Environmental protection volunteers listen attentively to the lecture

“Gathering of Heroes” Online Event Level One Challenge

　Epidemic prevention cannot stop, and people need to keep learning! This year's Environmental Protection Volunteer “Gathering of Heroes” was changed to an online competitive game, which allowed volunteers to learn about environmental protection knowledge at home, regardless of time or geographical restrictions. In order to assist elderly environmental protection volunteers in using their mobile phones to participate in the competition, the Nantou County Environmental Protection Bureau organized 12 teaching demonstrations, teaching volunteers how to use their computers and mobile phones to search for online learning resources about environmental protection. The elderly individuals also learned hands-on how to use functions like Line and Google Meet, and practiced leveling up in the game, letting them learn about environmental protection while playing a game on their mobile phones.

　The Environmental Protection Volunteer “Gathering of Heroes” is an important annual event that encourages participants to compete using creativity, physical strength, intelligence, and teamwork to build cohesion and enhance their sense of belonging as volunteers. This year is the first in which an online competitive game was introduced, where participants could game and have a chance to win prizes. The participating volunteers exhibited plenty of enthusiasm and were eager to learn, as they focused intently on the screens of their mobile phones, competing for points and best times. Both their hands and their brains were hard at work during this educational entertainment, having fun while learning more about environmental protection, and encouraging them to put environmental protection into action offline.

　The competitive game was divided into two levels. Level One had two challenges: the first challenge tests volunteers’ knowledge of environmental education sites in Taiwan, and the second challenge integrates the Eight Areas of Environmental Education into the game, with bonus points from tic-tac-toe opening up point gaps. Each challenge had a time limit of 4 minutes; 10 points were added for each correct answer, and 5 points were deducted for each incorrect answer. There is no negative score or maximum score limit; after 3 challenge attempts, the best score is recorded, accounting for 85% of the total score. Level Two accounts for 15% of the total score; it requires participants to upload photos and reports on participating in environmental protection operations, which are then rated by popular vote. The top five players from Nantou County each received NTD $3,000 President Chain Store gift vouchers, and all of the volunteers that participated in the competition got lottery tickets. The event itself ended on November 18th, and the general vote lasted from November 19th till December 2nd.

　Director Lee Yi-Shu of the Nantou County Environmental Protection Bureau stated that even though this Environmental Protection Volunteer Gathering of Heroes was unlike previous in-person events, it still aroused enthusiastic responses from the volunteers, and he hopes that this can be an opportunity to increase the volunteers’ motivation to learn online, enhance their abilities to use the Internet, accelerate sharing of environmental protection knowledge, have more people protect the environment by making changes to their own lives, and create a better life that is benefits ourselves and the environment.