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.