To empower girls in Taiwan and other parts of Asia to engage in politics, The Garden of Hope Foundation (GOH) held a one-day forum on civic participation at the Chang Yungfa Foundation building in Taipei on Thursday, November 5, 2020. A group of 20 Taiwanese girls and 10 girls from other Asian countries who participated virtually took part in the event “Enhancing Girls’ Political Participation Forum: From Social Media to the Campus and Parliament.”

Speakers included DPP legislator Lai Pin-yu, legislative candidate Cheng Ling-fang, Taiwan Youth Association for Democracy (TYAD) Managing Director Alvin Chang, and student union activist Anny Chu.

Held during the week when the United States elected its first female vice president, the training event had a special significance for the girls in attendance, who came from high schools in northern Taiwan and NGOs in Mongolia, the Philippines, and other Asian countries.

Girls at the event said they were inspired by the one-day training to use social media, school clubs, and internships at NGOs like GOH to advocate for the right of girls to take part in decision-making processes at all levels of society.