Every Friday, News scene reports on news about North Korea. There is a Korean NGO that helps refugees share their stories and voice their opinions in society. TNKR is the only English-language education organization helping North Korean refugees that has been founded by an American. Reporter Jang, Yang-hee reported.
Michael Downey, an American man who has lived in Korea for 18 years, first learned about TNKR in 2017.
[Interview: Michael Downey] "On the world scene today, everybody is talking about, writing about, and pontificating about North Korea. Although .. "
"Many people are interested in North Korea, talking and writing about it, but few people are doing anything in a practical way. However, TNKR was different, and I wanted to join."
Downey said he was inspired by the group's approach of having refugees speak their voices.
Downey, who is a published author, is passionate about wanting to open a TNKR branch where he lives.
Casey Lartigue, co-founder of TNKR, said that Mr. Downey was a bit skeptical initially, but has become a big fan and active participant who inspires others.
Mr. Downey has always been interested in education.
[Interview: Michael Downey] "The North Korean students that I've been tutored and coached have always been bright, enthusiastic learners, and always grateful for my .."
He not only teaches English for free to students in TNKR, but he also skips a meal a day, then donates that money to TNKR every Friday morning.
Aaron Peterson, a native of Oregon, recently joined TNKR as a tutor. He has been involved with other North Korea related organizations and works as an elementary school teacher in Seoul.
Mr. Peterson believed that his expertise would help refugees because he knew English was a must in Korean society.
[Recording: Aaron Peterson] "When I learned that North Korean refugees needed to learn English in order to function in South Korean society and to .."
Mr. Peterson thinks it is very rewarding to see people who are very passionate about studying English and to teach students who are highly motivated. The language is different and sometimes misunderstood, but the process also encourages students' patience in studying English.
Donna Kimelman, an American woman from Brooklyn, NY, has taught English at government agencies throughout Korea and Germany. She has been teaching about modern slavery for about 20 years.
Donna is a volunteer tutor with TNKR for North Korean refugees. She says it was surprising listening to their stories at TNKR events.
[Recorded by Donna Kimmel] "When I found TNKR I was excited about a way to be involved ... "
Janice Kim started as a volunteer tutor for the group and is now the Academic Coordinator. She was interested in helping refugees because of her experiences in a Korean immigrant family.
[Interview: Janice Kim] "My mother's first experience settling in the USA with very little English ability. I vividly remember the struggles she faced with .. "
She said she was angry at her mother's inability to speak English and that this experience made her feel guilty about that.
Janice has taken on the role of managing volunteer tutors within TNKR.
Teach North Korean Refugees, or TNKR, was founded in 2013 by Casey Lartigue and Eunkoo Lee. More than 800 volunteers have taught English to refugees. About 60 to 70 percent of the volunteers are Americans. Last month, 27 Americans applied to join TNKR.
Many of the volunteers work in Kora as English teachers and many others are affiliated with non-profit organizations or have jobs outside of English teaching.
According to Casey Lartigue, many of the teachers who read about North Korea are looking for a practical way to get involved. They get to learn about North Korean refugees through this experience. There are about 400 North Korean refugees who have studied one-to-one with English tutors in TNKR. For example, Park Yeon-mi, a North Korean human rights activist in the United States, studied with 18 tutors one-to-one for eight months during 2014.
In the United States, Ms. Park has been giving speeches in English the last three years to businesses and organizations about the North Korean human rights situation.
One of the reasons why this organization has been able to achieve results is that students and volunteers can focus on English study.
Janice Kim, Academic Coordinator, said that it is not easy to keep relationships as good as one-on-one between students and volunteers, and that managing these relationships is one of her roles.
[Interview: Janice Kim] "I've seen this happen a number of times where I have to ask for leave the program for overstepping those boundaries .."
The organization has strict rules against dating or socializing.
TNKR's study sessions are determined by the needs of the refugees. Test preparation, speaking, traveling, employment, etc., are topics tutors need to be prepared to help refugees with. The student-centered approach provides students with a choice and fills their academic needs directly.
Among human rights and refugee support organizations in Korea, TNKR is the only organization established by an American. Casey Lartigue, a graduate of Harvard University, says TNKR is growing economically and culturally as an English-language institution for refugees.
Lartigue is looking forward to 2019.
The Volunteer Leadership Academy, launched last year, will provide opportunities for volunteers to get more deeply involved with building the organization. The organization will eventually help refugees with education and employment opportunities, and to upgrade the organization's speech contests into an international event.
VOA News
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Support TNKR: www.lovetnkr.org/donate
This is a quick translation, to be used for general understanding and communication, not for picky researchers seeking perfection.
Here is the link to the original VOA article.
2021 update:
Why were they special and why I was happy to recommend Michael and Janice for the interview?
Janice was the volunteer coordinator of our academic program. Her presence allowed the co-founders to focus more on building the organization. She was the volunteer coordinator for more than 2 years, always treating it professionally, working with us to upgrade the program. She stays in touch with us even now.
https://give.lovetnkr.com/fundraisers?q=janice&s=reld
Michael had been in Korea long-term and had strong opinions about how things should be done differently. When he caught on to what we were doing, and realized that we didn't have the resources to carry out the big ideas he had in mind, he became an advocate, even setting up five different fundraisers for the organization (and making weekly donations himself).
https://give.lovetnkr.com/fundraisers?q=michael&s=reld
Another volunteer declined to be interviewed, he also had joined that July 2017 Matching session. He has never set up a fundraiser, but he continues supporting the organization behind the scenes.