"Wood Idea" Sows Talent, Cultivating Woodworking Artisans in Remote Hualien

(Central News Agency, Reporter Li Xian-feng, Hualien County, July 7) Wang Jia-na, founder of "Wood Idea" (木想傢), who is dedicated to using woodworking to help rural students turn their lives around, recently collaborated with the Forestry Bureau to host the "Wood Seed Village - Summer Woodworking Camp" to sow talent. He said that they are doing everything possible to provide learning opportunities in remote areas, hoping that small resources can help the children.

To discover the most potential and passionate craft talents, the organizers conducted high-level online and in-person interviews in June. The judging panel included Wang Jia-na, chairman of the Taiwan Wood Idea Association, Hualien local innovation promoters Lai Guan-yu and Zhuang Yi-rong, and Zhang Rui-yi, director of the Design Department at Hualien Yuli High School. Ultimately, 12 trainees were selected, including young people from Taitung, Pingtung, and Kaohsiung.

The camp opened at the Wood Idea studio in Songpu Village, Yuli Township, Hualien County. Wang Jia-na said in an interview today that he sees many young people from outside the area settling in Hualien. They stay because they are moved by Hualien's humanistic and geographical environment. As long as one young person is willing to stay, they can change their neighbors and even anyone around them.

Wang Jia-na pointed out that Hualien County's geographical environment is very long and narrow, and many resources cannot reach the more peripheral areas. Therefore, "Wood Idea" chose to open a woodworking classroom in Yongfeng Village, Fuli Township, the southernmost and most remote part of Hualien. There are always many stories in remote areas, and there are always many children who need help. "We are doing everything possible to provide any learning opportunities for children in remote areas. Perhaps one day, the small resources we spend on these children will be enough to influence their future."

Wang Jia-na, who has expertise in woodworking, participated in the International Skills Competition (World Skills Competition), known as the "Olympics of Skills," and won consecutive gold medals in furniture and woodworking.

He returned to Yuli to establish a woodworking class, producing durable furniture. For more than a decade, the woodworking class at Yudong Junior High School has held exhibitions under the name "Yudong Carpenter," selling handmade furniture. The proceeds are used for the next generation of junior students to purchase wood and make more furniture, continuing the spirit of the woodworking class.

After retiring from teaching, Wang Jia-na founded the Taiwan Wood Idea Talent Cultivation Association in 2021. Continuing the spirit of the "Yudong Carpenter" woodworking program, he established the "Wood Idea Woodworking Workshop" at the "193 Xiao Songyan" base in Songpu Village, Yuli Township, creating industries and providing employment opportunities, allowing children in remote areas to find employment in their hometowns.

The camp has 6 days of courses. Trainees will gain an in-depth understanding of the characteristics of Taiwanese domestic timber. Under professional guidance, they will unlock professional woodworking machinery such as circular saws, wood lathes, drill presses, tenoning machines, and sanders, as well as craft coating techniques. They will also invite master craftsman Shen Mao-lai and his wife from Guanzhong, Tainan, to teach rattan weaving to create "woven rattan stools."

Lin Yu-chi, a nurse from Kaohsiung, said that she initially wanted to buy wooden furniture and became acquainted with "Wood Idea." Participating in this camp, she discovered that handmade work is not as easy as imagined; it requires concentration, dedication, and time, as well as attention to safety. She can better understand why handmade wooden furniture is so expensive.

During the camp, the assistant helpers were all young people cultivated by "Wood Idea." Wang Jia-na said that they continuously cultivate new talent every year and deepen the empowerment process, because without 7 to 8 years of long-term training, it is impossible to cultivate highly skilled artisans. "Taiwan's industries are moving out to China and Vietnam. After decades, they may have to move again. The reason is always doing lower-end things. We should actually teach children in remote areas higher-level skills to produce goods with higher added value, so that they can truly settle down in their hometowns and take care of their families." (Editor: Yang Sheng-ru) 1150707

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