|
1. Description of Our Community
Changhua Prison, located in Erlin Township of Changhua County, was established in 1995. The detention center now houses almost 2800 male inmates who were either first time offenders or recidivists and satisfy the requirements for youth detention and rehabilitation. Changhua Prison emphasized educational therapies by encouraging unique cultural industries and artistic environments. The Prison was successful in promoting their 2099 Buckwheat Noodles throughout Taiwan, and their lantern works also achieved great success in national competitions. Their Drum & Dance Percussion Band, instructed by U Theatre, was also successful outside the prison walls, spreading the messages of hope around our country.
2. Summary of Our Project
The research time clearly recognizes the need for “man and self ,man,man and nature” to live in harmony.Aside from the formal members of the research project, teachers, students, and volunteer parents, Changhua Prison have all participated and assisted in its completion.The research project has opened our eyes to the inadequacies of governmental regulations on environmental protection. The Magistrate of Changhua County, Town Mayor of Erlin, Director of the Department of Education, and many foreign teachers, many guests support that we promote “ Anti-Drug, Anti-Bullying and Anti-Pornography Oath Event ”. The topic of Wan He Drum & Dance - Good Youth of Changhua Prison was divided into three parts: (1)Introduce the management philosophies of Changhua Prison and Warden Man-ying Wu. (2)Introduce the Drum & Dance Percussion Band, Rulin Workshop Lantern Class and Buckwheat Noodle Class affiliated with the prison, and tell stories about the lives of the inmates. (3)Allow the researchers to visit and interview people at Changhua Prison, and to organize result presentations for their Anti-drugs, Anti-bullying and Anti-pornography Campaign.
3. Our Computer and Internet Access
A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:more than 50%
B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:1
C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection
D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:4-6
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
(1)Selection of the competition topic: The topic focused on the affiliated groups and workshops in Changhua Prison, namely the Drum & Dance, lantern class and buckwheat noodle classes, and investigated how the artistic processes had inspired the participating inmates. Hence, our entry should fall under the category of 'regional social groups'. (2)Investigating an institution clad in a mysterious shroud: Prisons are places that decent people would avoid and have never been opened before for young children to visit. This investigation hoped to provide an interactive educational experience for law, ethics and life. (3)Privacy and restriction to the interviewed inmates: Our eight interviewees come from the 3 groups and workshops mentioned above. Their participation in our research must be first approved and authorized by the interviewee themselves as well as the Warden of Changhua Prison. In order to protect their identities, we made use of their aliases instead of their real names. Photographs were also pixelized. (4)Choosing our team members and internalizing our research objectives: We chose students who wanted to be part of the project and whose participation had been approved by their legal guardians. We emphasized that the research would focus on legal education and help our researchers differentiate between right and wrong in order to internalize their capacity for acceptance and improve their adherence to law and their daily conduct.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
This research completely changed our stereotypical views of prisons and taught us that bad people would not always be bad. A mistake in life may be transformed into another opportunity. People may alight at Changhua Prison interchange after losing their way, but they would eventually continue their journey to the next stop, Bliss. 'Dear sir, would you please provide your signature as a support of our campaign against drugs, bullying and pornography?”Thousands of words equals not one of action, come! You are who we need!
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
(1)Our research topic is closely associated with the topics of life, human rights and legal education in the Grade 1-9 Curriculum. (2)By carrying out over eight interviews, our research personnel would investigate how prisons promote art environments and implement education in order to influence and transform the living philosophy and values of the inmates.
| 
