The Executive Yuan received 248 applications to join its new youth advisory group, Executive Yuan Spokesperson Sun Lih-chyun stated today.
The application period, which began June 7, concluded yesterday. All in all, 197 men and 51 women registered, and the applicants' average age was 28.
"The registration period has been very active, showing that young people are actively involved in public affairs and care about their nation's development," the spokesperson remarked.
The first meeting of the selection committee that will review the applications is to be held next week, Sun said. A total of 19 to 25 applicants will be chosen to make up the youth advisory group.
The announcement that the Executive Yuan would create the group was made by President Ma Ying-jeou during his May 20, 2014 speech commemorating the sixth anniversary of his first inauguration. All people aged 18 to 35 were invited to apply for membership. The group will consult with and make recommendations to the administration, ensuring extensive dialogue between young people and the government throughout the policymaking process.
The Ministry of Education, which is serving as the secretariat for the process, will first check the qualifications of the applicants. Eligible applications will be forwarded to the selection committee for review and consideration for membership. The views of each applicant on major policies and other important issues as well as his or her aspirations as a member of the group will be taken into account. The committee will jointly decide the name list for the group and then send it to Premier Jiang Yi-huah, who will make the appointments.
The selection committee has 12 members, six from the government and six from the private sector. The private-sector representatives are Sophia Tong, chief executive officer of Test Rite Group; Chu Ping, founder of the Canmeng, Canbran and Canlove salon products and restaurant group; Tom Wang, founder of Dream School; Zoe Ni, radio and television program host; Lin Yi-ying, chief executive officer of Hondao Senior Citizen's Welfare Foundation; and Yeh Ping-cheng, associate professor of electrical engineering at National Taiwan University.
The public-sector selectors are Minister of Education Chiang Wei-ling, Minister of Transportation and Communications Yeh Kuang-shih, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Wang Yu-chi, ministers without portfolio Feng Yen and Tsai Yu-ling, as well as Executive Yuan Spokesperson Sun.
The youth advisory group will meet every three months, and it will hold small-group meetings as necessary. Heads of relevant agencies or scholars and experts will be invited to attend the meetings so that the young advisors' views can be directly communicated to the government.