Stories of The Independent Youth

SPECIAL FEATURES I

Lack of love since childhood:

XiangXiang achieves dreams for love

XiangXiang, a child who lacked love since childhood, was sent to a foster home when he was in the third grade, due to his family's drug addiction. Later, XiangXiang was transferred to multiple children’s homes. While other children were protected under the wings of their parents, XiangXiang and his sister were in disgrace with men’s eyes and had to figured out how to live together under the same roof...

XiangXiang revealed that he had very low self-esteem during his elementary school to junior high school years, and because he was small and skinny, XiangXiang was often bullied. His classmates knew about his miseries, teased, and even threw stones at him; his heart was deeply traumatized since then, sometimes he even wanted to commit suicide...

▲ XiangXiang wishes to be a good teacher who loves children all his life.

XiangXiang complained about his background and could not keep his head up because his family was a constant embarrassment to him. He questions his worthiness in the world; in order to justify his existence, XiangXiang hurt himself by punching the wall several times with his fists and even injured his hands.

Despite the fact that XiangXiang’s story is heart-wrenching to hear, it was only through the support of many mentors along the way and the life-long faith that inspired him to move forward, including the warm-hearted seniors who brought him to the school fellowship, where he learned different perspectives that changed his mindset.

▲XiangXiang likes to help others and makes up for his shortcomings with love.

XiangXiang came out of his pessimistic past and discovered that he had the characteristic of being eager to help others. He said: "I was originally a very unhappy child. I was resentful of my family of origin and my background; I am angry about being teased, excluded and bullied, but the only thing I could do back then was to hide and cry silently"...

The referral to CCSA through the Department of Social Welfare was a turning point in XiangXiang’s destiny— from the assistance of CCSA social workers, he began to master the ability of independent living, which allowed him reexamine the meaning and value of his life.

He mentioned frankly that when he left the children’s home at the age of 19, he felt ill at ease. He did not know the direction to the road of independent living under the context of being financially unstable, having unfinished schoolwork, and years of unpaid health insurance premium. He did not even know where to go to renew the health care card and pay off the debt.

Fortunately, CCSA accompanied XiangXiang along the way, providing him with scholarships in order to help him complete his university studies. CCSA also paid for his living allowance, rent and transportation fees.

He was often invited to participate in various independent-living-related activities, so XiangXiang, who was forced to grow up early, would feel safe and become more confident throughout the entire journey.

During his years in the five-year vocational school, XiangXiang juggled work with full time schooling, which was a great test for a young boy. However, with the warm support of CCSA and the inculcation of the teachers at the school, XiangXiang gradually walked out from the darkness. Because of the power of Christianity, he is able to face many challenges with confidence and courage, pushing himself to move forward. He also discovered the passion of helping others, which allows him to gain the greatest sense of accomplishment.

XiangXiang finally graduated with honors from the Department of Infant and Child Care of National Taipei University of Nursing and Technology, fulfilling his simple wish of using love to nurture the underprivileged children in need or in his words: “Being a good teacher who loves children all my life".

▲ XiangXiang went to Cambodia as an international volunteer, serving as a teacher at the local child institutions.

XiangXiang worked hard to be a licensed child care teacher and a coach of toddler aquatic education when he was in college; he strived to serve as an international volunteer and went to Cambodia and Malaysia to help build local kindergartens, organize teaching materials, and teach lessons. He also received the Taoyuan City "Outstanding Young Volunteer" award from the mayor.

▲ XiangXiang serves as a teen mentor and share his life stories to inspire younger generations.

XiangXiang is very grateful to the people who helped him along the way, so that he can dig himself out of the hole. Now, he is working as a preschool teacher and he also prepares to continue his studies in graduate school. In the summer, he serves as a teen mentor lecturer, who travels to many childcare & foster institutions to share his life stories. He inspires many children and teenagers with a positive attitude and becomes a role model for them.

SPECIAL FEATURES II

Born with miserable life experiences, but the crippled life fails to withstand her ambition:

The story of XinXin

At first glance, the photo shows a girl with a beautiful face, holding a kitchen knife in her hand and chopping up freshly cooked pig feet. Beads of sweat rained down her hair, and her youthful spirit is incompatible with the chaotic market scene behind her.... This is an old portrayal of XinXin, a girl without home care. At that time when the photo was taken, XinXin was preparing to live independently and enter adulthood on her own; a twist of fate, nevertheless, gave her extraordinary life lessons as early as the age of three! 

▲XinXin worked hard to live in a young age and once set up a stall in the market to sell pork feet.

She encountered drastic changes while growing up, and was fortunate enough to experience the long-lost warmth at CCSA

XinXin’s mother was a nurse and her father used to work in a well-known airline. It was once an enviable home that was full of happiness, yet the lives of three people were rewritten by a car accident. XinXin’s mother was in a persistent vegetative state after the accident and never woke up again. Her father, who was a pilot at that time, had to take care of XinXin’s mother for a long period of time, which affected his work, and severely damaged him both physically and mentally.

When XinXin’s father was in good condition, he would patiently tell XinXin to work hard and be a useful talent. Conversely, when he was in a bad mood, he drowned his sorrows in wine and even beat his daughter to vent his anger, which made XinXin feel helpless at a very young age. 

She could never forget the year when she turned sixteen years old—her father had a stroke in the eye area and was on the verge of blindness. Coupled with unemployment and the great financial stress, XinXin’s father lost control and beat her again. She couldn't bear it anymore and rushed to the police station to report the abuse. In the end, she was resettled in CCSA.

▲XinXin is willing to share her self-independent experience in the growth camp.
A photo with the CCSA founder & the secretary-general, Alice Hong.

CCSA was like a driftwood as XinXin suffered, and allowed her to experience the long-lost warmth of family! Not only did CCSA provide accommodation, but it also gave XinXin a safe place to live while she had no desire to return to her family of origin.

The CCSA dormitory staffs accompanied and took care of XinXin every morning and evening; the staffs were like her elders far away from home. At that time, the self-independence dormitory of CCSA Taoyuan had a work station downstairs. When the social workers came in the morning, their first thing was to go upstairs and check on XinXin. The social worker in charge of XinXin’s case carefully instruct her on how to find a job and the importance of attending to school; all of these made XinXin, a young girl who had been through hardships and dropped out of school, rekindle her pursuit of self and her academic studies.

▲XinXin has traveled to various residential institutions for many years to encourage the homeless children.

XinXin is grateful to have CCSA as a supporter when she was desperate. With CCSA, no matter how big the challenge is or how hard the darkest day can be, there will be hope! She recalled that after elementary school, she never went to school again. Later, XinXin’s father took her to Southeast Asia for several years. As other children around her same age were working hard on their studies, XinXin was trying to gain the inner peace and heal the broken mind, while thinking about her mother who was in a vegetative state in the hospital bed... 

Finding the way: be fearless and experiment

Since having the support from CCSA, XinXin knows that she is no longer alone and can make a comeback and strive for her young life again. In addition, the social worker has been applying for living allowances, rental allowances, scholarships and other subsidies for her, allowing her to work in the daytime while completing university degree at the National Open University (NOU).

XinXin once lamented that in the most difficult moments, she did not know where to go. However, what she feels most grateful for now is that during the time as an “Self-reliant Mentor”, she and other partners with similar backgrounds were able to visit various children’s homes and halfway houses, sharing her life-changing experiences and encouraging each other.

XinXin is grateful for the social workers who supported her in the past; now, she honored to be a mentor in a residential institution to encourage young people who are alone, homeless and without love. Because XinXin firmly believes that CCSA gives hope to the road to self-independence, everyone can effectively move forward together, and that a beautiful life can be achieved!

▲Xinxin actively participated in the CCSA research and study; she took a group photo with the lecturers.