STUST student team of "Unlimited Art for the Disabled—Cultural Equality Action Plan" recently participated in the 2022 Heart Warmth Youth Public Welfare Action Plan and stood out together with teams making public welfare proposals from three universities, including National Taiwan University, National Chengchi University, National Tsing Hua University. The four universities won the full grant from Taipei Benevolent Care Social Welfare Foundation to encourage young students to use their creativity and action to promote sustainability in Taiwan.

【2022 STUST USR Unlimited Art for the Disabled—Cultural Equality Action Plan—A group photo of the teachers and students of the seed project for cultural equality】

In this public welfare plan proposal competition sponsored by the Taipei Benevolent Care Social Welfare Foundation, more than 100 student team proposals were selected and 30 shortlisted plans were selected. The STUST student team not only entered the final top ten, but also won the fund. With the full support of the plan fund, the team will be able to use music to promote cultural equality. The Taipei Benevolent Care Social Welfare Foundation stated that the equality pursued and created by the STUST's Unlimited Art Plan will provide not only a platform for persons with disabilities to realize themselves in art but also meticulous treatment for the performance of performers with disabilities in physical and mental disorders. The problems will be encountered during the participation process, so that equality can be truly implemented; this will coincide with the original intention of "Heart Warmth Generation," which aims at sending resources really to where they are needed and making cultural equality more diffused through the power of young people.

【The team of students from STUST at the 2022 USR Results Presentation Conference of STUST】

The competition team, directed by Prof. Chi-jie Tsu from the Department of Pop Music Industry of STUST, was composed of ten students, including You-chen Fu, Yon-gru Yang and An-chen Zheng. It was presented in the form of a fusion exhibition, with an innovative public welfare program that resolved prejudice through communication. It was highly appreciated by the judges. An-chen Zheng, a student of the winning team of STUST, said that because he loves singing, he can understand that it would be frustrating to him if one day he loses an equal opportunity to participate in performances due to gender issues, nationality differences, or physical and mental disabilities. Therefore, he believes that music can change the world, and this public welfare proposal is a practice of this belief.

【STUST's "Unlimited Art for the Disabled" student team was granted a 300,000 NTD public welfare fund by the "2022 Heart Warmth Youth Public Welfare Action Plan" sponsored by Taipei Benevolent Social Welfare Foundation.】

Deng-maw Lu, President of STUST, said that he affirmed the creativity and efforts of the winning teams. The disadvantaged groups in Taiwan have been affected by such factors as environmental barriers and social prejudices for a long time that they cannot have equal opportunities to fully participate in our society. Overcoming inequality is the sustainable goal of the United Nations. This time the student team of STUST came up with solutions to this global problem with creativity and action, which should be taken as a testament to the outstanding achievements of STUST in cultivating the next generation of sustainable social talents in Taiwan. We are grateful to the support of Taipei Benevolent Social Welfare Foundation for putting good ideas to into practice and allowing us to use music to promote cultural equality.