2012년 9월 27일 목요일

The world of Justice and Peace accomplished by YWCA members


Korea YWCA 90th anniversary of National Members Meeting


Seoul YWCA took part in the Korea YWCA national members meeting with 505 directors and members to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding on 18th Aug. This meeting held at the SK Olympic Handball Arena was the event for YWCA members who have taken a leading role in the development of justice, peace and life-saving in Korean society while sharing the YWCA vision and dreaming new world. In the awards ceremony on that day, 34 members of Seoul YWCA received awards for public welfare work and 11 members received awards for perfect attendance. Also, in the area of care service, 3 members received awards for care service and 19 members for sharing.

Vision statement of Korea YWCA for the next 100 years
 
blue: We will always renew our mind to shape young YWCA and society in the changes and challenges (Romans 12:2). We will change the current education system of infinite competition into the new system of respect and cooperation. We will further spur to develop youth leadership to serve in the community and global level.
Spring: We will do our best to practice disciplined lifestyle to prevent nuclear weapons and global warming. We will do our best to ensure life-saving care to accomplish resources cyclical ecological life in the communities.
 

Woman: We will continue to develop women leadership of care, acceptance and coexistence while creating a cooperative community in which care work is recognized socially, as well as taking care of women, children, poor people in North Korea and in the world.
 
Anthem: By supporting and encouraging each other, we will lead to a multi-cultural society in which real communication and meeting takes place in the 21st century among different people as we tear down the walls of social exclusion and conflict.


 

Asian Women Turning Despair into Hope by Solidarity


The sixth Project for Asian Women's Rights


With the sponsorship of Sungjoo Foundation, Seoul YWCA organized the 6th Women Human Rights Project from July 9 to 18 ; 8 participants composed of college students, ordinary citizen, and employees in Sung-joo Group, visited human-right sites located in Thailand along with Myanmar which is now drawing a global attention as Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi recently won the presidential election.

Meeting with Human Rights Activists for Women in Thailand and Myanmar
In spite of situational limits and restrictions in Thailand, meeting with the human right activists for women and refugees was the chance of overwhelming motivation for the participants. We visited YWCA, Thailand, ASPW, WEAVE and YWCA MYanmar. YWCA Thailand is preparing for the 2015 World YWCA Meeting, ASPW(Association for Status and Promotion of Women), ASPW is the organization of supporting single mothers and female victims of human trafficking, WEAVE(Women's Education for Advancement and Empowerment) is an NGO for Burman refugee, and Myanmar YWCA is working on projects for the improvement of Myanmar women's‘ leadership skills and capabilities.
 
Meetings Beyond Race, Culture, and Language, Quesions and Answers on human rights
What is the human rights? How to protect the human rights? These are the questions in mind of participants throughout the trip. We met released young prisoners in the shelter in Bangkok dreaming of new future with the help of religious belief. We also met girl students in the refugee camps in Mae Hong Son, Thailand. They are in preparation for the future even in the confined situation. These meetings gave us a chance of reflection on human rights ; that human rights make it possible for those in trouble to dream of hopeful future under any circumstances, and that procecting the human rights is the common task of all people aroung the world.
What is the compete solution to the human rights? Is it possible? These kind of questions might be the starting point of sharing human rights in question and practicing them.


 
To practice helping others by working
Thailand and Myanmar YWCAs provided us with a chance to practice sharing. We visited Saimai area in Thailand submerged by last year's immense flood to paint exterior walls damaged by the water. At the beginning, the participants worried a lot as they have never done this sort of work before. However, in the end, they successfully finished their painting work praying for the happiness of each family. We also joined home care projects for senior citizens in the areas of poverty operated by Myanmar YWCA as we delivered food package to each old man/woman's house. It was a very small aid like a breeze, but we felt that the beginning of human rights activities is to practice small things to help others. A poet said, "While feeling insurmountable wall there, we can cross it hand in hand like the ivy." Throughout this journey, participants learned that we could go beyond despair into hope with our solidarity in relation with the issues of human rights. We can imagine a vivid picture of participants to practice human rights activities in the future hand in hand like the ivy, . It will be a long way to go, but as long as our companions are together there, we will have a little comfort.
 

2012년 8월 29일 수요일

Seoul YWCA News in July & August


Y-Teen in Northern Area, Membership Gathering
June 9
Youth program department carried out a campaign for school violence eradication at the Sangam World Cup park. More than 90 youth from Seoul, Suwon, Seongnam, Ansan, Anyang, Uijeongbu, Chuncheon participated in the campaign for the eradication of school violence by walking campaign and creating UCC. Even it was hot weather, they spent a rewarding time.
 
 
The 3rd Regional Harmony Festival in Bongcheon
June 9
Bongcheon social welfare center held '3rd Regional Harmony Festival' for encouraging communication between local residents. This festival is prepared by 23 local reconciliation committees and Bongcheon social welfare center, 3,000 residents participated. Beginning with the harmony of Folk percussion of Bongwon middle school, the event made people have time to get together. Local organizations seld foods and second hand goods, Some revenue from that was donated to help needy neighbor.
 
 
Seongdong Experience Program for Growing Patriotism
June 2
Seongdong Youth Center conducted patriotism experience program of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. It's called 'wurusa', it means 'the modern history that we go around and see again'. Participants listened to an overall flow of modern history from EBS instructor, choe-taeseong, with Q&A session, had a time to reconsider about the importance of patriotism.
 
 
Women Resources Development Department's Family Therapy Counseling Training
June 8 to 29
Women Resources Development Department conducted a Family Therapy Counseling Training 'Long and short trip to find a family', mainly with psychodrama. 31 people attended and practiced various family therapy like empty chair technique, making family fragmentation, understanding malfunctioned family characteristics, role play, anger management and so on. Participants learned about others and themselves in psychodrama and had the opportunity to reach out to the true nature of themselves.
 
 
Open the Multicultural Instructor Training Course in Youngdeongpo
June 13
Youngdeongpo Women Resources Development Center opened multicultural instructor training course as a part of the ongoing business of supporting employment. This course is projected for providing social participation opportunities to marriage immigrant women, encouraging social combination of multicultural family and marrige immigrant women's empowerment. Participants receive total 45 hours of multicultural education by 16th July, after completion of that, they will serve as a multicultural instructor in their local child center and so on.

 
Youngdeongpo Participated in Job Fair
June 13
Youngdeongpo Women Resources Development Center participated in the 2012 Job Fair and run a booth for 'women-friendly jobs'. They counselled women about employment and education. Subordinately, image making class, 'My color', was held and participants could get information about making appropriate impression on job interview.
 
 
Consumer and Environment Department's Exterior Price Labeling Pilot Project
June 13 to 20
Consumer and Environment Department installed outdoor price labeling signs at Song-pa district as a pilot project of exterior price labeling project from January, 2013. Seoul YWCA visited one by one of 7 kinds of business industries like restaurants, laundries, public baths, accommodations, sports facilities and obtained the consent of owners of items and price. In that process, a total of 223 businesses decided to participate in this pilot project.
 
 
Well-educated Career Break Women's Job Training 
June 14
Nowon Women Resources Development Center conducted a job briefing of 'Course to be a professional in producing 2D digital animation' for well-educated career break women. Kim-Mihee from Animation workshop 'Annie House Sun' and Jung-Hyemin from 'JM Animation' introduced the employment prospects of 2D animation and demonstrated drawing by tablet PC. It could be a good opportunity for re-employment after approximately three months education.
 
Eco-friendly Festival with Family 
June 1
Garak social welfare Center held an eco-friendly backyard festival for local residents. They run various booths as facepainting, making a sandwich, making ​​EM soap, planting trees in the recycle bottle, etc. The festival was a good chance to look back on the importance of nature.



 
Salt Pond Experience As a Rural Activities
June 16
Gangnam Youth Center visited Daebu Island with 35 elementary school students. It was for experiencing salt pond. The children had a great time and learned benefit of salt while making ​​a colored-salt pillar, collecting salt from salt pond.
 

Out of School, Communicate With World!


Seongdong Youth Center, Alternative School For Youth, "Tong(通.)"

In Seongdong-gu, what's the number of youth who quit school? Every year in this area, 179 middle and high school students leave school. Where these young people would go after dropping out of school? For them, Tong, an alternative school for youth was first opened in Seongdong Youth Center.
 
We introduce 'Tong' school
Seoul YWCA youth alternative school is called Tong. The word Tong has two meanings. One is understanding(通) and the other is holding(桶). Thus, Tong means that they will hold world while communicating with it. The school is an alternative one providing emotional and learning support for youth, aged between 16 to 23. The students at Tong want to find their way without giving up study, even if they quitted school. Tong school began in May, and the first class is scheduled by 31th December. The school consists of 6 students, 1 teacher, and 5 volunteer teachers. The number of teens interested in attending the school and wanting to consult their career, is steadily increasing

There is a special thing at Tong school
Tong school offers classes from Monday through Friday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm as other ordinary schools do. But, it focus more on discovering individual student's talent rather than providing regular classes. In addition to classes for GED preparation, the school provides a wide range of support from emotional cultivation to career development such as crafts class, working-out project, career counseling, and volunteer work. Rather than imprison student in the framework set by adult generation, the school are asking students to develop decision-making abilities and to be more responsible through the student council meeting. Sun Young Park, the school's social worker says, "Students felt a sense of accomplishment and confidence as they produce something with patience during craft classes. Recently they felt the enjoyment of direct experience, making wall-clock and food. In the future, the school will add band and drama activities for healthy stress management and career exploration.

Making the color of our own
One of the goals that the school want to achieve is to get rid of the bias that teens have against friends who graduated school. Most students in Tong school have been hurt in relationship with peers and have not received attention from family members at a proper time. However, they have their true colors as the one student is bright and lively, the second quiet, the third positive, the fourth athletic, and the fifth is good at painting. One day, during break time, they went out for a while and came back holding a cat that have roamed around. Some students were very surprised and stepped on a chair to yell, the others played with a cat while taking pictures. These reactions were not different from those of middle or high school students about the same age. Maybe Tong school would be the good model of school community where teens really want to attend as it accepted the warm heart of teens to feed and get along with the cat which they met by accident on the street. The dreams of all students in Tong school are the followings; getting to know themselves and searching the thing that they really do well and truly want to do. In the future, please give a lot of attention and love to the Tong school in which we will make harmony with many friends in the whole range of personality.

 
Please contact Seongdong Youth Center to get a detailed consultation about Tong(an alternative school) and to make application
You can join to support the students attending Tong by donating money.
Bank account for donation Woori Bank 1005-001-193922 Seongdong Youth Center
Contact 2236- 2678~9 l www.sungdongyc.or.kr
 
 

Be the Happy Couple and Make a Happy Fruits!


2012 Life & Love School for Newly-Weds 
 
Newlyweds wearing white t-shirts gathered at auditorium of Seoul YWCA in the Saturday morning. They gathered around according to their group named after flower as daisy, peppermint, lavender...
 
With a big greeting of host, the auditorium is filled with passion of young couples. Seoul YWCA conducted newlyweds' school twice on 23th, 30th of June cooperating with Yuhan Kimberley, Ltd. Totally 106 couples participated. This school is projected to make a healthy family-oriented home even procrastinating marriage and childbirth is spreading in society.
 
One couple who gave a long story by facebook came up to stage. The wife said "I registered this school for my husband. I wanted him to feel the preciousness of life since he seems like he doesn't want to have a baby." This confession made many couples nod their heads. Maybe all of them have their own story inside.
 
As any ordinary school, there are school bell ringing, black board and big watch... It was enough to remind them their old school time. Family&couple counselor Kim-sooki director at Naumi family culture research gave a lecture about 'understanding couple'. She said "We need to think about who I am first to embrace others. All people have their own wound in their process of grown, but the problem starts when they try to be compensated that wound first after getting marriage." And she emphasized we need to get to know about my wound and embrace spouse's one, too.
 
In the afternoon, Kim-younghan, the expert of Sociodrama, director at constellation psychology research conducted a group roll play 'sociodrama'. This helps the couple to understand each other more. It was a great time that they laugh and cry together.
 
One important feature is a participation of social enterprise. One of social enterprise in Seoul, Moonye concert, made a song from book for couples.
 
From three years ago, around 420 couples have experienced Seoul Y newlywed school. By this project, we expect to make healthy family and healthy&happy society.
 
 

Fun Leader Will Be Sure To Succeed


Seoul YWCA Working Women Leadership Training Open Lecture

 
Seoul YWCA's women leadership training with the sponsorship of IBK(the Industrial Bank of Korea) was on progress every Tuesday beginning at 7:00 pm from May 15 to July 10. Due to the nature of our society, working women have the burden of combining work and family responsibilities. They are in difficulty to be leaders in the workplace. Thus, Seoul YWCA prepared the program to provide a foothold for career women. The program will bring up female leaders who work smart.
June 12(Tues), special open lecture by mentors, in which anyone interested in could attend, was held on the topic of 'Fun leader will be sure to succeed‘. Mare than 100 office workers gathered in one place. Their wish and passion to be leaders of being sensible and communicative was well felt. "Ha! ha! ha! Hello ~!" The hall was full of smiles with pleasant laughing of Mr. Kim Jin Bae, Director of Humor Center, who hosted the lecture. By Just looking at him who were all smiles and dressed in yellow top and bottoms, we could get a pleasant mind.
 
Mr Kim asked the question. "Why do you need a sense of humor?" Answers are different. "I want to be happy." "Because it make me healthy." Mr Kim said, "Humor gives relaxed feeling to people and helps to smooth human relationship. Humor comes from the breadth of mind while admitting the variety of human beings. Once you recognize the difference, you can see other people with positive views." He added, "To win the other party's heart, you need humor and conversation skills." Unconditionally saying, 'Yes' or 'Yeah' as the first word of dialogue, the participants practiced being responsive and sympathetic as there was a need for praise and sympathy. In addition, Mr Kim said, "We need power to govern emotions. Healthy emotion makes composure that is the power to make humor." as he gave a lecture on effective communication skills to deal with anger.
 

In the middle of lecture, the participants were paired to do a role playing. The things that we have forgotten are the scenes of bursting into laugh like little children, laughing aloud clapping one's hands, and shaking one's side? A career woman working in Myeongdong said, "Today's lecture was so fun. Come to think of it, when my coworkers made a mistakes, the leader who handled the mistake with humor rather than gave a little embarrassing looked more composed and sophisticated. I want to build up such sensibility." A female, who was quickening her pace to go home where her child was waiting for, was saying, "In this lecture, I've learned how to manage my own emotions. When my negative emotion were released smoothly, I could respect the other party not only in the workplace but at home.
 
 
In this age of sensibility, we hope that career women will grow as competitive leaders who combine both humor and composure, not as superwomen who are always harassed.

2012년 6월 27일 수요일

Seoul YWCA News in June, 2012


PICTURE 1. picture explanation: (front from the left) Hyeri Park Seoul Y coordinator, Rebecca Myanmar Y Chairman, Zin Mar Oo MyanmarY Coordinator, Aye Kywe Myanmar Y Secretary General, (the back) staffs from MyanmarY
 
World Fellowship Department's visit to Myanmar YWCA
May 13th~16th
Staffs of World Fellowship department visited Myanmar YWCA to discuss business concerning the 6th Asian Women Right Project. Myanmar's YWCA was established in 1951 in Yangon, the old capital of Myanmar. It is a leading organization for the development of Myanmar women's ability and the care for a neglected class of people. Aye Kywe, Secretary General of Myanmar YWCA, whose mother also took the same position, has been doing various activities such as protection of child labor force, home care for senior people, and the operation of community education centers and mobile clinics for AIDS patients. Myanmar YWCA dose all the things with international organizations or NGOs without government assistance. As this is the first case for Myanmar YWCA to have a joint project with foreign YWCA, the organization welcomed cooperation and solidarity from Seoul YWCA. In the coming July, as the first onset of the bilateral cooperation, the 6th Asia Women Right Project will begin. Both organization will do volunteer work for senior people and AIDS patients, and support student exchange program for college student in Yangon area.
 
 
Picture 2
Youth Program Department Y teen - college Y ratification ceremony
May 12th
Youth Program Deaprtment held 'the 2012 joint ratification ceremony of Y teen and College Y' with 300 members from both clubs. This is annual event for the members to get approval to join the club and do club activities. Both Y teen and College Y clubs belong to Seoul Y Youth Program Department. In the ceremony, they presented awards and scholarships to students who showed enthusiastic participation to the activities of Seoul YWCA. Teachers, who have well guided Y teen club, was presented with achievement award in gratitude for their service. In the worship, Missionary Sung-In Kim delivered the speech about how to wisely prevent school violence and suicide, teen's biggest worry these days. And everyone had the time to united into one with the praise by gospel group .

Picture 3
GARAK, Making more intimate couple
May 4th, 25th
 
Garak Social Welfare Center held program for making more intimate couple by enhancing communication ability with the participation of 10 newly-wed couples. The program is made up of 12 courses including MBTI couple personality typec test, workshop, communication lecture, and massage & cooking class. It provided time for building up love between husband and wife by making each other know better and get more closer.
 
Picture 4
Yeoungdengpo, Making well-being rice cakes
May 4th~18th
 
Yeoundengpo Women Resources Development Center opened the course 'Making Well-being Rice Cakes'. The course gave lectures through practice of making various types of rice cakes with the use of well-being ingredients available at home to attract active participation. On June, the series of making rice cakes will be on with a different name 'Making Rice Cakes good for a gift'.
 
Picture 5
Seongdong Children Festival
May 5th
Seongdong Youth Center held a festival for children together with the related community institutions in the celebration of Children's Day. In the festival, children had fun with various activities such as 'making a family face' and 'do it yourself family photo frame' using cookies as material in 'Experience Booth'. 8 family teams participated in a singing contest held in the 'Performance Ground'. Air-bounce playground slide was prepared with a variety of foods.
 
Picture 6
Bongcheon: Camp for grandparents and grandchildren in Jeju
May 5th
Bongcheon Social Welfare Center held a 2 night and 3 day camp in Jeju for the families of grandparents and grandsons. 3 families joined the trip to the island including Seongsan Ilchulbong and Seopjikoji. They had a time to understand each other through quiz games and recreation activities for the whole generation. They also enjoyed a nice meal of Jeju black pork and comfortable bedrooms. The camp provided unforgettable happy memory for them.
 
 
Picture 7
Women Resources Development Deaprtment, Member Picnic
May 12th
Women Resources Development Center organized a pleasant picnic with 640 members of home helpers in the 'Rose theme garden' in the Gwacheon Grand Park. Enjoying the beauty of the nature, All participants were mixed up with the members in the same seniority and did eat lunch boxes that they prepared at home. It was a lovely spring day. With pretty sunshine umbrellas given as gifts, they walked around the park and enjoy the sunshine, a gift from nature.
 
 
Picture 8
Nowon: marriage migrant women home art fashion design
May 14th
Nowon Women Resources Development Center started job training programs on home art fashion design with 20 participants of marriage migrant women. During three months, the center offers various training courses such as clothing making, props making, multi-culture dress making, and dress reforming. On the completion of the program, the center will help the trainee to find a job.
 
 
Picture 9
Gang Nam World Culture Festival
May 19th
Gang Nam Youth Center held a 'World Travel in a Day' in the 4th World Culture Festival in the front yard of the center. About 470 teens and people from the community enjoyed different cultures of various countries, getting along with natives from 10 countries.
 
 
Picture 10
Membership Department Coffee Story with YWCA
May 24th~25th
Membership Department offered 'Coffee Story with YWCA' as the 3th class of 'Every School in the World', a talent-giving program by member. Participants learned the birth of coffee and its value as well as the way to choose and store coffee beans while tasting hand-dripped coffee on the spot. 10 members joined the class. They spent a special time making coffee by themselves and learning the origin and meaning of the coffee in the context of history by watching , a Korean film about coffee. 

Environmental campaign startarted in bathroom


By Kim Sun Ai, instructor on environment in Seoul YWCA
 
Shortage of water in India
I like traveling. I am addicted to it . Yes, that's more like it. It has been 10 years that I give lectures on the environment in various places including Seoul Y from spring to winter. When winter comes, I pick up my backpack and take off all of sudden. At the beginning of this year, I have been to India. India is the most populated country in the world. Its surface amounts to 33 times larger than South Korea, the 7th largest country in the world. Its size is immense to the point that I spent a whole month traveling only 9 cities of northern part of the country. Since electricity and water supply are insufficient, electricity is frequently cut without notice in the desert areas. Therefore, ordinary people like you cannot even dream of using hot water, which lead naturally to a problem of cleaning up on the part of traveler.



Toilet in India
On my arrival in India, the most embarrassing thing is a bathroom. In the bathroom, there is a faucet and a gourd next to a toilet bowl instead of toilet paper. Not knowing the situation in India, foreigners are said to clean up their body with the water in the gourd. In fact, the faucet and the gourd are equivalent to our toilet paper. You must have heard that Indian people use their right hand for eating and their left hand for toilet.
The habit of using a left hand to clean up with water in a gourd is practiced by all Indians regardless of their wealth, power and social status beyond the Caste. A gourd of water is enough to be a toilet.
 
Environmental burden caused by toilet paper
Naturally, we think that we should use toilet paper in the bathroom. With a bidet built in, electricity consuming habit in the bathroom is even considered as hygienic. How much toilet paper do you use? Have you ever give a thought on what kind of bathroom is eco-friendly? Is a bidet worth being plugged in all day long only for a couple of uses a day? Toilet paper is made of pulp from trees. A daily consumption of toilet paper worldwide takes as many as 27,000 trees. Besides the trees for toilet paper, the procedures of its production are a big burden to the environment, too. If India, the second populated in the world had a toilet practice like ours, the trees in the rain forest would be devastated already.
 
Environmental campaign started from trivial things
Indians, I believe, have been practising a nature-friendly way of cleaning up. Once during a safari in a desert, I saw white kleenex that had been thrown by Koreans rolling in a corner of the desert. Indians would not have left such a trail.
There are some toilet habits to save our Earth. Though unable to use water like Indians, we can use toilet paper less. The campaign on 'No Paper Towel for Hands' practised by Seoul Y is in the same context. Habits of using a handkerchief and consuming only a necessary amount of water and toilet paper are the things that can be put into action for the environment. Let's practise our love for the environment in our everyday life.
 
 
*With a view to spread love for the environment, Seoul Y introduces members' personal experience and develops the campaign on the environment.

2012년 5월 28일 월요일

Seoul YWCA News in May, 2012

Sungju Foundation-sponsored bazaar
March 30


Seoul Y held a sponsored bazaar with Sungju foundation. Sungju Foundation, leading the company's social contribution, keep helping on Seoul YWCA's social work. Also It has been sponsoring 'Asian Women's human right project' officially since 2011. Bazaar's profits will be used for sponsoring the 6th 'Asian Women's human right project' in this second half. 'Asian Women's Human Rights Project' is one of the major international volunteer activities of Seoul YWCA. In project, there are human right education, international workshop, human right club activity and so on. We intend to grow global leaders who own the servant leadership by this course. It was a meaningful bazaar which share a joy of good consumption for members and help for Burmese women refugees.


Teaching Youth Leadership at Seongdong
April 7

Seongdong youth center held a leadership development train for youth with a topic 'What is leadership?' at Myung-il women's highschool. Participants learned self-leadership for establishing vision and servant leadership.


Time machine travel to Royal tomb in Kangnam
April 7

Gangnam Youth Center started the first session of International Heritage experience series, 'Joseon Royal Tombs-Dongguneung and Gwangneung'along with 27 elementary school students. They had good time of learning about Gwangneung and Dongguneung, recreating plans to the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty.


Renovate Seoul Y Sports Center

The first half of 2012, Seoul Y Sports Center is renovated. It became an useful place to keep member's health by changing old equipments and overall array. Let's be more healthy in this spring with New health kettle bell, medicine ball and equipments.



Nowon Youth career planner Job briefing
April 1

Nowon Women Resources Development Center conducted a Job briefing for women interested in youth career planner course, 108 people attended. Lee Jina at Brand-U Leadership Center was invited and delivered the need for youth career planner and curriculum.



'Gangnam amazing Saturday Seoul EXPO'
April 5 to 8

At Gangnam Youth Center, 'amazing Saturday in Seoul EXPO' were carried out for four days. Total of 19 various promotional booths including Community connection programs, extracurricular activities program by school CA teacher, youth club training center club were operated. It was a good chance to introduce various programs of Gangnam Youth Center to 1,100 local residents and young people.



Program for Releasing stress from parenting Grandchild at Bongcheon
April 12

Bongcheon social welfare center held a stress releasing program called 'Happy Plus' for grandparents who is suffering from parenting their grandchild. They shared the difficulties of parenting among grandparents and the way they release parenting stress, also went to sauna together. By this program, they recovered their health physically as well as mentally.



Garak 'Youth Green School' Environmental Program
April 14

Garak Social Welfare Center conducted an environmental program 'Youth Green School' for children in grades of 3-6 Elementary School from the low-income families. Under the theme of "Making natural dye handkerchief", they experienced handkerchief-making activities with plants collected outdoors, petals and leaves tapping with their fingers on a cotton handkerchief. It was a precious time for children to realize the importance of nature.



Youngdeungpo job finding service
April 16 to 17

Youngdeungpo Women Resources Development Center is conducting a job finding service with a bus as one part of women's job support service. The bus visits residence monthly and we give career education, advices and so on. go directly to vocational education and career counseling is conducted. In April, we finished free employment counseling and job training successfully at the square in front of Yeongdeungpogu office.



Further education for Postpartum helper
April 21

Women Resources Development Department conducted further training with more than 70 postpartum helpers. Seoul Y is conducting this further training every year to give more expertise to helpers. In this session, they learned teaching methods for breast-feeding and postpartum stretching and giving advice to mothers about body changes after childbirth and so on. Also helpers were enthusiastic about learning.

Pleasant chatter “Good Morning! Mama in the world”

The only one broadcast

At Gwanak-gu, there is a very special radio broadcast which is made by international marrige migrant women and local women with GwanakFM, Gwanak rainbow network(Union of 11 multicultural support center, Bong-cheon welfare center is main participant). This is broadcasted in Korean, Chinese, Filipino and Russian from Monday to Thursday, 10am-11am at Gwanak FM 100.3Mhz channel. The radio broadcast "Good morning! Mama in the world!(hereinafter "Gut-se-ah") includes their home country news, international information and music. It has been one year from their first broadcasting on March 14th, 2010.

Pleasure of communication, an attraction of radio broadcast

'Gut-se-ah' is projected for strengthening the capacity of immigrant women in the community to provide an opportunity to participate. Simultaneously, overcoming discrimination and prejudice that come from a lack of understanding among local resident are intended to increase the understanding of other cultures through the improvement of multicultural awareness. 'Gut-se-ah' is fascinating and friendly because they communicate with listeners, gain the sympathy from middle aged women and immigrant women. Immigrant women of various nationalities share episode of the life in Korea, difficult points, parenting, cooking information, and cultural episode. Especially, these all information is provided in various languages for new-immigrant women. They can apply stories to DJ by homepage or smart phone, ask their questions and solve them together.


The broadcast created by themselves.

Collaborators of 'Gut-se-ah' broadcast are three local women and 12 immigrant women. All of them completed three months of media education and finished courses for community study, knowledge education and volunteering as an multicultural activist. They has been involved in the entire production process like writing the script, planning, broadcasting, liasing guest and interviewing. At the beginning of this, they used late night time to prepare script and information after their kids go to bed. Being a housekeeper as well as a broadcaster was not easy. They keep thinking about topics everytime while walk the street, wash the dishes, all the time. And that efforts make rich broadcast. Last year, they broadcasted the live show by four languages at multicultural festival and at Seoul national university subway station. During settling into multicultural society, we encourage their positive social participation . Efforts of activists with a passion for broadcasting the 'Gut-se-ah' is still 'On Air' thanks to their passion and effort.

When my peace become your violence

Lecture for global citizen




There would be no one in the world who hates peace. But, even at this moment, many wars and conflicts in the globe shows clearly that we live in the world far away from peace. Indeed, is it possible for us to bring the peace to this earth?
 


Into the lecture for peace
In April, even if Spring has not come yet, Seoul YWCA opened a program called . In the first class held on 4th April (Wed), , an expert in peace studies, Lee Dae Hoon, who is professor of Sung Gong hoe University, gave a lecture on the subject of "What is the global peace"


Professor Lee said that 'to think when my peace become your violence' should be the starting point of a discussion for global peace. He commented that we will never bring the global peace on the sidelines with half-hearted pacifism, adding that active reflection on peace should be originated from myself with the questions such as "Why is not world in peace?" "Then, what should I do for peace?" The unpeaceful situation is caused by discrimination, exclusion, and the structured violence that are widely penetrated into our daily life as well as international politics. Thus, when you look into others' sufferings caused by peaceful you regardless of your intention, you stand on the starting line to improve a structured violence.



Spot for a Heated Discussion and Questions
Various members such as college students, businessmen, NGO staffs, housewives, college professors have joined in this lecture. They had a heated discussions and questions as the lecture went on. An NGO staff said. "I doubted if development assistance for the developing countries is for the sake of a genuine world peace." One businessman raised other question; "Whenever we talk about peace, the national division issue that Korea faces has been brought up. How should I understand this matter." And, the another question is. "Why has our society a severe racist stereotype? Is it because we have a relatively short experience in terms of time span on various ethnic groups?" With the contentious discussions and questions, one conclusion is drawn that we should be the starting point of peace on the each person's level to achieve peace on the global level ultimately.

In the next three lectures, participants will review specific cases of peace and conflict such as Burma's democratic movement story, racial conflicts in Africa, disputes between Palestine and Israel. Participants' eyes with passion already stays to my eyes. The famous Korean poet Park Rho Hae defined peace in his poem like this. "Rejecting little violence in a daily life, reflecting on ourselves as we condemn others and society, and having war stay out of our life though living in the war.

Pleasure of Sharing and Joy of Learning

Member talent donation program, 'Every School in the World'




Seoul YWCA is the organization with more than 10,000 members. The driving force of a membership organization is no other than people, its members. 90 years of Seoul YWCA is the history of members, the members have been a main part of the organization. Especially, the importance of active members who participate in YWCA's projects and activities carry a more significant meaning in the civil society where the citizen's participation is a current issue of the society. Thus, the Department of Membership opened a member talent donation program called to help YWCA members to exchange, share their talent, and to be more active in the organization.

In the program , every member with talent may suggest an opening of lecture , and members of Seoul YWCA are welcome to attend the lecture. That is, everyone could share joy of teaching and learning each other in YWCA, a learning place.

For our 1st lecture, we are running from Apr 3 to May 20. Due to many participants, the course is split into two classes every Tuesday, one begins at 2 pm and the other at 7:30 pm. Ms. Yoon Young, an internationally married immigrant woman donated her teaching talent by giving members lecture not only on China's culture and society but also on Chinese language. She said, " I am impressed by YWCA member's incredible participation and passion for learning . That encouraged me to teach." The goal of the attending members of this lecture l is to introduce YWCA in Chinese at the completion of the course.

The 2nd lecture was the program called . 20 members gave a visit to the "New Collection 2011' of Seoul Metro Museum at 10 am April 17(Tuesday). Letting the members enjoy contemporary art with easy and kind explanation, Ms. Hye Ran Choi, executive director of Seoul YWCA donated her docent lecture that enabled the members to understand the artists' personal history and the world of artwork easily. The collection is an annual exhibit held by Seoul Metro Art Museum to introduce its new collections to citizens during the year of 2011. By looking around modern art works as well as future-oriented trends, participants got to have ideas about streams and trends in the contemporary Korean Art.


'Every school in the world' are continually preparing its 3rd lecture , waiting for members who want to donate their talent. We hope that YWCA would be the more fruitful membership organization through a practice campaign of .

2012년 5월 17일 목요일

Happy Birthday to the YWCA of Korea ! / World YWCA and Member Associations News / YWCA News / Home - World YWCA

Happy Birthday to the YWCA of Korea ! / World YWCA and Member Associations News / YWCA News / Home - World YWCA


Happy Birthday to the YWCA of Korea !
 
World YWCA 15/05/2012 10:20 am
 
Kyung Ai Cha National President of the YWCA of Korea
On April 20, 2012 the YWCA of Korea proudly celebrated its 90th Anniversary together with 300 participants including members, donors and partners.
 
Thanks to the efforts of its three co-founders, Kim, Park and Yoo, and despite a difficult political context, on April 20, 1922, the YWCA of Korea was officially established.
 
From its inception the YWCA of Korea focused on women’s rights and in the 1920s – 1930s, it initiated the Marriage Registration Campaign. In the 1940s – 1950s, and especially following the Korean War (1950-1953), the association began to provide much needed education to underprivileged rural women. In the 1960s – 1980s, during the Korean Industrial Revolution, the main focus became women labourers, and a national campaign for women workers’ rights was organised by the YWCA of Korea. As of the 1990s, the YWCA of Korea continued its trend of focusing on the needs of the time, and thus became concerned with environmental issues and promoted a national campaign on recycling.
 
The YWCA of Korea currently carries out a number of projects, in particular those related to peace with justice and women’s leadership. Leadership training is being offered to some 10,000 youths and students, who then have the opportunity of participating in decision-making processes through councils. Women’s leadership development is also carried out through various international programmes.
 
Core training courses are provided for YWCA of Korea staff, volunteer leaders, and board and committee members, so that they may better understand and share the vision of the YWCA movement.
 
A key concern for the YWCA of Korea is that of the reunification of the two Koreas. The association supports North Korean refugees living in South Korea and helps them to become fully integrated. North Korean women are assisted with education and employment, and a mentoring service and an internship programme are provided. In addition, the association promotes a fundraising campaign by national members to send powdered milk and underwear to North Korean children suffering from cold and hunger. In 1995, an international programme for young people from Asia and the Pacific to come to Korea to share values such as justice and peace and to engage actively in peacekeeping activities in the community was initiated by the YWCA of Korea.
 
The many guests at the 90th Anniversary celebration, which took place in the YWCA building in Seoul, included the President of the YWCA of Japan, Naoko Matano and the Vice President of the YWCA of Japan, Ritsko Mibae who congratulated the YWCA of Korea on its special anniversary and thanked it for its support and relief donation during the devastating earthquake and Tsunami which struck Japan in 2011.
 
During the celebration, the YWCA of Korea also celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Korea Women’s Leadership Award, created in memory of Esther Park, one of the founders of the YWCA of Korea. The award honours women who made a great contribution to society through women’s leadership, as well as a young woman leader showing creativity and professionalism. This year’s recipients were Lee, Hyo Jae, a renowned scholar on feminism and the first feminist activist in Korea, and Im, Young Shn, who has travelled the world to deliver a message of peace to conflict areas. A special award was also attributed to Park, Sung Young, a congresswoman active in the campaign against sending back North Korean refugees by force.
 
The celebration was festive, moving and symbolic. In the words of national President, Kyung Ai Cha, “For the YWCA of Korea, celebrating our 90th anniversary did not mean simply celebrating our history, it is also an opportunity to prepare a vision for the future. We consider the 90th anniversary as the first step towards the 100th anniversary of the YWCA of Korea – for the next decade we will listen to God’s voice as he directs us in building a society with justice and peace, in developing women’s leadership and in improving the environment for the future generation”.