Junior High Program

Grades 6 - 8


The Junior High program aims to give campers the basic skills and motivation necessary to become confident leaders, compassionate human beings, and active Taiwanese American citizens. Our theme this year is Communication, and JHers will be encouraged to “Love Out Loud” by exploring different ways of communication in their personal, school, and family life.
Campers will learn the importance of communication and how it affects their relationships in different ways.


Campers of this age are at a critical juncture in their personal development and will be asking themselves tons of questions such as: "Should I be Tweeting like Justin Bieber, or expressing myself like Lady GaGa?" (Just kidding! Seriously.) During these formative years, JHers are in the process of establishing their communication styles and are largely influenced by their peers, the media, the internet, and their parents. With the leadership of our specially trained staff, the JH program empowers our campers with the self-confidence and self-awareness that will help them to better understand themselves as well as the perspectives of their family, friends, and peers. We will accomplish this with speaker sessions, cultural workshops, small group discussions, games, and activities. JHers will be able to discover their communication styles by letting their creative juices flow, by sharing their thoughts and experiences with Taiwanese Americans from all walks of life, and by building lifelong friendships.


Cultural Workshops give campers the opportunity to experience elements of Taiwanese culture, such as yo-yo's, painting, knotting, language, and more! These workshops are a chance for campers to have fun while getting in touch with their 'Taiwanese side'.


Communication Workshops help campers explore their different types of communication methods and how they affect their daily lives. These workshops will challenge campers to discuss, reflect, question, brainstorm, and problem-solve on topics that are relevant to life beyond TAF. Workshop examples include communication based workshops, situational workshops, Taiwanese History, identity dialogues and racism/prejudice dialogues.


The Junior High Program is for pre-teens and teens who have completed grades 6-8. Those who have completed grade 5 may be placed in either the Junior Program or the Junior High Program.

What a Camper Can Expect

  • A daily schedule that includes: 3 square meals, speaker sessions, group games, small group activities, and more
  • Making new Taiwanese American friends from all around the country
  • Learning lifelong leadership skills
  • Picking up crazy dance moves as seen on America's Best Dance Crew
  • Kicking butt in fun group games
  • Participating in interactive speaker sessions to learn more about themselves
  • Discovering talents they never knew they had
  • Learning about their Taiwanese heritage
  • Eating delicious food and soft serve ice cream
  • Smiling, laughing, dancing, singing, playing, talking, hugging


F.A.Q.


Q: Who will be leading the campers?
A: Campers will be led by the Junior High staff comprised of awesome former campers and young Taiwanese Americans who are leaders at TAF and in their local communities.

Q: Will campers be able to contact their parents?
A: Campers will be able to contact their parents during free time to let their parents know they arrived at TAF safely and that they are having a great time.

Q: But what if I need to talk to my kid!?!
A: Your JH program directors Howard Chen and Michelle Hsu (Hello!) will have our cell phones on us at all times and we can be contacted in case of an emergency or a pressing matter.

Howard: 734-395-7528
Michelle: 908-656-0533

We can relay any message for you, but please be reasonable.

Q: Can my kid bring video games or toys?
A: They should leave electronics at home; campers will be too busy meeting new friends and making new memories.

Q: What should my kid pack?
A: In terms of clothes, please bring one dressy outfit for TAF night--where campers showcase talents that they discovered throughout the week, and clothes you would typically wear in the summer. Also, Manchester College is not stingy when it comes to air conditioning, so please bring a sweatshirt if you don't want to be a popsicle!

Q: Will campers get to choose their own roommates?
A: Campers may make roommate requests on their registration form.

Q: What happens if my kid doesn't like their roommate?
A: They will be tied together and forced to get along. Just kidding! If there is an issue that arises, we will be happy to make accommodations.

Q: Will Junior High campers be interacting with other programs?
A: Campers will have "Families" that consist of members from all other programs. Junior High campers will also be paired with older campers from the Youth and College programs as part of our "Big Sibs" program.

Q: I have more questions, what do I do?
A: Feel free to email all questions and concerns to tafjuniorhigh@gmail.com.

Howard Chen and Michelle Hsu will be checking email religiously.




Howard Chen is a founder of Slideshow Pictures, the East Coast representative for TaiwaneseAmerican.org, founder of the Taiwanese American Professionals chapter in D.C., and a founding father of Lambda Phi Epsilon at Michigan State University. When he's not off joining multiple organizations, Howard likes globetrotting, caffeine, dressing well, browsing Reddit, exercising, and being ridiculous. He is currently an Enterprise Storage Engineer for Dell Inc., contracting for the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C




Michelle Hsu is not nearly as accomplished in joining/founding Taiwanese American organizations as Howard Chen is, but she is still passionate about the future of second generation Taiwanese Americans. As a life-long TAFer, Michelle has come to realize the special bond that the Taiwanese American community has, built life-long friendships, and also learned some awesome dance moves along the way. Michelle enjoys watching movies, browsing gossip websites, obsessing over nail polish colors, eating junk food, exploring New York City, and everything Disney. Michelle went to Rutgers University (go Scarlet Knights!), currently lives in Brooklyn and works in Manhattan as a PR professional, specializing in consumer marketing.