Peer counseling club, Peace Maker

We will make a world with no friends suffering from loneliness

Friends are the most comfortable people to talk to

Who do you think teens want to talk to when they have a problem? The answer is a friend. They consider their peer group so important that they would like to identify with the group. Having an easy access to the lives of the youth, a trained teen counselor is believed to exert a positive effect on his or her peers. That is why we created Peace Maker, peer counseling club in the Gangnam Youth Center, hoping that it will serve as a helpful 'buddy' who tries to find a right solution together by giving them a empathic ear and advice.

Starting with cyber peer counselling

In 2007, Gangnam Youth Center recruited the first members of Cyber Peer Counselling Club, and created a cyber bulletin for counselling. Ever since, it has been operating 'peer counselling' corner. Also, it has provided consistently the club members with training and held case study meetings in order for the club member to reply to the questions posted at the 'peer counselling' on web site operated by School Violence Prevention Center. In addition, the club publicized the types of youth's anguish, the need for the attention along with effective solution to the matter by means of an eternal campaign . In 2009, the club had its training program called 'Project Love for Heart of your friend' registered as Youth Activity Certification Program N.590 and this made it possible for the club to run more actively.

Evolving school violence prevention watchman

In 2012, the club's focus is on creating schools without violence. With school violence at issue in recent years, another role of the club is newly planned in an attempt to eradicate desolate and brutal school culture

This year, the members of Peace Maker had meetings five times already. 23 young people completed the training program, 'Project Love for Heart of your friend' and passed the interview. They will be the guide to make their life happy in adolescent period. The first meeting was an orientation. In a second meeting, a lecture on school violence prevention was given by a police officer, supporter for schools in Gangnam-gu. Moreover, Peace Maker members will take MBTI test to find out their psychological inclination and visit to Aha Center for Youth Sexuality to receive overall education on sexuality.

Peace Maker in the spotlight

In December 2011,a suicide due to school violence caused to produce and broadcast many TV debate programs on the issue. On December 20th last year, the club members attended as audience EBS TV program called 'Great Debate on School Violence'. As social concern about school violence increases, so does the interest in peer counselling and relationship recovery programs. And this brought more attention to Peace Maker ; the club was even introduced in Sisa Q, bi-monthly magazine for the adolescents in its February issue . Having learned counseling techniques through the club activities, a student from the club left frequently reply messages on the multiple counseling sites with her supervisor monitering her replies . As a result, she got an early admission to the Department of Psychology in Ajou University by getting credit for her counselling activities from admission officers. Peace Maker acts as a good virus for youth. We send prayers and cheers to Peace Maker members who serve as watchman for teens' genuine happiness in our society.