【Nantou Youth: The Midas Touch 2.0】
Project: Tactile Hearts & Inner Voices: Social Emotional Learning (SEL) x Leather Craftsmanship
Proposer: Tseng Yung-chih (Head of Ms. Smer World Studio)
"Between the stitches, slowly learning to feel emotions and understand oneself." Using handcrafted leatherwork as a medium, this project integrates Social Emotional Learning (SEL)—a high-priority field in modern education—to develop a curriculum model that blends emotional education with hands-on experience. Through the process of stitching, touching, and focusing, we guide children in practicing emotional awareness, patience, and positive social interaction. We aim to move emotional learning beyond words, making it something tangible that can be "crafted and felt."
🛠️ Why Leather Craftsmanship?
Handmade leatherwork is often seen as a high-threshold, time-consuming, and expensive craft. However, its slow pace and the requirement for absolute focus and patience make it an ideal tool for emotional regulation. As children complete their works step-by-step, they not only gain a sense of achievement and confidence but also learn to appreciate the different rhythms of themselves and others.
❤️ The Proposer’s Original Intent
Tseng Yung-chih is both a leather artisan and a professional Social Worker. She has long served elementary and junior high school students in Nantou, accompanying children through emotional distress, interpersonal conflicts, self-harm, and high-risk behaviors.
In her field practice, she realized that many children lack repeatable methods for emotional regulation that provide a sense of stability. In her own high-pressure work life, leather crafting became her vital outlet for self-dialogue and regaining balance. This led her to wonder:
"Can we give children a similar way to anchor their emotions?"
"Tactile Hearts & Inner Voices" —
Using craftsmanship as an entry point, children can slowly "stitch back" their inner stability and strength. While completing their leather pieces, they learn to understand their emotions, love themselves, and interact more gently with others.
This project aspires to: * Create a gentle path in Nantou’s educational landscape that combines craft, emotional education, and companionship.
Ensure that emotional learning becomes a life-long skill that children carry with them forever.
