Overview

Youth education is a key focus in UMC’s efforts to fulfill the “S” in ESG.

Established in 1996, the UMC Science and Culture Foundation (the Foundation, for short) aims to promote holistic education and provide long-term support for multiple education programs. The Foundation has set up tutoring classes in Hsinchu and Tainan to assist school children through varied learning programs. It supports a karate team in Nantou and the Tung-Shih Senior High School baseball team, sponsors the Teenager Performing Arts League in organizing a national youth drama festival, and promote the teaching of traditional indigenous songs and dances in two schools in Hualien and Taitung through the TECO Technology Foundation’s “Exclamation Mark” project. The Foundation also collaborates with Mandarin Daily News to promote a newspaper reading education program and to actively promote reading clubs and life education in reform schools. Another important initiative is the  UMC Love Storyteller Club, the first of its kind in the industry, in which employees volunteer their time to perform in drama plays all over Taiwan.

The above are just some of the projects promoted by the Foundation. Regardless of the kind of activities, from tutoring, sports activities, or art appreciation to more comprehensive life education, the purpose is to contribute to youth education and ensure that no child is left behind.

The initiatives also addresses five of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including No Poverty (Goal 1), Quality Education (Goal 4), Reduce Inequalities (Goal 10), Sustainable Cities and Communities (Goal 11), and Partnerships for the Goals (Goal 17).

Helping the disadvantaged is a top priority of the Foundation

In 2005, the Foundation launched the Spreading the Seeds of Hope - Education Assistance Project for School Children from Disadvantaged Families. Funded by the Foundation, partners in Hsinchu and Tainan provide the venues and employ college students and talented teachers as part-time tutors to help students through courses on various topics. The Foundation also joined forces with volunteers from National Tsing Hua University, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, and National University of Tainan to help students complete their schoolwork. This project is not merely a tutoring program; it is also a public platform connecting community volunteers and services offered by university students.

Linking with partners to drive more different possibilities

Linking with different partners is also a strategy. Some sponsorships are for professional groups. For example, the Foundation has been supporting the Teenager Performing Arts League since 2010. The league organizes a national drama festival to help high school students understand society through drama creation. The program has impacted more than 20,000 young people. It fosters creativity, teamwork, and empathy, and encourages young people to learn by thinking differently.

The Tung-Shih Senior High School baseball team project is another example of connecting with a network of partners. In 2021, the Foundation partnered with Unimicron Technology Corporation and national teams from Skills for U to carry out improvements in the baseball team’s cafeteria in Tung-Shih Senior High School. On the one hand, the project provides the students with a better environment, and on the other hand, it gives professional players a more diverse career experience.

The Foundation's greatest strength is its volunteers

The UMC Mobile Volunteers was established during the Typhoon Morakot flood in 2009, and nearly 600 volunteers helped clean up the disaster area in Pingtung. Since then, volunteer teams are formed according to different needs, including volunteers for school camps and administrative volunteers for the August 23, 2018 flood in Chiayi. The Foundation also recruits UMC colleagues to serve as one-day volunteers for different holidays and events, such as volunteering for Christmas activities.

The UMC Love Storyteller Club was established by UMC volunteers in 2009, becoming the first theatre troupe in Taiwan's technology industry. The troupe has given a total of 69 drama performances to total audience of 22,000 people, demonstrating the expressive side of workers in tech.

For 26 years, the Foundation has actively participated in the communities and schools. We can achieve good results through cultivating local resources, and connecting the corporate world with non-profit organizations. As a public welfare platform, the Foundation provides the most effective connection to respond to the needs of the society. Promoting holistic education helps UMC realize its vision of prospering together with its community.