The special feature on teacher training committee members shifted from Pingtung, in the south of the country, last week, to Hualien on the east coast of the Pacific Ocean. Following the devastating Mataian landslide dam overflow in September, in addition to the urgent need to rebuild homes, the anxieties of school children also require meticulous care. Professor Hsu Hsiu-Chu of National Dong Hwa University launched an initiative, "Sustainable Education to Help Students Return to School: Turning Waste into Art," a movement that transforms waste materials into art, from creation to healing, making art the warmest companion for school children.

[Dong Hwa University and Xifu Elementary School jointly create interdisciplinary aesthetic education in the post-disaster era, using art to heal children's hearts after the disaster and allowing SDGs aesthetic education to take root in the land]

Following the 0923 landslide dam overflow disaster at Xifu Elementary School in Guangfu Township, Hualien City, the school faced the challenge of rebuilding the students' emotional well-being. In October, I personally visited Xifu Elementary School to promote a cross-disciplinary aesthetic education initiative centered on "SDGs: Turning Waste into Art." This project not only transformed serious environmental issues into creative and emotionally resonant art lessons but also used art as a healing force, accompanying children to rediscover hope and gratitude through creation.

Xifu Elementary School has only 31 students, 16 of whom come from families in the disaster-stricken area. Some families suffered severe damage in the floods; some homes had their first floors submerged, some family members broke through roofs to climb out, and some children even waited for rescue during the floods. After experiencing fear and anxiety, the children, guided by the curriculum, rediscovered value in waste materials, giving them new life and meaning. Through artistic creation, they became aware of their feelings and responded to them, expressing gratitude through their artwork: gratitude to the "shovel heroes" and kind-hearted people who lent a helping hand after the disaster, gratitude to the excavators and reconstruction teams for their efforts, and gratitude for the resilience and rebirth of life itself.

This educational program is divided into four phases, implementing UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 11 "Sustainable Cities and Communities", 12 "Responsible Consumption and Production", and 13 "Climate Action":

Phase 1 (October 15): Conduct lectures and guidance with the teacher team of grades 1 to 6 of Xifu Elementary School on "Integrating SEL and SDGs Issues into STEAM Cross-Disciplinary Aesthetic Teaching", and establish the core concept of sustainable education of social-emotional learning SEL and SDGs.

Phase Two (October 20th and 27th): Establish a teaching community for teachers to prepare online courses together every week, and assist teachers of different grades in how to use waste materials to deeply integrate environmental education, artistic creation and local culture in their courses.

Phase 3 (October 31): Leading six students from National Dong Hwa University (including faculty members) and teachers and students from Xifu Elementary School to carry out a "Turning Waste into Art" hands-on course. Students collected waste materials from their homes, school, and after the Guangfu disaster and transformed them into creative art works, practicing the sustainable spirit of "turning waste into treasure, turning waste into art, and turning waste into heart" for co-creation and mutual benefit.

Phase Four (November 5th): A presentation and exhibition of the students' work was held, where they expressed their feelings and conveyed their blessings for themselves, for Guangfu, and for Hualien. The school invited the principal, the director, and environmental artists to serve as judges and commentators, witnessing the students' growth and transformation.

Thank you to the school for its support and to the teachers and students for their enthusiastic collaboration. Principal Liu Fengying of Xifu Elementary School stated, "This course allowed us to witness the children's creativity and resilience. Through art, they rediscovered smiles and allowed the seeds of sustainable education to sprout and flourish on campus." Art is not just creation, but also a healing and connecting force. When children transform waste into art, giving new life to discarded materials, they see the beauty and hope of rebirth and practice the true meaning of sustainability in their creations.