Taipei July 26 (CNA) The Taichung City government is recruiting 20,000 volunteers for the 2018 Taichung World Flora Exposition to help visitors to the event, which will run for almost six months.
Prospective volunteers must be at least 16 years old and those with volunteer experience will be given priority. Once selected, each volunteer will be required to serve at least 60 hours at the expo, which will run from Nov. 3, 2018 to April 24, 2019.
Applications are divided into team and individual categories. A team must have a minimum of 10 members, with applications accepted from July 17 to Sept. 30. Individual applicants can apply via a website set up by the Taichung City government starting from Oct. 1.
People who speak English, Japanese, Korean or other languages are also welcome to apply. International students who study in the central Taiwan city will also be enlisted by the local government, said Lue Jen-der, director of the Taichung Social Affairs Bureau.
Lue did not say how many foreign language speakers will be needed, or how people who do not read Chinese can apply.
Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung said earlier that "the most beautiful scene" of the upcoming flora expo are the volunteers, adding that they will also become an important human resource after the event, to help with major activities in the future. He said that in addition, the local government will set up a database on the volunteers.
Chen Chung-liang, deputy director of the Taichung Social Affairs Bureau, said there will be nine service categories -- transportation, ticketing, offering directions, health care, explaining the exhibits, environmental protection, tour guide, customer service and security.
The transportation category currently is in most need of volunteers.
