Have you heard of Onr-Forty? They flip the established impression of nonprofits in innovative ways! This time, we invited founder Chen Kaixiang to talk about his journey of crossing his comfort zone, how did he gain a sense of achievement in the process of leading the team? When encountering negative voices, how he adjusts his thinking and energy, after reading the interview, I believe you can also gain a lot from Kaixiang.
The phoenix blossoms, and the graduates happily throw away their bachelor's hats, untie the burdens and shackles of their coursework, roll up their sleeves, and prepare for social trials.
Ten years ago, few people talked about the NGO industry, he was curious about "non-profit organizations", did not passively wait for external resources, he was determined to fly out of Taiwan and start a one-year gap year!
Entrepreneurship is not only the pursuit of love, professionalism can make dreams go further
The Philippine city where Kaixiang chose to settle is Bacolod, which is known as the "City of Smiles" because of the optimism of the locals.
Bakoro's bus frequency is not much, rarely see sightseeing indicators, in a foreign land, he received a local full of friendliness, felt warm in the heart, the locals not only taught him dialects, shared religious beliefs, when he wanted to go to the market to buy vegetables, even drew maps for him to guide, again and again warm hospitality, let him feel accepted and become a part of it.
When they talk about Taiwan, the eyes of the locals always shine a light, whether it is sharing relatives working in Taiwan, or longing to come to Taiwan one day to realize their dreams, Kaixiang saw the connection between the Philippines and Taiwan, and his heart rose with a touch.
Photo | Courtesy of One-Forty
He has been inspired by his overseas experience, not only immersing himself in the local culture, but also actively visiting local NGOs, some focusing on topics, others designing services, and data experts focusing on tracking results and customer management. He understood that making a nonprofit a nonprofit required everyone to do their job.
Kaixiang found that he wanted to create a presence that could truly make a difference in society.
To do meaningful things, it will take professional support, not just to do things well, but to do things better!
Back in Taiwan, Kaixiang did not rush to start a business, but devoted himself to consulting companies to learn and accumulate practical experience, so that he could firmly walk on the road to his ideal life.
I asked, what was the key to really getting him started?
He said that he was very curious about the life of migrant workers in Taiwan, and used his vacation to visit one by one, and received sincere feedback from them.
During the journey, everyone is so difficult, they hold the joy of watching the world, the process of realizing their dreams, not only for themselves, there may be another person behind them, there may be children, families, these have become their beliefs to continue to move forward.
Kaixiang listened to their stories, his heart was extremely moved, compared with the media reporting atmosphere and social stereotypes in those years, full of negative labels on migrant workers, he felt that there was a great gap between the two, and he was deeply shocked.
Faced with the life stories from migrant workers, his heart gradually grew a sense of obligation, and he was grateful that he was lucky, it was these stories that made him decide to create a field of "change", and One-forty began to sprout in his heart.
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Photo | Courtesy of One-Forty
Thinking as a team is an achievement, inviting partners to see the "change done"
Founded One-Forty, hoping to redefine the public's imagination of non-profit organizations (NGOs), start from "brand", flip the past form of non-profit organizations, observe and listen to people first, and translate the issue of migrant workers into curation, empowerment system, and influence.
As the founder, Kaixiang's role has also slowly changed, listening to everyone's stories from the front line, and as the organization expands, he must start thinking about how to make the brand more scalable. He hopes that One-Forty will not be independent of the small field outside the government enterprise, and will develop into a larger structure to give power and change.
One-Forty has been walking for eight years since 2015, and in eight years the organization has come and gone, and I asked him if he would be sad about the departure of his partner?
He shook his head and said no, but gave more blessings, each partner came to One-Forty to develop skills, and everyone arrived with their own experiences to where they wanted to go, it could be businesses, consumer industries, schools, public departments. These links are a kind of breaking framework, and everyone in different places is thinking about how to make the world a better place.
Kaixiang mentioned that the most rewarding process of leading a team is when you think with your partners. Non-profit organizations, need to think deeply about core values, One-Forty is not profit-oriented, but also has a certain social value, through fundraising, but need to use money to solve the difficulties and needs of "people".
Photo | Courtesy of One-Forty
Many things are not answered correctly, and it is important to have a belief and a measure in your heart
Sitting down with partners for in-depth communication and discussion, they talked about "What is discrimination against migrant workers?" What is a consumer migrant worker? So to what extent do you have to go so as not to consume migrant workers? ⋯⋯」
In the process of debating, the team is not only about the definition, sometimes on the way forward, there will be times when growth is not visible, Kaixiang has not been discouraged, but encourages partners to see the "changes that have been done", promote the issue, not overnight can see the results, it is inevitable to receive different feedback.
What One-Forty needs to do is not to convince those who oppose, but to let those who have not yet understood it, so that they can be willing to stand up and give action through One-Fotry's sharing.
He knows that everyone defines vulnerable groups differently, but through speculation, you can see that partners are willing to give more affirmation, and when the team can break away from the position, build consensus, and work together internally, there is a chance to do more and go further.
Let labor become potential, and migrant workers can also become tourism ambassadors
In 2022, the 30th anniversary of the introduction of migrant workers in Taiwan, the demand for long-term care is increasing in the face of the arrival of an aging society.
Whether it is media innuendo, stereotypes, we can feel the negative interpretation of migrant workers, we actually do not have much opportunity to understand the facts, when people think that the introduction of migrant workers, will only increase the crime rate, but looking at the data provided by the government, the actual crime rate is lower, when it comes to migrant workers, it fills the demand for long-term care, catering, and labor shortages.
Kaixiang appealed that we really need more opportunities to understand the facts, even if it can't immediately reverse the negative perception of the public, but after 30 years, it is now rare to hear the title of "foreign bride, bought", Kaixiang smiled optimistically and said: "I think it's good, at least we still have room for improvement!"
Over the years, One-Forty has created a perfect training system, and will also advocate integration into enterprises, close the distance between enterprises and non-profit organizations, encourage enterprises to recruit talents, and provide a more perfect workplace environment and system. In addition, they have also made migrant work topics into a friendly teaching download package, which has now been downloaded by as many as 1,200 teachers.
Kaixiang believes that when they spread friendliness, they have the opportunity to create a better environment for migrant workers!
If one day, when migrant workers return to their own countries, they are willing to take the initiative to share the good of Taiwan, this is no longer to create an image for tourism, but to truly "people-oriented" and let them gain a sense of belonging in Taiwan, Kaixiang said very excitedly, "Every migrant worker is actually Taiwan's tourism ambassador!"
Photo | Courtesy of One-Forty
One-Forty Next: Keep moving forward and leave your faith to the next person
During the interview, as a listener, I really felt that Kaixiang is a patient and very willing to listen to the host, and I feel full of stability and trustworthiness, and I believe that many promoters of social issues are the same as Kaixiang, want to give more strength to the society, that is a spirit, a sense of steadiness that we stand on the same track and move forward together.
Kaixiang honestly said that there are only 24 hours a day, limited time, and limited things to do, but what he wants to leave to future generations is not "himself" itself, he believes that what One-Forty wants to inherit is culture, even without him, he can leave the spirit of change behind!
Finally, I curiously asked him, where is One-Forty's next step?
Kaixiang secretly revealed that the team has begun to plan to translate the life of migrant workers in Taiwan in different ways, where will migrant workers go after work? They actually also go sightseeing and connect with us locally, and he wants to talk about people who are connected with migrant workers in another form, how to use their perspective to show everyone the different faces of immigrants in Taiwan, and he said sincerely: "Stay tuned!"
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