境、家長陳情未獲得回應及其他相關細項進行逐條回復。

一、關於計畫經費與用途

本計畫由新北市府支持推動，政府補助經費主要用於當年度 420 位學童及 100 位台美青年志工與隊長於台灣 15 天服務期間之課程、教材、交通、保險、非營隊期間食宿、假日參訪、八個月線上陪讀課程及行政作業等支出。經費如有不足，長年皆由基金會自行籌措。

請各位理解，Connexpedition 本質為「志工服務計畫」，而非旅行體驗，資源配置以教育與服務為優先。

二、關於志工安全管理

志工安全是本計畫的首要考量。孩子既交付於我們，我們便承擔將其安全帶回的責任。

依新北校園安全規定，夜間及假日由警衛關閉樓梯鐵門，以防止陌生人擅入生事，此為常態安全措施，並非針對特定學員之限制或處罰。各校均設有夜間警衛、值班人員與緊急聯絡機制，並提供電梯卡作為進出通道。

關於社群中提及「遙控器沒電、無法逃生」一事，基金會動員七位同仁，花費五天時間調閱紀錄，並訪談帶隊老師、行政團隊及合作學校校長、主任與警衛，說明如下：

當時沒電的是「戶外校門遙控器」，並非樓梯間鐵門。事發於傍晚，大隊長原計劃帶學員前往附近便利商店，行至校門口發現遙控器沒電，隨即聯繫夜班警衛，警衛表示可立刻趕來協助。大隊長考量不便打擾警衛用餐，決定取消外出，帶學員返回教室備課。此事件並不存在學員受困或無法對外求助之情形。

此外，該校地處偏遠、周邊社區寧靜、夜間照明嚴重不足，加上服務期間有少數志工於夜晚就寢時間，未經告知隊長，擅自使用學校設備玩樂，造成管理壓力及學校困擾。行政團隊知悉後，要求大隊長夜間管理更加謹慎，此措施完全出於安全及志工形象考量，對於因此造成志工感到受限，我們深表遺憾。

三、關於 Leader （隊長）帶領方式與相關指控

部分版友對隊長適任性的質疑，我們希望從教育者的角度提出平衡說明。去年該隊由一位八年資深隊長，陪同具有正式特教資格教師的資淺隊長共同帶領第一週；第二週乃由行政人員每日定時支援。青少年群體動能充沛、性格仍在發展中，帶領工作從來不易。透過陪伴、輔導與支援，協助初任隊長累積經驗，是我們的一貫做法。在安全條件薄弱的環境中，夜間採取保守的帶領模式，是必要的安全舉措，也往往是師生摩擦的起點。

大隊長為確保學員安全及服務品質為優先。部分學員要求週間課後外出，大隊長在審慎評估後亦曾配合安排，但仍有學員感到體驗不如預期，對此我們理解。然而 Connexpedition 為志工服務計畫，恐難以滿足以旅遊體驗為主要目的之參與者。

關於大隊長要求學員支付車資一事，經行政團隊向同隊志工幹部確認：當時係部分學員提議搭乘計程車，然依公平原則及公款使用規定，本就無法支應，需由學員自行負擔，造成經費使用上的誤解與部分學員不悅，對此我們深表遺憾。

另外，去年暑假服務期間全體 80 名參與者，經查無任何人中途退出。

最後，我們想強調：青少年在外偶因好奇或自主意識而違反團體規範，師長的職責在於引導與溝通。這位隊長富有耐心、過於同理，始終致力於滿足每位志工的個別需求，默默為學員保守顏面、協助他們順利完成旅程。青少年團體的帶領充滿挑戰，教育現場瞬息萬變；以片面描述或全面否定一位真誠投入的年輕隊長，並不公平。我們亦不希望未經查證的內容持續流傳，對青少年、隊長與參與者造成二次傷害。

四、關於住宿環境

本計畫資源重點集中於教育服務，因此志工服務期間，住宿於學校教室或簡易宿舍，無法安排旅館。此為本計畫 15 年來的一貫模式，非臨時決定。

基金會已分別於 2025 年 2 月 16 日及 5 月 18 日的家長說明會中詳細告知住宿及學校環境，並於 2 月 19 日及 5 月 22 日以電子郵件寄送予所有家長，相關紀錄均完整留存。第一次說明會時亦已明確告知，若家長無法接受接待規格，可於 2 月份選擇退出，不收任何費用。

台灣夏季氣候濕熱、蚊蟲較多，各接待學校已盡力清掃並備妥防蚊用品及消毒安排，基金會亦在美國訓練期間多次提醒志工穿著長褲或自備藥物。我們理解部分環境未盡理想，若志工抵台後仍感落差，建議及時向行政人員反映，或由全隊共同進行環境整理。志工來台的核心目的是服務與成長，我們衷心希望任何不適，都能成為珍貴的磨練與轉化。　

五、關於聯絡管道與家長回應

過去七日，基金會已全面審慎檢視官方及專案信箱，未能查找到該家長所反映之相關來信。從學員錄取、培訓至返美的 2 月至 7 月期間，基金會共寄出 52 封通知與提醒信件，涵蓋行程、安全規範與旅行文件等事項。5 月 22 日赴台前的行前通知中，亦附有台灣及美國 24 小時緊急聯絡手機號碼兩支，負責接聽的兩位專案行政人員，在營隊期間均未接獲該家長的聯繫。

目前唯一與社群貼文內容相近的，是 8 月 2 日家長滿意度問卷中一則匿名回覆。由於無法確認填寫者身份，行政團隊無從直接回應，深感遺憾。儘管如此，基金會已於專案結束後的內部檢討會議中，依據問卷內容擬定次年改善事項，並已確實執行。若這位未能聯繫上的家長看到此公告，我們誠摯邀請您直接與我們聯繫。

六、關於學員體驗與行程安排

Connexpedition 為志工服務計畫，週一至週五原則上不安排外出，以確保志工充足休息並降低夜間離校風險，除非大隊長評估備課進度允許。文化體驗行程安排於週末，以團體行動為原則。上述安排均已於家長說明會及學員行程表中清楚告知。

七、關於惜別晚宴地點變更

去年惜別晚宴地點臨時變更，造成部分學員與家長的交通不便，此為台灣行政團隊在場地安排與評估上的疏失，我們深感抱歉。相關檢討已於問卷回收後完成，今年將積極改善地點的交通便利性與整體安排。

八、關於志工時數與總統志工服務獎

AmeriCorps 於 2025 年 5 月 27 日公告停止頒發總統志工服務獎（PVSA），消息突然，基金會深感措手不及。團隊自 5 月 27 日起積極尋求替代方案，惟未能於去年計畫結束前找到適合選項，因此以基金會名義頒發服務證書，並提供志工時數證明及推薦信。今年度，基金會已找到獲美國大學信賴、足以取代 PVSA 的志工認證系統，未來將提供相關文件協助志工自行申請證書與獎章，持續給予正式肯定。

九、結語

我們理解任何計畫都無法滿足所有人的期待，基金會從未輕易否認任何家長或志工的感受，每一份回饋我們都認真看待。同時，我們也希望社群討論能區分「感受」與「事實」，避免片面資訊或情緒化語言對志工、老師、隊長及合作學校造成二次傷害。

慧智文教基金會推動志工海外服務逾 15 年，累積服務超過 7,000 位海外學童。教育從來都不是完美的過程，磨合與挑戰本是成長的一部分。我們誠摯感謝超過 100 位隊長及 1,000 位青年志工的熱情奉獻，更感謝每一位支持與信賴本計畫的家長。

我們一貫歡迎直接而透明的溝通，若有任何疑慮或建議，請隨時與我們聯繫。唯有透過真誠對話與彼此理解，才能讓計畫持續成長，讓青少年在更安全、健康的環境中學習與服務。

正式聯繫管道：

慧智文教基金會　

執行長　賴美智　敬上

此外，我們還整理了 Facebook 貼文中提及團隊的成員及家長所填寫的 2025 年計畫年終回饋表資料。我們想特別指出，100% 的成員及家長都填寫了回饋表，並且對於「您是否會向朋友推薦這個計畫？」這一問題，所有人皆回答「是」。

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Admin Admin

Addressing Recent Concerns About Our 2025 Program

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"?”.

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