Seoul YWCA News in September 2014

Department for Elderly Citizen

Play Club 'Silverizing' Had a Final Performance

On July 20, the play club 'Silverizing' performed 'Life is beautiful' as a last play of this year. This is a story of high school alumni's lives after their retirement. 35 years after they graduated from the high school, they participate in Home Coming Day with a beautiful story of each person. Most of the audience was touched by the performance ,which was true stories of actors and actresses.    

Gangnam Youth Center

Volunteer Program in Cambodia

From July 22 to August 1, 17 persons of university students and middle & high school students visited Somang Orphanage in Camponfcham, Cambodia. The title of this program was ' Growth, Sharing, Joy! Global Volunteer Program'. Volunteers offered environment education and physical education to 30 girls and boys in the orphanage. Cultural exchange program and performances were also conducted for a good time with villagers. To improve the environment of the village, they painted murals and planted trees.

Department for Consumer & Environment

Agreement Ceremony of Making Energy-saving Apartment

On July 2, Seoul YWCA's Department for Consumer & Environment signed the agreement of cooperation of the project for Making Energy-saving Apartment with Mapo-gu Office and Seogang GS Apartment. This project is focused on energy-saving movement of apartment residents. Through this project, Seoul YWCA offers education on energy and fosters energy leaders, and does campaign with apartment residents. 

Nowon Women Resources Development Center

Vocational Training for International Marriage Migrant Women to Be School Cafeteria Employees 

Nowon Women Resources Development Center offered 75-hour long vocational training course for international marriage migrant women to be school cafeteria employees. The migrant women learned how to plan a diet for children and cook school food. Nowon Center will match women with near nursery schools and primary schools.

Learn Peace on the Road, 'Journey to Yanbian/Baekdu Mt.'  

Seoul YWCA joined in the program called 'Learn Peace on the Road: the Journey to Yanbian and Baekdu Mt.' from August 19 to 23. National YWCA of Korea, YWCA of Yanbian, and YWCA of Queens also took part in this program. 72 YWCA members held 'Peace and Future Women Made' Forum and visited Yanbian Dandelion Study Room. They prayed for peaceful reunification of two Koreas on the top of Baekdu Mountain.

Youngdeungpo Women Resources Development Center

After School Child Caregiver, 'Safe Mom', Completion Ceremony  

On August 7, the completion ceremony of child caregiver training was held at the Youngseungpo Center. Child caregivers, called 'Safe Mom', completed 132-hour long training from June 24 to August 7. They will care children after school instead of working moms.

Sungdong Youth Center

Summer Camp for Youth in Busan  

From August 8 to 10, 28 youths went to Busan to have a culture experience camp. They visited various places in Busan to do project for searching sound culture. The information they collected will be developed for new applications for smart phone.

Seoul YWCA and Hana Daetoo Securities Signed Agreement on Raising Donation 

On August 27, Seoul YWCA and Hana Daetoo Securities(HDS) made the agreement for raising fund to donating to Seoul YWCA's programs and movements. By signing up for HDS' Donation Service, Seoul YWCA could get a fund from the part of income of HDS. The more members joined in donation service HDS get, the more donation Seoul YWCA received. We hope members will increase for vitalizing Seoul YWCA's various programs. 

2013 Seoul YWCA Program Evaluation Meeting

Seoul YWCA's annual program evaluation meeting was taken place at Danyang between July 9th and 10th. Board members and staffs assessed Seoul YWCA's priority programs and medium and long-term programs and suggested the better ways for the next year. In particular, restructuring and priority programs for women, youth, environment in 2014 were discussed. Here are the summarized suggestions below. 

YWCA Priority Programs (2012~2013)

::: Justice by caring  :::
- Developing new jobs to enhance competitiveness of caregiver services
- Making manual and phased wage system to standardize job performance
- Conducting movement for a guarantee of insurance benefit for caregivers  

::: Peace by sharing :::
- Conducting a campaign to make sound schools for school violation prevention
- Vitalizing education for parents (e.g. Talk concert for parents)

::: Development of Young Leadership :::
- Increasing of the numbers of Y-Teen and Uni-Y
- Managing OB of Y-Teen and Uni-Y

Seoul YWCA's Medium-and long-term Programs (2013~)  

::: Participating :::
- Movement for life 
  >> Decreasing church's cross light
- Movement for living politics 
  >> Decreasing energy consumption at home
- Movement for alternative education 
  >> Campaign for encouragement of dad's childcare
  >> Developing volunteer program mom and kids can do together

::: Sharing :::
- Sharing possession
  >> Making plenty of programs conducted by member's talent donation
- Sharing peace
  >> Making a talent bank of board members and committee members
- Sharing future
  >> Expanding the Book Mentoring Program / Increasing male mentors

::: Healing :::
- Healing women suffered from domestic violence
  >> Connecting women to counselling with expert 
- Healing youths suffered from school bullying 
  >> Counselling parents of school bully
- Healing families who need conversation
  >> Expanding family counselling, parents education 

IT Education Volunteer Activity in Tanzania

Giving hope, challenge, dream

Seoul YWCA Young Adult Department with 24 other College volunteers went on a 3-week volunteer program from July 11^th (Thursday)- 31^st (Wednesday).

Hakuna Matada: No worries, everything will go well

Volunteers who went through a rigorous selection program met together and started preparations on May 17^th. As specialized IT volunteers, College Volunteers were divided into two teams: Hardware and Software and then each were further divided to emphasize on primary, elementary, or secondary education to plan and be in charge of art, english, math and other cultural education.

           We worried that the huge volume of computers and monitors that will be donated will have to go through Tanzania’s complex immigration process, but the mayor of the area of Dar es Salaam, the location in which the community service will take place, personally came to meet us at the airport, therefore from the beginning, the program started off smoothly. Thanks to the preparations that took place in Korea, IT education; primary, elementary, secondary education; efforts by volunteers for environmental cleanup activities; recycle bazaar, which 500 local people were invited, taekwondo, mask dance, homestay cultural interaction activities and performances such as Gangnam-style were all undergone smoothly.

Polepole: Slowly

           Volunteers visited Tegeta School on July 5^th and taught student how to use office, how to repair and assemble computers, and organized a homestay with the student to further interact with them. At Rafiki preschool, we activity played with angel-like children through arts and craft education, and at Maendeleo middle school IT education and middle-high school education was started jointly.

           During the second week we moved our location to the center of Dar es Salaam. At Tanzania YWCA diverse people attended the IT education program and showed enthusiastic behavior and at Kijitonyama elementary school, English, math, art classes was taught. At the Child Welfare Center, basic computer skills, and how to do a self-introduction using a PPT was taught to students who use the computer for the first time. Despite poor circumstances, we accomplished all of the education programs.

Asante Sana: Thank you

           Tanzania IT volunteers gave hope, challenge and dream to Tanzania children and to our volunteers. Students who didn’t even know how to double click, started to get used to computers and successfully accomplished their work. During arts and craft, watching students getting surprised to see papers of various colors, it caused us to rethink about the meaning of learning and happiness.

           Despite our busy schedule, volunteers encouraged and supported each other and with the help of the local organizations, we were able to securely finish our volunteer work. We express our gratitude to those who supported us together through prayer, and we also hope that Seoul Y International volunteer activity will continue to receive support and encouragement.

7th Peace in Asia Program

Wishing of a peaceful return home of refugees

The Seoul YWCA World Fellowship Department and seventeen young adults organized a community service activity “Peace in Asia” for Thailand-Myanmar borderline women refugees from July 2^nd- 11^th with the support of Sung Joo Foundation.

“Peace in Asia” is an Asian women rights project that has been ongoing for the last six years. Increasing the time to spend with the refugees was one of the many details that are being maintained. Participants went to northern Thailand area of Chiang Mai and visited Chiang Mai YWCA. After passing over 1864 steep hills, participants arrived at a tiny village of Mae Hong Son and met with NGO and UNHCR refugee supporting activists. They also visited the Karenni Refugee Committee (KNRC), Karenni Refugee Women Organization (KNWO) and Karenni Refugee Girls' School (WSP) to interact with them and proceed with the volunteer work.

A bright smile holds a desire to learn

Karenni Refugee Women Organization (KNWO)’s education program was very memorable. KNWO is like YWCA within a refugee camp providing education for the women refugees. They are especially selecting young women interns as leaders of the camp community. Our participants learned about AIDS and AIDS prevention, made sanitary pads, and further learned about health education such as washing hands, while refugee women took very careful notes during the whole education trying not to miss a single word showing a heartfelt commitment for education. The Karenni Refugee Women Organization (KNWO) president even requested us to “Come back next year and show us new things”.

           Every year at Karenni Refugee Girls’ School (WSP), 25 female students are chosen and trained to become young female leaders by going through human right, peace education and hands-on training. We organized activities such as making alternative sanitary pads, making bookshelves, mini-Olympics, and cultural exchange activities. Students who weren’t able to keep eye-contact at first started to open up and participated actively in the mini-Olympics. For young adults who are born at refugee camps and have never seen the outside world for over 20 some years, their time spent with the “Peace in Asia” team was a precious and valuable gift.

True Global Citizens

           We believe we have to become true global citizens; however, it seems we have never been able to accept refugee problems as our own. “I express my appreciation to the young Korean volunteers who come every year and have opens their hearts toward the refugees that don’t receive any attention” are the words of a NGO refugee support volunteer staff. As mentioned by this staff, through “Peace in Asia”, young people are trying and putting into practice to be a global citizen.

           Participants have continued to hold much interest on refugees even after the field activity and are planning on informing people of their situation. Participants have once again resolved to give support on helping the refugees and their peaceful return home.

Participants' Thoughts

1) Mr. Lee, Seung Hyug (Gyeonggi University)

           I have always thought that refugees have disappeared or that there are only very few refugees that continue to exist. This is because recently there has been no country like in the Vietnam War that has been completely destroyed. However, through orientation and overseas activities I have learned that there are a lot of refugees existing throughout the world.

           I remember a Pakistani officer that I met at a UN refugee agency that by coincidence started working for refugees and has been doing in-field volunteer work for 25 years ever since. The officer has expressed that he was deeply moved by the young Asian volunteers who have come to Myanmar to do volunteer work, and told me about the various situations of refugees around the world. I was surprised by the fact that there are still many refugees existing in the world. I felt thankful for the life I have now and at the same time felt happy, yet somber that the peace I have now is a very hard won peace.

           We had a lot of fun at the mini-Olympics that took place at the refugee all-girls school doing many recreational and sport activities. The students were very pure and sweet and they warmed my heart. For many participants, because of the bonds that were made, leaving the students brought many tears. If someone asks me when the most significant moment in my life was, I would reply that it was the time spent with the students.

           This activity has brought a huge change in my life. My dream was to do business in Southeast Asia, but now I want to do social work that would support the minority groups in Myanmar. For now, I will inform my family and friends about the refugees and their situations. Through this activity I went to share and give my support but rather it filled my heart and I felt I have gained something in return.

2) Mr. Yoo, Seung Ah (Korea University, Graduate School)

The word 'Yeomulda (여물다)’ is used to describe the golden fields of the fall when the wheat ripens, and it induces a very friendly, heartwarming and mature feeling. By concluding the program I felt a small happiness that 'My 20's is slowly yeomuloganda’ in other words, it is slowing ripening.

My role and responsibility was to translate and give a lecture on hygiene and AIDS. Before I left I was very worried, but by preparing in advance I gained confidence. The lectures given by people who work for refugees was very valuable and seemed like a light that directed the refugee camp.

During the lecture on AIDS that I gave at Karenni Women Organization, the attentiveness and the glitter on the women refugees’ eyes made my heart fill with emotions. It was as if I had seen a vision of these young women becoming brilliant leaders. Given the opportunity to interact with the refugee women was a blessing.

Every night, the phrase “I learned today again. To love and to be loved” that was whispered like a prayer during Peace Talk, which is a time to share our testimonies and impressions, continues to be a habit I do at the end of the day. I don’t think I have never thought that loving and being loved was important. Therefore I deliberately started to pay closer attention to our teammates. Everyone dealt with their given duties responsibly, opened up and approached first, and also showed much kind attention during the arduous journey. Our teammates seemed to love someone and also appeared being loved. Personally I think a journey seems to be a road where one can meet their mentor. In a foreign country I was able to fill my heart as I learned how to love someone sincerely and how to be loved.