A program to help reform the youths, getting them involved in music, because children who take up music never goes bad!!! From the Newspapers, translated…
“We’d endured through the common bond of despair.” The Major Change Band started by the youths of Taoyuan Youth Home had gotten the adolescents who took the wrong turns in their lives to be in it, with the help of music, they were able, to map out a brighter future for themselves, they’d sung their six songs written by the members of the band, the lyrics to their theme song, “Point of Change”, was the stories of their separate lives.
“Maybe nobody saw anything good in us, but I know, that my existence is meaningful; perhaps, we’d hit rock bottom, but I know, that after the fall, I’ll, climb back up again. Don’t give up so easily, the beautiful future awaits. After the rain, the sun will, eventually shine again, after you hurt, you will, eventually heal, you must learn to get back up after you tripped and fell, spread your wings, soar, into the skies.”
The Taoyuan Youths Home with the PX Mart’s Dreams Foundation signed with the witnesses of the mayor of the city, Cheng, along with many others, and from before, the “Major Change Band” toured across the jails, the school campuses, as well as in the night markets too, and from here on out, it’d become, “May Day Nonprofit”, turning the youths lives around.
Five of the performers on stage, along with thirteen other behind-the-scenes crews, were all youths who went down the wrong paths, who’d supported one another, who’d practiced, and were called, “second mates”. As they’d joined in the band, they’d carried the belief of just having something to do to pass the time, but, with the encouragements, the hard work of the members, it’d made them cherished every chance, every opportunity they have, and slowly, they were able to, twist their former ways of life back to the right paths, and now, they have a CD, it’d affirmed them that they’re on this correct path, making their music.
“The memories of the past, other than despair, it’s just, more despair”. The band leader, Sheng-Kai and his younger brother of one year, Sheng-Hou had been physically abused by their stepmother’s own son, and were often forced to wrestle, and were beaten by their stepbrother with an ironclad post to hospitalization, forced to drink urine, the brothers started running away from home and became truant, Sheng-Hou had been released and entered back into the juvenile detention halls three times, and he’s now, the lead singer of this band.
Recalling how back when they ran away from home, they were only in kindergarten, the two of them told, in order to keep their stomachs full, they’d started shoplifting, and from stealing, they’d advanced into robbery, “I was only twelve, I can’t even imagine, nor would I want to, return to that place called home again.” The moment of despair came when their father told the judge, “I can’t teach them anymore, place them under someone else’s care, maybe they’ll listen better!”, Sheng-Hou said, back then, he’d gotten a first taste of what “dying on the inside” felt like.
The other lead singer, Tai-Lien’s mother died early, he’d missed his mom since he was growing up, at age thirteen, he got into a fight because someone insulted his mom, and started going in and out of juvenile detention since, started stealing too, until he became a part of this band, did he see that his life can be different.
The guitarist, Ying-Lun’s father died when he was only two, at nine, his mother had a boyfriend, and, since his days became really hard, “Mom would work late, and he’d hit me, and forced me to kneel by the door, to call my mom to get her home, and I wasn’t able to stand back up until my mom returned. “I once thought, that I had no purpose, living here, because I saw no future for me.”
Ying-Lun sighed about how as they got older, they’d wanted to walk on the right paths of life, because nobody set up the goals of being bad, but the environment had, pressured them, into going down the wrong paths, “I hope our stories can help others who are going through the difficulties in their lives as well.”
So, these young men now understood, that what they did when they were younger, was wrong, and through music, they were able to find a common goal to work towards, and, that helped them stay on track, and that is exactly the kind of program of reform we need to see more of, instead of just sticking these younger generations of children into juvenile detention hall until they’re eighteen, and release them back into the world. These kids need constructive activities, such as band or some other hobbies that can help them occupy their time, and hopefully, becoming a skill they can live off of after they are released.