Taiwan's civil society plays a crucial role in the nation's democratization and normalization processes. However, street protests and non-institutional advocacy efforts are often overlooked. Indeed, democratic progress cannot solely be attributed to electoral systems and institutional reforms. It's essential to recognize the long-standing contributions of advocacy groups in exerting pressure from outside the system and providing policy directions. These active grassroots advocacies ensure that many public issues enter civilian and official discourse, forming narratives that drive systemic reforms. Furthermore, Taiwan sets an example in the Asia-Pacific region concerning human rights and sustainable policy advocacy. It has long been a focal point in geopolitics, particularly in the context of US-China relations, attracting attention from global issue advocates.

Therefore, the Taiwan Rebels Culture Movement has established the website Taiwan Civil Society Map (TCSM) in an attempt to introduce Taiwan's civil society through organization profiles and accounts of social movements. We have compiled advocacy organizations and related social movement events in six major thematic areas, including “human rights and democracy reinforcement”, “gender equality”, “labor rights and economic security”, “environment and sustainability”, “nationality and sovereignty”, and “international joint action”. The organization profiles will feature the key advocacy work of each organization and explain the importance of these issues. Meanwhile, the section on social movement accounts will delve into the background and subsequent impacts of these events, elucidating how grassroots movements shape history.

Our vision is to become the gateway to Taiwan's civil society, filling the current gap in the online space for a comprehensive, trustworthy, and user-friendly database. This website will serve as a valuable platform for international issue advocates, facilitating further cooperation among civil society organizations worldwide and enhancing Taiwan's visibility in international relations.

The content of this website is sourced from various civil society organizations related to the issues, which includes but is not limited to on-site visits. Through the perspective of Taiwan Rebels, we introduce and report on the current work and history of advocacy groups. For the timeline of Taiwan's social movements, we invite contributions from scholars, experts, or writers with advocacy backgrounds. Starting from the substantial initiation of civic society energy in Taiwan in the 1990s, this section reflects on the interactions between civil movements, government responses, and political events, allowing users to gain a deeper understanding of Taiwan's social transformation history. Additionally, we plan to provide a feature for the current social movement calendar, previewing upcoming issue-related events or rallies, to increase public participation in civil society and promote global understanding of Taiwan's current situation.

The Taiwan Rebels Culture Movement (hereafter referred as Taiwan Rebels) was established in March 2021. The core members of Taiwan Rebels are experienced NGO professionals, who are also the shareholders in an independent bookstore Touat Books. Touat Books, founded in 2016, is a social movement-themed bookstore, which supports activism and seeks to foster the Taiwanese NGO community through reading and critical thinking. Our mission is to deepen Taiwan’s democracy, empower civil society organizations, and establish a progressive and inclusive open society in Taiwan. We aim to support and empower NGO workers in their careers through capacity-building courses, experience sharing, consensus building, and peer learning. Our vision is to develop Taiwan Rebels as a collaborative platform and resource center to support the sustainable development of advocacy organizations.