President Chen Shui-bian attended the presentation ceremony of the "2006 Youth Participation Award" on March 25, praising the winners and the other young participants for having set up a role model for all the citizens to look up to in terms of public services and unselfish devotion.
Bearing the theme "Youth Utopia," the event was organized and hosted by the National Youth Commission under the Executive Yuan. The award covers such areas as deliberative democracy, voluntary service, community action, non-profit organization management, and international participation.
As the president himself also started his political career when he was young, in the award presentation ceremony he attributed Taiwan's democratic transformation to youth participation. "From the Wild Lily student movement in 1990, to the youth assemblies on national affairs in 2004 and 2005, and to today's event, I have witnessed the dream and enthusiasm sparkled in the eyes of the youth," the president said with tonality that was rather sentimental yet proud.
Different timeframes have modeled different patterns of youth participation. The president thus pointed out that "The youth of the past decades have left their footprints in Taiwan's democracy, and you, from the Wild Lily to the youth assemblies, from the street confrontation to parliamentarian democracy, are the long steps that lead our country to move forwards."
In addition, the president proposed to set up a youth forum for deliberative democracy, a mechanism that would provide the youth more access to engaging in national and community affairs.
As the national Youth Day is coming on March 29, the president did not forget to warn the youth, reminding them that "Young hearts, however pure and brave, are vulnerable to setbacks thrusted by social reality," and wishing all the youth a heart that is forever young.