My Second Uniform - Life as a Volunteer for the OCA and OAC After Work

Rielly Syu｜Office of Sustainability Development and Communication, Hoping Power Plant

We have a unique type of leave: Volunteer Time Off. This paid leave was offered to encourage employees to engage more in community service. We are amazed that we would use it.

We are a team from Hoping Power Plant stationed at the Hanben Ocean Station. With the sponsorship on the station’s maintenance and operation, it is aimed to not only promote the local Aohua Village's culture to more visitors, but also to advocate for marine conservation and environmental education.

We made practical actions to protect the ocean by raising visitors’ awareness about marine waste issues and encouraging them to participate in beach clean-ups events. We understand that conserving the myriad of marine life and achieving sustainable ocean development is not just a talk; it requires massive efforts. We have been pondering how to deliver accurate knowledge about marine conservation to tourists with an interesting way.

Then we found a good partner: Ocean Conservation Administration and Ocean Affairs Council, OCA. OCA have 4 service teams Marine Wildlife Rescue, which are "Marine Environment Maintenance," "Friendly Fishing Advocacy," and "Marine Conservation Education Promotion." Each team has their own visions and missions, which perfectly match our goal and could be our best supports as they have professional resources and practical experiences. With no hesitate, we decided to start the team work.

After a total of 17 hours of online professional courses and the final certification exam, we are finally certificated and qualified! We believe that by gaining extensive experience in volunteer service and learning from both lecturers and senior volunteers, we can continuously enhance our knowledge and skills in marine conservation. We are confident and well-prepared to influence publics after training, including volunteer service. This will enable us to influence more people in a more professional and sincere manner.

One of the most memorable experiences during the training was caring for stranded rough-toothed dolphins suffering from infections. Based on the garbage ejected from the dolphins' mouths and the linear residues found in their stomachs, it was apparent that they were likely infected due to ingesting garbage. Everyone continuously updated information in the group chat, while we kept cheering the dolphins up. As everyone carefully cared for them and observed the improvement, it was finally our team's turn to take care of them! However, just moments before we prepared to go to Badouzi, the rescue team called for a stop.

Sadly, the little dolphin had passed away due to worsening infection. This was an extremely sad and shocking lesson in life education.

TCC encouraged us to apply for "paid-leave volunteer time off," so that we can join the volunteering work for the OCA. Most of our duties is to support marine conservation activities and marine education for children. I always think of the dolphins infected by ingesting garbage, and I wish our efforts and contributions are no longer just for environmental friendliness but also for serving lives, hoping to reduce similar heartbreaking incidents from happening.

Team

Owen Yu, Rielly Syu, Zhenhan zhang, and Suner Chieh｜Hanben Ocean Station / Ocean Guardians Team

With a focus on cleaning, respecting, and preserving the ocean, the Ocean Guardians Sub-team conceived the "Express Beach Cleaning" initiative during the pandemic. The station is equipped with reusable beach cleaning tools, making beach cleaning as an easy action but large event. Everyone can come and join our list. Individuals, small families, or groups of friends can join us immediately when they visit or pass by the Hanben Ocean Station.

For two consecutive years, the Ocean Guardians Team has also led students from the local Aohua Elementary School to clean the beach near the station, and to create their own Halloween gifts by using those marine wastes. They are happy, satisfied and want to come back and join again.