Taiwan National Day Student Leadership Workshop Activity Guide
A student-led civic activity guide for Taiwan National Day, featuring group setup, discussion prompts, reflection steps, and leadership exercises.
Students will collaborate to design a civic project for their campus while learning the history and civic governance values of Taiwan National Day.
Civic consensus and student advocacy大家好，歡迎參加我們的國慶青年領導力工作坊。 Dàjiā hǎo, huānyíng zhānjiā wǒmen de guóqìng qīngnián lǐdǎolì gōngzuòfāng.
- Runs
- 45 min
- Group
- 8 to 28
- Where
- the homeroom or club room with desks moved to the outer walls
- Steps
- 6 · 3 questions
- nobody is forced to speak or share personal opinions
- no physical contact or competitive trust games during group work
Read this once, then put the page away
Read this brief carefully before facilitating tomorrow's Double Ten Day leadership workshop. In Taiwan, student leaders often run class council sessions or mentor younger peers in multi-grade systems. Your goal is to guide your peers through a collaborative civic exercise that reflects the democratic spirit of National Day. Make sure quiet participants are invited to speak, no single voice dominates, and all ideas are treated with respect. Keep the timing brisk and hold a whiteboard or clipboard to keep discussions focused.
Setup, materials, and the rules you say first
- push all classroom desks against the walls and arrange chairs in a single circle5 min
- write the three workshop discussion prompts on the main whiteboard3 min
- whiteboard markeror: chalk
- A4 paper pads for small groupsor: notebook pages
- timer or phone alarmor: stopwatch
- anyone may pass on any question without giving a reason
- one voice speaks at a time while others listen
- ideas are debated constructively without personal criticism
Step by step, what you say and what you watch for
-
1
Open the session by welcoming the group and explaining the historic and civic background of Taiwan National Day.
Welcome everyone. Today we are holding a leadership workshop in honor of Taiwan National Day, also known as Double Ten Day on October 10th. This day marks the 1911 Wuchang Uprising that ended dynastic rule and led to the founding of the Republic of China. Today, National Day celebrates our democratic governance, civic participation, and community voice. As student leaders, we use this occasion to practice consensus building and school improvement.
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2
Divide the circle into small working teams of four to five students to identify a campus civic issue.
Please form groups of four or five. Your first task is to identify one practical issue in our school community that needs positive change, such as recycling habits, campus library hours, or peer support programs.
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3
Direct small groups to draft a three-step action plan for their selected campus topic.
In your small teams, write down a practical three-step plan to address your chosen issue. Think about how student representatives and campus committees can work together to solve it through shared discussion rather than conflict.
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4
Reconvene the main circle and have each team present their proposal in sixty seconds.
Let us come back together in our large circle. Each group will have one minute to present their campus initiative and explain how it reflects responsible civic action.
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5
Lead a brief whole-group voting exercise to find the strongest consensus proposal.
We will now hold a simple show of hands to select the project proposal that best demonstrates student teamwork and community benefit.
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6
Wrap up the main activity and transition into the reflection circle.
Thank you for sharing your proposals. National Day reminds us that governance relies on active citizens working together for the public good, starting right here in our school.
The last line: Thank you for your active participation today. Happy National Day, and let us keep leading through service and civic engagement.
Ask one, wait, then the next. Tap to see what it opens.
Reflection prompts, and what to listen for
- one student dominates the discussion in a small group: remind the group of the rule that every person must be invited to contribute before anyone speaks a second time
- a group is silent and stuck on choosing an issue: suggest three starter topics such as eco-committee initiatives, sports equipment access, or peer tutoring
- Run the workshop as a cross-grade Tribe System activity where senior students pair up with younger peers to mentor them on civic participation.
What a first-time leader should know
- Keep your tone encouraging and objective throughout the exercise.
- Keep a clear watch on time during the group presentations to ensure equal turn-taking.
- Start with a polite formal greeting to establish respect before opening the discussion circle.
- Keep time strictly using a bell or timer so every subgroup gets equal time to present.
- Remind participants that consensus-building means finding common ground, not winning a debate.
- Move quietly between small groups to encourage quieter students without interrupting their flow.
- Maintain a clear, calm tone when summarizing subgroup points on the whiteboard.
Worth knowing
- Commemorates Taiwan National Day (Double Ten Day, October 10th), marking the 1911 Wuchang Uprising.
- Focuses on developing global perspectives, consensus-building (gòngshí), and public communication skills.
- Structure includes small-group civic policy brainstorming and collaborative subgroup presentations.
- Uses structured turn-taking to ensure all voices are heard safely without aggressive debate.
- Bridges historical civic heritage with modern high school student council leadership strategies.
- Designed for a Class 9-12 student leader running a 45-minute workshop with 8-30 peers.
Where it is run, and why
Leading a student leadership workshop during Taiwan National Day gives you a great chance to guide your peers in civic responsibility and community action. This activity guide provides everything you need to run a smooth 45-minute workshop. Read through the brief the night before to prepare your space and understand your role. You will arrange chairs in a circle, share the rules, and keep track of time while small groups collaborate on real school improvement ideas.
As the leader, you do not need to lecture or have all the answers. Your role is to ask clear questions, make sure every voice is heard safely, and help the group reach a shared consensus. Use the timed steps to keep discussions focused and moving forward. The structured reflection circle at the end helps participants connect Taiwan's historical civic values to their daily work on student councils or campus committees.
About this piece
- Commemorates Taiwan National Day, also known as Double Ten Day (October 10th), marking the 1911 Wuchang Uprising.
- Emphasizes the core democratic principle of civic agency and consensus building (gòngshí) among high school peers.
- Designed for a Class 9-12 student leader running a 45-minute interactive workshop with 8 to 28 participants.
- Features structured small-group policy brainstorming, subgroup presentations, and a respectful consensus vote.
- Includes clear leader ground rules that guarantee everyone can pass and nobody is singled out or forced to speak.
- Connects historical milestones of Taiwan to modern campus governance and student council leadership.
How it is done
- Taiwan: Student leadership activities focus on global perspectives, public speaking, and community engagement. Programs often build consensus through class councils, multi-grade Tribe System mentoring, and student-led committees.
- Mainland China: October 10th is marked as the Anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution rather than National Day, focusing on historical context rather than civic governance workshops.
- Singapore: Schools use structured leadership frameworks to train student leaders through junior executive committees, class care teams, and peer mentorship sessions.