Gamanians are born with challenge in their blood. In the past, they challenged the market and kicked off the online gaming trend; now, they are challenging the future and evolving into a flagship Internet company to bring people a better life. Gamania started out as a small workshop but grew to its present form because it dared to dream and dared to challenge. Now that Gamania is all grown-up, it wants to convey that energy to other dreamers like us. That’s why we launched the Gamania Cheer Up Foundation targeted at young people. We talk about dreams, encourage challenges and water the seedlings of tomorrow so that they will have the power to change the society of the future.
Finding the Courage to Challenge Dreams at Summer School
Every year, the Foundation hosts the Summer School combining adventure education and two-way charity. Through teamwork, the students conquer the challenges before them and find the courage to realize their dreams! Adventure education during the training period includes outdoor training camp, mountain climbing, river trekking, and kayaking. The highlight is the high-rope challenge. Trainees must climb up a 5-storey high wooden pile, shout out their dream at the top, conquer the fear within then jump forward to grab the bar symbolizing their dream. This is intended as a show of their determination to pursue their dream.
▲Comrades supporting each other during the demanding river trekking challenge.
▲At the top of a 5-storey wooden pile, you must jump forward with all your might to stand a chance of grabbing the bar symbolizing your dream.
Summer School is designed for “two-way charity”. It encourages students to channel the positive spirits of embracing challenges and pursuing their dreams into giving back to society. The Foundation assigns different charity missions to each trainee such as going to a remote rural school and conveying the spirit from the camp to the children; they also traveled to Heping Village in Hualien’s Sioulin Township to help with the post-typhoon reconstruction. During their charity service, the trainees experienced the trials and happiness of helping other people fulfilling their dreams. This enabled them to think about how they can fulfill their own dreams and how much they should contribute to society.
Challenging the Limits – The Grand Dream Project
When the Foundation was started in 2008, Albert, the chairman of Gamania, set the best possible example for “challenge”. He formed a dream team with ultra-marathon athletes Kevin Lin and Tommy Chen for the “Polar Challenge”. This challenge was an endurance race covering 650 km over 21 days. The competitors had to withstand average temperatures of minus 40 degrees below zero as well as dangers such as blizzards, hypothermia, dehydration and polar bear attacks. Nature threw challenges, one after another, at the dream team, but they faced it head-on and supported each other. In the end, they were one of the three teams out of the starting nine to complete the challenge. They were accompanied by Yang Li-chou, the documentary producer who filmed this insane journey by the dream team. This meant more people could see this adventure and its message of get up, face yourself and challenge your dreams.
▲Group photo of the dream team after successfully conquering the “Polar Challenge” in 21 days.
After the benchmark for toughness set by the “Polar Challenge”, the Foundation continued to recruit young people for various extreme challenges at different times. This included the 2011 “Courage” unpowered sailing yacht, the 2012 “Round-Island Bicycle Tour” and the 2014 “Grand Dream Project: Leaving the Surface” where Gamania partnered with Taiwan’s first private flying school and sponsored five youths with the dream of flying to acquire their private pilot license. A series of Grand Dream projects conveyed the ideal that if you have the courage to take the challenge then you can make even the grandest dreams come true.
▲In 2011, Foundation members on the “Gama Courage” sailed from Hong Kong to Taiwan in an unpowered sailing yacht.
▲The members of the 2012 “Round-Island Bicycle Tour” powering towards the finish line.
▲Lucky trainees chosen for the “Grand Dream Project: Leaving the Surface” jumping into the4 air in excitement before their maiden flight.
Conveying the spirit of challenging your dreams through stories
Every trainee’s tale of pursuing their dreams may plant the seed for challenging their dreams in the hearts of another person. The Foundation hosted a series of gatherings such as the “Dream Together Weekend Picnic”, “Summer Dream Chaser Exhibition” and the “2015 TED x Youth @ Taipei” event in partnership with TED. Countless stories of people daring to chase their dreams and the spirit of facing the challenges head-on inspired tens of thousands of people in the audience through photos, documentaries and speeches. In the future, Gamania plans to launch a DRM platform where people can share and exchange their insights from chasing their dreams. This will encourage more people to find the courage to leave their comfort zone so they will dare to challenge and boldly pursue their dreams!
▲Trainees at the “Summer School” results conference sharing their journey on finding the courage to challenge their dreams.
▲The Foundation and TED co-hosted “2015 TED x Youth @ Taipei”. The audience was moved by each speaker’s exciting story on challenging and pursuing their dreams.
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