American non-profit organization dedicated to preservation of indigenous culture establishes contact, relationships in Taiwan.

Representatives of ATAYAL, Inc., a Florida organization, completed a mission to Taiwan in February with the objective of establishing contacts and building relationships with key government officials and organization leaders. "Until now, our organization had been growing its networks and foundation in the United States. This trip was a critical first step in building a network of support in Taiwan and to reach out to the people that will benefit the most from our efforts," stated Tony Coolidge, Executive Director of ATAYAL, Inc.

March 5, 2003 -- Winter Springs, FL -- Representatives of ATAYAL, Inc., a Florida organization, completed a mission to Taiwan in February with the objective of establishing contacts and building relationships with key government officials and organization leaders.

"Until now, our organization had been growing its networks and foundation in the United States. This trip was a critical first step in building a network of support in Taiwan and to reach out to the people that will benefit the most from our efforts," stated Tony Coolidge, Executive Director of ATAYAL, Inc.

The visiting representatives from ATAYAL included executive director Tony Coolidge, director of communications Shu-min Coolidge, board member and retired Florida legislator Marvin Couch, and photographer Nancy Couch. The group was joined by the staff of MeGa Productions of Canada, which includes producer Wendy Kang, director Eric Huang, and writer River Ko. ATAYAL and MeGa Productions are partners in upcoming documentary projects on Taiwanese indigenous culture that will become educational tools for the organization.

Some of the key appointments were with Dr. Jwomin Chen, chairman of the Taiwan Provincial Endowment of Culture, Minister Tchen Yu-Chiou of the Council for Cultural Affairs, Dr. Fu-Mei Chang, Minister of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission, Ching Swen, Executive Vice President of the Taiwanese Public Television Service Foundation, and representatives from the Council for Indigenous Peoples, Executive Yuan.

The ATAYAL organization carried out preliminary research for its upcoming documentary films, scouting locations and meeting indigenous peoples. The trip included a tour of the Taroko National Park. One can see a photo-journal of this trip on the company web site http://www.atayal.org. Since returning from the trip, ATAYAL staff has worked tirelessly to send proposals and provide project details to generate written commitments of support.

ATAYAL, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) organization in Winter Springs, Florida established in 2001 to provide an international "voice" for the indigenous tribes of Taiwan. There are serious and substantial concerns about the survival of the Taiwanese indigenous culture. The indigenous tribes of Taiwan have existed for 5,000 years and today are comprised of approximately 400,000 people (2% of the country's population) and consist of eleven recognized tribes. The organization is addressing these concerns by promoting cultural diversity through its educational efforts in the United States and internationally. ATAYAL is committed to preserving the arts and culture of indigenous tribes and seeks community support to make its vision a reality.

Please visit http://www.atayal.org for more information about our mission or contact:

Tony Coolidge
Executive Director, ATAYAL, Inc.
Phone: (321) 231-5857
Fax: (509) 696-1936
E-mail: mail@atayal.org