I'm pleased to announce that TNKR has received an "A" grade for our new (now defunct) Skype program developed in partnership with Seoul City Hall.
For years we had resisted using Skype. We had many nice people who wanted to volunteer via Skype, but not enough staff or infrastructure set up to conduct it properly. Some people seemed to think I was blocking them, hiding students, or against technology, but we are building an organization based on the needs of refugees, so we need to conduct activities effectively, not just one-offs.
Plus, and this is key: We didn't have students asking for Skype. Refugees would go along with it, but when we asked, they said they didn't want it because of mediocre experiences with Skype in other programs (study sessions were too short, too many technical problems, less of a commitment from tutors).Plus, in my observations, students also weren't as committed when there wasn't structure. Tutors were less likely to submit reports or to be connected with us. So I put Skype on the shelf, rejecting suggestions, pleas, demands and accusations.
Then Eunkoo Lee identified a funding opportunity. She asked for my suggestion, I thought this would be a great chance to have a Skype program for NK refugee mothers. We have several refugee mothers in our program who have stopped studying because of childcare issues that made them less mobile. So this was an opportunity for us to try Skype in a comprehensive way and to help some students who otherwise would not be able to study.
I'm happy about the A grade from City Hall, but also feel good that we have another A grade from refugees! When we told students that we were going to try Skype, they said they could believe we would do it properly because of the way we have organized our overall program so well.
Thank you so much to TNKR co-founder Eunkoo Lee, TNKR Academic Coordinator Janice Kim, TNKR Special Assistant James Lee, and the tutors in our Skype program for making it work so well.
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