An
American educational organization, Up with People, was founded in 1965
by J. Blanton Belk. Since its founding, Up with People has hosted visits
to more than 180 countries by 21,000 young people from 102 nations. They
shared their messages of hope and friendship as they stayed with no less
than 500,000 host families over the years. Up with People aims to help
young people achieve personal growth and contribute to global
understanding by helping others.
Up with
People traveled to Pitou, a small town near Luke’s office, in 2010. The
language barrier resulted in difficulties for the visitors. Realizing
their predicament, Luke entered the picture and began to help in various
ways. Luke sought out local host families, introduced the visitors to
schools for the Up with People community impact project, and organized
events so the visitors would experience and learn more of the Taiwanese
culture. Luke became a major player in the success of the Up with People
visit.
As a result of their successful 2010
visit, Up with People returned to visit in 2012. This time they stayed
in Erlin, again a short drive from Luke’s office. Luke’s support, again
forthcoming, was helpful in assuring a successful return visit. When the
Up with People members are here, it is a large help for our students. It
helps significantly with both global understanding and English
education. Some of the Up with People members offered testimony to the
values of Luke’s work.
In 2010, I brought 100 students from 20 different countries to Taiwan
through an organisation called Up with People, an international
education and leadership program for young adults who seek to change the
world.
I was first introduced to Luke
in 2010. through a mutual friend who said he might be able to help with
our project. Luke was one of the first people in Taiwan to recognise the
value of the project as we planned to have a huge impact on the lives of
the local students. Luke arranged for our international students to be
hosted with over 60 families in the community and to visit more than 10
schools throughout our two-week stay. Doing this without him would’ve
been impossible. We revisited Taiwan again in
2012 with a new group of international students. Luke again led the
project, which was bigger and better than anything we had achieved in
2010 - we went to schools throughout Changhua County and struggle to
meet the demand - principals, students and parents all wanted us to
visit them!
Luke stays in touch with
everyone from Up with People through his organisation, My Culture
Connect. All our students enjoy keeping up with his CIEN News broadcasts
and regularly volunteer through Skype sessions in classrooms.Working
with Luke was not only a pleasure, but a learning experience. He taught
me more about leadership, selflessness and volunteering than anyone
else. (Mark Whitaker, the U.K.)-TOP-
I first met Luke while working for an international non-profit operating
in Taiwan. His willingness to help our organization surprised me because
we hadn’t met someone so trusting and eager to make introductions and
connections in the community. I learned that he had dedicated himself to
helping others, through full-time volunteer work, and to always putting
others first. I had the pleasure of working with Luke to help launch his
English education, My Culture Connect. I learned just how powerful it
could be to connect students from around the world to exchange languages
and culture. Organizations such as Luke’s are helping the world come
together as one global village! (Matthew Erley, the U.S.A.)-TOP-
I met Luke Lin through his support of the global education company I
work for, Up with People. Luke has helped our international cast of 100
volunteers from 20 different countries experience Taiwan, its culture,
and the people for the past two visits. I had the opportunity to live
in a monastery with three other students of ours while we were in Erlin.
Luke had set up this whole week for us; contacting the monastery,
organizing our transportation, giving us educational classes in the
evening, and helping provide our food. He also helped facilitate many
things for our cast throughout the visit that enabled us to meet
Taiwanese youth, impact and be impacted by them, and expand our
knowledge of each other’s countries. I have seen that Luke is a very
humble and giving man, that puts his needs aside for the sake of
education and leadership. He showed me the value of hard work,
humility, and patience. I am forever impacted by my experience in Taiwan
and working with Luke. He truly is an inspiration and the idea of a
community leader. I’m grateful to know him and call him a friend.
(Leslie Kleiman, the USA)-TOP-
After visiting Taipei with an
international NGO (Up with People), I met Luke Lin and discovered his
inspirational vigor to volunteer and give back to the communities in
which he worked. It’s been a true pleasure getting involved in his
English education programs while still being home in the United States.
Our online exchanges (via skype) provide learning experiences on both
sides of the computer and demonstrate the effectiveness of Luke’s
passion to reach out to the global community. (Drew Fisher Thompson, the
U.S.A.)-TOP-
As education manager in Up with
People, I’m responsible for setting up community service projects in
every city we visit on our world tour. A second component of my job is
the educational curriculum we provide to our 100 international
participants.
In 2012 I got the chance to work with Luke Lin on several
service projects around the area of Erlin in Taiwan. It is key for Up
with People to have a contact like Luke in a community like Erlin, since
Luke could be the bridge between our international participants and the
community. In a rural area like Erlin, there were big hesitations
towards an international organization as Up with People because they had
not been in much contact yet with people from different countries. Our
participants stay in host families. Many families that we found came
through Luke since community members had the trust in him because of his
strong local connections. This same trust is what was essential in
setting up the many different school projects we did in Erlin. Luke has
a great global understanding and I find the work he does inspiring. (Joris
Van Doorslayer, Belgium) -TOP-
I got to know Luke when we as
Up with People visited Taiwan. Our activities which are volunteer work,
shows, home staying, workshops, and so on need lots of helps. Luke was
one of the persons who helped us coordinate our travel. He made a
special allocation that we could have a chance to stay in a temple to
experience Taiwanese culture. He worked hard translating Chinese into
English and sharing cultures. It was a great experience for me to know
the unique side of Taiwan. I appreciate him giving me a new idea of
living. (Nozomi Yamazaki, Japan)-TOP-
I met Luke Lin while travelling
with an organization called Up with People. He helped us out in many
ways. Some of our group got to stay with the Nuns, that was all thanks
to Luke. I think working with Luke is very easy, and he is a huge
inspiration for everyone around him. (Marjo YK, Finland)-TOP-
My name is Maximilian Römer. I
am 21 years old, originally from Germany, and currently studying
International Relations at Leiden University in the Hague, the
Netherlands. Before I started studying in Leiden, I travelled with an
organisation that offers an international educational-, cultural
leadership-, and community service programme, while travelling around
many countries with other students from all over the world. Due to my
travelling, I met Luke in Taiwan who put a great effort into working
together with Up with People in order to change and improve the
community, not only in Erlin, but hopefully all over the country.
Without him our group would most likely not have been able to come to
Erlin. I was impressed by his personality, attitude, and effort he made
to help his community. But as much as was impressed by Luke, I was even
more amazed by his intelligent and efficient idea to bring education to
young students with cheap and easily accessible technology.
When the United Nations general secretary Ban Ki-moon
addressed his freedom lecture to us students earlier this year, he
emphasized that it is of crucial importance to “go global” and “connect
with the world.” Luke’s idea is a perfect example of a way to achieve
this goal for young Taiwanese students of being connected and being
educated in a globalized world. I believe it is the idea of a great
entrepreneur and warm-hearted individual caring about his environment. I
wish Luke all the best for the future and hope his idea will even have
greater success in the next years. (Maxmilian Roma, Germany)
In 2010 I traveled with the
non-profit organisation, Up with People, which brings the world together
through service and music. During that time I spent a month in beautiful
Taiwan. I stayed about 10 days in an amazing Buddhist monastery together
with some cast mates from Up with People. We were welcomed by Luke Lin,
who during our stay was our guide, host family, teacher and friend. I
must say, Luke is possibly one of the friendliest persons I’ve ever met.
He will help anyone in anyway possible and he’s a big inspiration to me.
I’ve learnt a lot from my stay thanks to Luke. I learnt how to see
everything from a greater perspective. I learnt how to relax during a
stressful period, and I learnt what an amazing outcome it might have
just to listen instead of talk. He is passionate about helping others
and he acknowledges people as they are. He is caring and has a drive to
meet people and accept them. He is a visionary and a truly great and
incredible person. (Cæcilie Lützau, Denmark)-TOP-
I came to know Luke by autumn
in 2010, when I visited Taiwan with the global education program Up with
People. Luke was our teacher and mentor when a few of us from Up with
People were staying in a monastery in Pitou. He also became a dear
friend to me and the others.
Luke explained the traditions
and regulations in the temple and became, as mentioned, both a mentor
and a friend of mine. Never have I met someone as Luke. Such a humble
man, with the biggest heart. He is indeed a good teacher, who is
organized, patient and flexible. He is also, and maybe more importantly,
a great listener, inspirer and instructor.
I will never forget the class
when Luke explained to us, the four noble truths of Buddhism. We sat in
the little classroom outside the temple and it was a warm night. The
buzzing fans in the ceiling made us tired and the warm milk tea we drank
wasn’t enough to keep us going. Despite the circumstances Luke were
patient and continued. He judged no one. (Annicka Lundin, Sweden)-TOP-
I came to know Luke Lin through
traveling with Up with People. Because of his efforts I was able to
stay in a monastery and get a first hand experience of Taiwanese culture
and life. Luke took time to educate myself and others about religion,
language, and culture, which without him I’m sure I would have not had
the amazing connection and experience I did in Taiwan! He offered many
opportunities to meet people in the community and for cross cultural
education to take place. When you have the opportunity to learn from
others first hand, it is invaluable. I learned so much from Luke and
how he created those opportunities to get to know people and to ask
questions and to experience things first hand. I have grown to be a
different person over the years and a lot of it I can attribute to
meeting Luke and the opportunities he provided for myself, my
colleagues, and his friends, family and students. (Sarah Rychlik, the
U.S.A.)
I got to know Luke in the fall
of 2010 when I travelled to Taiwan with an international group called Up
with People. I was lucky enough to have Luke as my host dad and
experienced the incredible community service he leads. Those two weeks
with Luke made me fall in love with Taiwan and the power of education so
much that I was able to experience both things again in the summer of
2012. This time I was a able to learn more about Taiwan through teaching
young students about Mexico and my native language.
I hope nowadays to be able to
return to Taiwan soon and experience again the amazing work Luke does
every day to improve his local community. (Paco Garcia Bellego, Mexico)-TOP-
I am fortunate to have had the
opportunity to visit Taiwan with the international non-profit
organization Up with People. When we came to Pitou I got the chance to
work with Luke Lin. Luke is an extremely passionate, kindhearted, hard
working person. His dedication and professionalism were and still are
an inspiration to me. He is a leader and an example for many of us and
I know for sure that he will reach all of his goals and reach far beyond
them.
I first met Luke while working for an international non-profit operating
in Taiwan. His willingness to help our organization surprised me because
we hadn’t met someone so trusting and eager to make introductions and
connections in the community. I learned that he had dedicated himself to
helping others, through full-time volunteer work, and to always putting
others first. I had the pleasure of working with Luke to help launch his
English education, My Culture Connect. I learned just how powerful it
could be to connect students from around the world to exchange languages
and culture. Organizations such as Luke’s are helping the world come
together as one global village! (Matthew Erley, the U.S.A.)
r food. He also helped facilitate many
things for our cast throughout the visit that enabled us to meet
Taiwanese youth, impact and be impacted by them, and expand our
knowledge of each other’s countries. I have seen that Luke is a very
humble and giving man, that puts his needs aside for the sake of
education and leadership. He showed me the value of hard work,
humility, and patience. I am forever impacted by my experience in Taiwan
and working with Luke. He truly is an inspiration and the idea of a
community leader. I’m grateful to know him and call him a friend.
(Leslie Kleiman, the USA)
One
Man’s Dream: Luke Lin