The “NCYU Good Life Team” consists of Kang Jin-Huai, a senior student from the Department of Applied History, and Huang Jun-Long, a master's graduate from the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, National Chiayi University. They participated in the “Chiayi Entrepreneurship Proposal Competition,” organized by the Chiayi County Government to cultivate the skills of innovation and entrepreneurship among young people. The team won the first place in the industry promotion category and received an investment commitment worth NT$1.5 million from Feng Cheng Investment Co., Ltd. As a result of matchmaking by the county government, the investment commitment agreement was signed on Nov. 15th. The goal is to initiate fundraising and resource sharing to support youth entrepreneurship in Chiayi.
According to Kang Jin-Huai, a member of the NCYU Good Life Team, despite an increasing demand for assistive devices in an aging society, they are often donated randomly or left idle or discarded when the need disappears, which results in a waste of resources. He brainstormed with Huang Jun-Long, the other team member with experience in repairing medical assistive devices, and devised a plan that takes into account environmental sustainability, social welfare, and profitability. Through charity activities such as assistive device matchmaking, regular check-ups of assistive devices, and lectures on assistive device repair, they hoped to recycle and organize assistive devices in a more effective way. While giving a second life to the assistive devices by recycling and utilizing existing resources, reasonable profits can be earned and given back to society.
Kang Jin-Huai said that his knowledge of social enterprises was significantly shaped by the general education course, “Understanding Public Affairs,” taught by Associate Prof. Su Chong Chuang from the Department of Applied History, NCYU. He realized that companies do not necessarily have to choose between profit and public good. Instead, they can strike a balance as a third sector who may generate reasonable profits while contributing to the society. In preparing the proposal for the competition, Kang Jin-Huai frequently sought advice from Associate Prof. Su Chong Chuang and put into practice the knowledge acquired from the course. This allowed them to meticulously identify social issues related to the proposal, and try to address them from the perspective of a social enterprise.
The team emphasized that winning the award meant confidence and recognition from both the public and private sectors for the team's proposal. It is a great honor for the team, whether their proposal responds to the profitable market prospect or wide-ranging aspects of public welfare, or even their overall positive impact on the entire society.