September 12, 2010
Reported by Chiou Kuo-rong
Written by Lydia Ma

As National Chung-Cheng University in Chiayi got ready to welcome new and returning students this fall, Wu-Jie Presbyterian Church in I-lan was once again tapped by school officials to train guidance counselors in preparation for helping new students during the opening weeks of fall semester orientation programs.

This is the 3rd year in a row that Chung-Cheng University has asked the church for help in training college guidance counselors. A training camp was held from September 14, 2010, attended by about 20 guidance counselors.

According to reports, Chung-Cheng University places a great deal of emphasis on having trained guidance counselors on staff. It wants them to be equipped to help students in all areas of their college experience throughout the 4 years students will spend at the university.

This year's training camp focused especially on mentoring freshmen dorm students through a series of outdoor and indoor activities geared at helping freshmen understand and adjust to this new stage in their lives. Counselors were trained to mentor students in academic performance, campus life, and interpersonal relationships.

Wu Jie Church's pastor, Chen Po-jie, said this year's seminars centered on the themes of cooperation, mutual understanding, and bearing with one another. He believed these virtues would be essential for students leaving home for the first time in their lives.

Wu added that students nowadays are very accustomed to being homebodies and being on the computer or on the internet for hours on end. Although they may feel very comfortable in the virtual world and have an established presence there, they lack interpersonal relationships in the real world in contrast.

This phenomenon has Chen and many university officials worried and Chen urged churches to discuss strategies in dealing with the newest generation and social trend of "homebody youths."

Taiwan Church News