The 4th Tainan Youth Affairs Committee of the Tainan City Government held its third meeting on July 23. Deputy Secretary-General Hsu Chien-lin chaired the meeting on behalf of Mayor Huang Wei-che, with representatives from relevant city departments in attendance. During the meeting, the Bureau of Education presented the City Government’s cross-agency efforts in juvenile crime prevention, campus safety, and student guidance and counseling.
The Smart Development Center also reported on the implementation of technology-based fraud prevention measures. Youth committee members offered recommendations on drug prevention, traffic safety, and anti-fraud education from the perspectives of their daily experiences and peer communities.
Mayor Huang stated that the City Government regards young people as important partners in policymaking. He encouraged all departments to incorporate youth perspectives at the early stages of policy planning and to turn innovative ideas into practical measures. In response to growing public concern over drug-impaired driving, Deputy Secretary-General Hsu noted that roadside oral-fluid drug testing has been fully implemented. Drivers who test positive may face fines, vehicle impoundment, and suspension of their driver’s licenses. Those who refuse testing may be fined NT$180,000 and have their licenses revoked. Hsu emphasized that drug-impaired driving not only endangers drivers themselves but also poses a serious threat to all road users. He called on relevant departments to strengthen public education in schools, youth activity venues, and traffic safety programs to improve awareness of emerging drugs, the risks of drug-impaired driving, and related legal responsibilities. He also encouraged youth committee members to use their knowledge of social media trends and youth communication styles to help transform drug prevention information into short videos, social media graphics, campus activities, and real-life case studies that are more relevant and accessible to young people.
The meeting also highlighted several examples of youth participation leading to concrete policy outcomes. A cybersecurity proposal submitted by youth committee member Cheng Fu-fang was developed by the Smart Development Center into a red-team and blue-team cybersecurity exercise. Cheng further proposed using online monitoring technologies to identify illegal sales of drug-laced e-cigarettes and applying surveillance systems to detect dangerous driving behavior. The proposal reflects the committee’s role in turning youth perspectives into practical policy recommendations.
The Tainan City Government will continue to strengthen youth participation in public affairs and encourage young people to bring issues identified in their daily lives into the policymaking process. Through their observations, creativity, and initiative, young people will continue to contribute to building a safer, more inclusive, and resilient Tainan.