Shu-han Lin

2022 IVLP Impact Award Project: Refugee Initiative: School Workshops beyond Educational FrameworkTaiwan

Based in Taipei, Shu-han Lin works for the Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR) as a refugee specialist. TAHR is a comprehensive rights organization founded during the authoritarian era in 1984. Its focus shifted from democratic transition to violations against the universal human rights such as the labor rights of migrant fishers, forced evictions, use of force during assemblies, and rights to seek asylum.

Before joining TAHR, Shu-han was studying for her master's in human rights at the London School of Economics and Political Science and engaging in several projects with human rights groups. She has research and advocacy experience for immigration detainees, human rights defenders in China and rights violations in Xinjiang. Throughout her career, Shu-han has come to realize that the fire will burn us if we see a human rights violation happening to others but remain silent and apathetic about it. A small violation could spread out nationwide and potentially hurt everyone in the world. 

IVLP Impact Award Project: Refugee Initiative: School Workshops beyond Educational Framework

This project provided an interactive gateway for 400 high school students, university students and educators to learn and think about who refugees are and what policies are appropriate. The project combined a series of workshops aimed at encouraging conversations and reflections on refugee communities and policies from the international and national scope through role play, group discussions and open questions. The workshop expected and enforced no absolute answers or positions, even though the project was aimed at prompting adequate protection for refugees in the long term. It further emphasized the backgrounds and stories of refugees, instead of legal documents, considering the knowledge and relatability of the students. TAHR has taken the lead in advocating for the issue during the past decade and has considerable experience in political and public communication toward the goal.

As a result of the workshops, students gained awareness about refugees and learned about gendered differences in the refugee experience. Participants cultivated critical thinking to act on the plights of refugees and become a compartmental group of a vigorous civil society. The younger generation growing up in the free and democratized Taiwan showed more interest and passion in making the world a better place.

IVLP Exchange Experience

Shu-han was a participant in the IVLP Project A Global Moment in Time: Peace and Justice, organized by the U.S. Department of State and the Institute of International Education.

Shu-han's exchange experience led to the development of her IVLP Impact Award Project: "IVLP opens up an extraordinary opportunity to connect with people of similar visions worldwide together. It provides the in-depth scope into the dynamics and mechanisms of how relevant issues and organizations operate independently or with the American government."

U.S. Communities Visited Virtually

Los Angeles, CA; San Diego, CA; Washington, DC; Atlanta, GA; Louisville, KY; Boston, MA; Detroit, MI; Minneapolis, MN; New York City, NY; Tulsa, OK; Philadelphia, PA

Location: Taiwan

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