About Us
Taipei Teen Tribune is Taiwan’s premier English-language student commentary publication. Part blog, part newsletter, part reporting, Taipei Teen Tribune is a platform for students in Taiwan to write about the topics they care about.
Taipei Teen Tribune is operated by Englist, Taipei’s top college prep and academic writing program. Taipei Teen Tribune writers are usually picked from Englist writing classes after they have developed a strong foundation in writing through the program’s rigorous training.
The best extracurricular in Taiwan for college-focused students
Applying to college overseas in countries like the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom is a daunting prospect. Good grades and high test scores aren’t enough to guarantee a spot at a top-tier university anymore. College admissions officers are not just looking for “well-rounded” students that possess a range of skills and interests, they want to see that these students demonstrate prowess in the extracurriculars they are involved in.
As such, students around the world are flocking to sports, music, arts, and academic programs.
The problem is, everyone is doing it. This means college admissions officers are looking for something that makes an applicant stand out from the crowd, and it’s hard to be unique with sports, band, or debate teams anymore. In recent years Model United Nations (or MUN) has become a popular extracurricular, but it suffers from the same problem as the rest – everyone is doing it.
Exclusivity is one reason why Taipei Teen Tribune is the best choice for Taiwanese students looking to get into a top school: Taipei Teen Tribune is capped at 10 writers per class, meaning only the best of the best are accepted. Like Model UN or similar programs, Taipei Teen Tribune asks students to extend their thinking in ways most kids are never exposed to, as well as introduces them to large scale issues and college-level topics.
More importantly, Taipei Teen Tribune empowers students to explore what is important to them:
- Is your student an avid musician? They can write about it here.
- Is your child a gamer? Video games are a wonderful and engaging topic, and they play an increasingly important role in culture.
- Or is your son or daughter interested in politics and international affairs? Those make some of the most engaging articles.
The topics are important, but more important is the process – students learn to think deeply and critically about the issues they choose, learn to formulate clear opinions and ideas, and then are tasked with communicating those perspectives and thoughts convincingly to a real audience.
Finally, Taipei Teen Tribune offers leadership opportunities and unique venues for students to develop skills they will not be exposed to anywhere else. If you are looking for an opportunity to develop your student’s writing and critical thinking abilities, as well as work in a leadership capacity with real responsibility, being an editor at Taipei Teen Tribune is your best bet.
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Taipei Teen Tribune – the class
Taipei Teen Tribune meets 16 Saturdays a semester. The class schedule involves:
- Conversation – checking in with everyone and getting a chance to know each other and share perspectives
- Article proofreading and free-work time – teachers and editors go over new versions of articles and recommend edits and updates, while writers whose work is in progress are given time to research and write
- Lesson – teachers offer an original and engaging lesson to help develop the abilities of writers. These could be lessons on article types (e.g., OpEd, review, interviews, web writing), or they could be on topics of controversy (e.g., should societies use nuclear power, the role of religion in modern society, other current event topics)
- Reading – teachers and writers read a novel, usually from the American literary canon. All reading is done in-class to ensure comprehension and engagement, and discussion is considered part of the reading process. Recent novels include To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, and Nineteen Eighty-Four.
- Multimedia and culture – briefly at the end of class, the group takes the time to do something “easy” like listen to music in English, watch thought-provoking videos, or even just share a funny piece of media. This serves to help foster group cohesion and expose writers to Western culture they might otherwise miss.
What do writers learn?
The most important feature of Taipei Teen Tribune is that it offers writers practice in thinking and composition of those thoughts. They choose a topic and then must think deeply about it as they develop their articles.
Writers are guided in the development of these articles, as well as the thinking process, by the teaching staff.
Writers also learn how to write articles for readers rather than a teacher. In doing so, they develop clear and convincing writing techniques and an ability to delve into a range of subjects, making writing and critical thinking a practical pursuit rather than just an academic one.
Through the class lessons, writers learn about different types of articles and writing formats, as well as engage issues that demand critical analysis.
Finally, Taipei Teen Tribune’s class exposes writers to Western culture, through reading, current events, and multimedia. For students with an eye on university overseas, the value of this exposure cannot be overstated.
Writing and editorial leadership positions
Writers at Taipei Teen Tribune are assigned four separate positions. They are:
Staff Writer
All writers accepted into Taipei Teen Tribune are given this title upon publishing their first piece.
Senior Staff Writer
Writers who have published 10 articles on TaipeiTeenTribune.com are given the “Senior” designation and are tasked with writing specialized content. Writers are able to earn this designation in 2-3 semesters.
Associate Editor
A writer who shows strong initiative and promise may be offered the Associate Editor role for a semester.
Responsibilities include learning how to publish and format articles for the web, as well as proofreading and editing of work by newer writers. There are two Associate Editors per term.
Editor
A Senior Staff Writer who has produced strong work and applied for the position. Often a former Associate Editor.
The Editor is responsible for publishing articles on the Taipei Teen Tribune web platform, as well as approving and developing topics by other writers. This is the top position at Taipei Teen Tribune.
TTT writers at an event for Black in Asia: A Spill Stories Anthology in Taipei.
How to join Taipei Teen Tribune
Taipei Teen Tribune is open to all junior high and high school level students in Taiwan.
Writers must apply to join the program, with application available upon request.
Writers must also attend 13 out of 16 weekly sessions per term. Writers who attend fewer than this will be dismissed from Taipei Teen Tribune the following term.
As Taipei Teen Tribune is an Englist program, students who have completed an Englist writing course will be more prepared. Applicants who have not attended Englist prior to joining Taipei Teen Tribune are eligible, but acceptance is rare – not due to favoritism, but because students who have attended class at Englist have more comprehensive foundations in writing and are thus better positioned to succeed.
Faculty Advisors
Adam Hatch
Lead Advisor
Mr. Hatch is a graduate of UC Berkeley and has a Master’s Degree from National Chengchi University. He has been involved in English writing education in Taiwan since 2010.
Liz Tsai
TTT Media Advisor
Ms. Liz is graduate of New York University. She is a writer and editor with extensive years of experience producing the news for print, digital, radio broadcast, and animation.