"River Remains Well" Design Thinking / Youth Workshop Seeks Solutions for River Conservation

Co-organized by Tunghai University, National Tsing Hua University, the United Daily News Cultural Foundation, and United Daily News, the "River Remains Well" workshop was held yesterday morning at Tatung University in Taipei. Nearly 60 university students from across Taiwan used design thinking to find solutions to river-related issues. The five finalist teams are required to implement their proposals by November this year. Three winning teams will be selected, with the top prize receiving NT$50,000.

The five finalist teams are: “Hao He Ban” from National Tsing Hua University, “Re River” from National Taipei University of Business and Taipei First Girls’ High School, “Don’t污Me” from Chang Jung Christian University and Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, “Walking with the River” from Tatung University, and “Fazi River Environmental Education” from Tunghai University. Each team was awarded NT$10,000.

One of the judges, Luo Guo-Jun, Chief Sustainability Officer of the United Daily News Group, remarked that all nine participating teams were excellent, making the scoring process more difficult than selecting a front-page headline when he was editor-in-chief. Although NT$10,000 may not be sufficient to fully implement a project, he encouraged the finalist teams to seek and utilize resources from peers, campuses, enterprises, and public sectors to make the projects possible.

A final selection will be held at the end of this year, with the top three teams receiving NT$50,000, NT$30,000, and NT$20,000 respectively.

At the venue, a large backdrop replicating the front page of United Daily News was set up for photo opportunities. A group of Tsing Hua University students stood behind it, shouting, “Tsing Hua for sustainability, with the Earth and the river remaining well,” becoming newsmakers themselves.

A full-page report on the "River Remains Well" policy forum was also published in United Daily News yesterday. To help workshop participants quickly understand the challenges facing Taiwan’s rivers, each student was given a copy to read. For these digital natives, holding and reading a newspaper was a rare and unique experience.

Tatung University President He Ming-Guo also attended the event. Deeply connected to rivers—his university is near the Keelung River—he shared that he rides a bicycle along the riverside path every day, cycling at least 20 kilometers, totaling over 7,100 kilometers last year. Beyond exercise, it allows him to observe the riverside ecosystem.

Design thinking is a human-centered process that emphasizes defining problems and generating innovative solutions. It is well-suited for tackling complex, cross-disciplinary issues involving multiple stakeholders. Associate Professor Lo Chi-Hong of Tunghai University’s Department of Industrial Design and several instructors from the “Seedling Project” were also present to guide students in developing solutions to river conservation challenges.

(Source: udn.com, May 4, 2025, Reporters Chiu Wen-Tung and Hsu Po-Fen)