Overview

TANG is an all volunteer organization focused on creating a nurturing community for Taiwanese American youth. Through this community, we mentor our younger siblings and encourage them to become involved members of society through exploring our four themes: Identity, Community, Growth, and Family. Through our unique position in the community, we also see ourselves as a convener for our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Generation members, providing a rare opportunity for families and old friends to reunite. We serve campers from 1st graders through 12th grade seniors, and this year we are happy to announce a new program organized by parents, for parents – so come meet friends new and old!

TANG traces its roots back to TACEC (Taiwanese American Conference East Coast), a conference formed by the first wave of Taiwanese immigrants arriving in America in the 70’s and 80’s. Though it began as a retreat for families living in the Northeast, TACEC’s focus soon grew to incorporate issues related to human rights and advancing freedom and democracy on the island nation of Taiwan. All these years, parents attending TACEC brought their children in tow, creating an impromptu community for second generation Taiwanese Americans. These youth eventually organized to create their own programming and served as one of the nation’s earliest communities for native  born Taiwanese Americans.

In 2003, TANG (Taiwanese American Next Generation) was created with the explicit goal of organizing a formal program for young Taiwanese Americans attending TACEC. Our counselors, program directors, executive director, and board of directors are all former campers (some of whom are now parents of campers in our Juniors Program!) volunteering in order to ensure this community continues to enrich the lives of each generation. In the decade-plus that TANG has existed, camp/conferences have been organized in partnership with TACEC and independently in 2008 and 2011 at Villanova University and the University of Scranton.