INTRODUCTION TO TAINAN YMCA

Tainan YMCA was established in 1955. There are now 2 branches in Tainan: Sheijin, and Park YMCA. Facilities include: 2 indoor heated swimming pools, 2 kindergarten/ daycare centers, the Tainan City Government Children’s Welfare Center which operates an exemplary kindergarten, the Senior Citizens Center, and nursing homes in South, West and Anping districts.
Every year, Tainan YMCA holds 5 different events which focuses on the main qualities of the YMCA: Mind, Body, Spirit, Social and Fine Arts. Approximately 100,000 people participate in these events every year.

Tainan YMCA now serves 12,000 members. Over 10 clubs belong to the YMCA.

INTRODUCTION TO TAINAN YMCA SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS

1. Senior Citizens Service Program:
   We established the Anping Senior Citizens Welfare Center in Tainan. There are also Senior Citizens Nursing Home Centers located in the South, West and Anping districts of Tainan. These facilities promote mental health, provide a nursing home and nutritional lunch, and organize many activities for the senior citizens of our community.
2. Counseling Center for the Handicapped:
   We have developed a vocational training program for the handicapped which includes computer, bookkeeping, and other office skills. We have also organized a Sports Committee for the Handicapped to help them incorporate sports into their daily lives. Classes for the handicapped include the Chu-kwang Handicapped Association, the Chu-kwang Handicapped Chorus, Swimming Team for the Blind and Deaf, Wheelchair Tennis Team, and many other rehabilitation programs to help the handicapped adapt to their society.
3. Community Service Programs:
   We have cooperated with Taiwan’s Ministry of Public Health to develop special public health care programs for the citizens of Taiwan. Programs include the prevention of cervix cancer, breast cancer, asthma and lung cancer, the “stop smoking” campaign, and fitness programs for students and business people. We have acollege health course which takes about 3 to4 months to complete. The class meets once a week to talk about health issues. There is also a course on ‘Parent Growth and Development’ that teaches parents how to educate children about their health and how to establish a “wealthy” family with good values. Lectures on specific topics are held monthly for the local people.
4. Children’s Welfare Service Center:
   Supported by government funds and operated by theTainan YMCA, the Tainan Children’s Welfare Center provides childcare, protection, guidance counseling, and cares about the rights of children. The center supports single-parent families.The facilities that are available to the community include a Children’s Paradise Park, daycare services, and also a kindergarten teaching program which enables teachers tounderstand children, along with teaching skills and theory. We also have a program for children who are developmentally behind.
5. The “Whole Man” Education Service Program:
   In Tainan City, Sheijin and Park YMCAbranches all support the following programs: language, communication, computer, culture, sports, fine arts and camp programs. This program encourages people to find out the newest knowledge and get the latest training available.
6. Children’s Education Services:
   We have 3 kindergarten/daycare centers, 2 which havebilingual kindergartens. Daycare services for children include English, fitness and fine arts.
7. Aquatic Service Program:
   Two of our branches have indoor swimming pools that provide many aquatic activities for the community. We have organized a new swimming team and support many training programs. We also have a Water Safety program and Scuba Diving course with open water training.
8. Club Service Programs:
   We now have 17 clubs in Tainan which include the following:
   1) Boy Scouts
   2) Girl Scouts
   3) Chu-kwang Handicapped Association
   4) Chu-kwang Handicapped Chorus
   5) Wheelchair Tennis Team
   6) YMCA Men’s Club
   7) International Management Council Club
   8) Photography
   9) Swimming Team
   10) Children’s English Club
   11) YMCA Chorus
   12) Children’s Chorus
   13) Youth Volunteer Club
   14) Mandolin Orchestra
   These clubs help them to become good leaders in the future.
9. International Culture Exchange Programs:
   We have numerous international exchange programs with many YMCAs around the world. Our Brotherhood-affiliated YMCAs include Hiroshima YMCA of Japan, Singapore YMCA, Cheon-Chun YMCA of Korea, Sibu YMCA and Kuala Lumpur YMCA of Malaysia, and Santa Clara Valley YMCA of the U.S.A. We also have exchange programs with our Linkage YMCAs which include Yokohama, Nara, Yamanashi, and Osaka YMCA of Japan; Taegu YMCA of Korea, Honolulu YMCA of U.S.A., Metropolitan YMCA of Singapore, Hong Kong Chinese and Hong Kong YMCA, and Shanghai, Beijing and Shi-an YMCA of China. Our exchange programs include youth camps and other culturally-educating exchange programs with all of these YMCAs.