Project C: Dunking into English and Basketball Excellence

Celine Shih & Song Kim ('25), Jan. 15, 2024

The Write for Delight club had the honor to interview Project C’s founders, Ian Chiang (‘24) and Brent Hung (‘25) on the details behind their hard work. Project C is a student-led club that teaches English to underprivileged children through basketball. 

The main source behind Ian and Brent’s motivation to start Project C came solely from passion. One noticeable thing they had in common was their passion for basketball. Both founders of the club realized that the best way to project their performance and love towards basketball was to teach younger students the same thing. By teaching both elementary and middle school students, both Ian and Brent learned significant life lessons from the process. They hope to expand their impact through club activities all across Taiwan since some schools don’t provide any resources to learn basketball. 

Project C started small with three club members, Ian, Brent, and Lyon, going to an elementary school in Jiayi to teach basketball. After their first lesson, local foundations at Jiayi wanted to support Project C and reached out to them. Soon, these foundations became sponsors that provided Project C with money to spend on equipment, mainly on high-quality basketball for each kid to bring home. All the money Project C receives from sponsors is invested into the kids and the development of this club. Not only that, these sponsors would also reach out to local news and agencies to expand Project C’s reach. 

The reason Project C could function well was the pertinent collaboration between two main coaches leading the basketball sessions. Brent’s coaching style actively engages students to explore the concept of basketball. Then, he would teach them ways to practice and build fundamental skills until they develop as better individual players. Brent makes sure everyone gets along in the team and builds strong connections. On the other hand, Ian’s coaching focuses on the player’s attitude and mindset. He underscores dedication and a positive attitude toward every basketball practice. Although he thinks enjoying the sports itself is important, behaving well and not joking around should be prioritized. 

The main challenge Project C first faced when starting this club was being a coach. For Ian, emotion control was difficult since communicating with elementary students is different from talking to his high school peers. However, he felt like it was a good opportunity to learn to be more patient. For Brent, it was the language barrier. Since Brent speaks English at school and home, teaching in Chinese was a challenge for him, especially when talking about subjects such as game rules. He also found it hard to bond with kids. Despite these challenges, both Brent and Ian were able to overcome them. 

So far, Project C has collaborated with the Red Cross club by visiting Fa Zhi Elementary to teach the kids basketball. As of now, Project C is interested in working with any clubs that share a similar vision. They are open to collaboration with clubs not only in AST but also with clubs outside of school. 

In addition, one of the significant achievements Project C made was its annual basketball summer camp. Last summer, Project C hosted a basketball camp to guide underrepresented children in learning basketball skills and attitudes. The total number of participants reached more than 100 students. Beyond that, Project C has a goal of hosting another summer camp in 2024. They hope to get new sponsorship from profit companies so that the club can constantly make improvements and expand on a larger scale. 

Project C is currently open to sponsors, so please reach out to Brent if interested!