2015-09-21 In-house tutoring (and counseling)

"Thank you everybody for giving me the opportunity to prepare for my dream. Today's first class is really good and helpful for me."

That's the message (TNKR) Teach North Korean Refugees received this morning from a North Korean refugee who just joined our in-house tutoring program. It is really timely for her because she is applying for a scholarship. And she was helped this morning by a tutor who has been going through applications herself, so she was able to offer plenty of guidance.

I wish I could express how wonderful the session was.

* The tutor is South Korean, bilingual, but she avoids using Korean except when it is absolutely necessary. She will mention a keyword or explain briefly in Korean, then slip back to English so quickly that you barely have time to turn your head.

* She was meeting the refugee for the first time, but quickly grasped the situation, and focused on the scholarship opportunity and getting her ready for it.

* The volunteer doesn't just accept what the refugee learner said--she pushes her to the next level, and telling her directly but gently that her application isn't strong enough. But she focused on how they could make it stronger, like they are a team. She applauds the learners when they get things right but also corrects them when they get things wrong.

* She comes from Bundang, arrives early, tutors as a volunteer from 10 am- 1 pm on Mondays and Tuesdays.

* And I know people are quick to blame South Koreans for not getting involved with North Korean issues, but it seems with our project that we always have South Koreans who get involved. As I have said before, instead of blaming, it is important to offer things that attract, rather than brow-beating.

2021 reflections:

* We weren't even an official organization then. We were operating out of my desk at the now-defunct Freedom Factory office and renting a room out of the Bitcoin Center as a special center for North Korean refugees to study..

* I was amazed that both refugees and volunteers were traveling such a long distance to participate in our very humble association (not an organization then). We would remind refugees that there were other larger organizations offering English classes, even that they could study online. They would say that our approach was special and made them feel special.

* We tried to let the tutoring project die, but 1) we still have refugees looking us up 2) some of the refugees who have been with us refuse to allow us to let it die, constantly reminding us how much it benefitted them.

* Many volunteers who come to us are dismayed to learn that we don't have a set curriculum. So which textbook should this refugee getting prepared for a scholarship use for her class? One thing that refugees say they love our about our humble project is that they can direct the classes. I would tell the professional educators that they would be better off finding a program with a textbook, which seems to be about 99% of them. Why interrupt what we are building by trying to impose the same standards as everywhere else?

* Based on the demand, we have decided to resume the tutoring project, but this time around, we will do so after we raise funding. https://give.lovetnkr.com/ko/Tutor-NK-refugees In the past, we would do the programming, then try to raise money later. That approach put a lot of pressure on us, so this time we will try the opposite. Raise the money, then do the programming.

https://give.lovetnkr.com/ko/Tutor-NK-refugees

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