What's special about TNKR?

So you wanna be a TNKR tutor! There are some things you should know to understand why you are about to have a special experience.
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TNKR is learner-centered!

Students get to choose, we are their language helpers as they start or continue their journey into the world of English.

* TNKR's co-founders discuss the program in a special #hashtagimpact interview.

* Refugees choose their tutors at a Matching session. This TV clip from 2016 shows what the session is like (it is made for TV so it is 90% accurate).

* Our process has been praised by Thae Yong-ho, the former North Korean diplomat and who is now the first NK defector directly elected to South Korea's National Assembly. (Video, Script)

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Why are North Korean refugees so eager to learn English?

* USA Today: North Korean defectors must overcome big challenge once free: Learn English

* Casey Lartigue's 8 part series in the Korea Times: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) plus Male and Female refugees on English and Adjustment.

* English-only for North Korean refugees (Korea Times

* New programs help defectors from North Korea adjust, shed stigma (UPI)

* Trump-Kim summit: the English school giving North Korean defectors a voice is not holding its breath for peace (South China Morning Post)

* Volunteers help bridge the language gap for defectors
(Koreana Magazine)

* Free English tutoring program helps N.K. defectors adapt (Yonhap feature)
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Have questions about TNKR? Here's what media outlets have asked us.

* Some good questions asked of the TNKR co-founders during an interview on Arirang TV's "Heart to Heart."

* Unification Media interview about TNKR's history and approach.

* "On My Way to Meet You" with English subtitles (TNKR co-founders interviewed along with two TNKR students)

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What are some ways to get involved with TNKR?

* TVN's 49 minute TV special about TNKR (because it is TV, that means it is about 90 percent accurate)

* TNKR Member Jeff Villa on returning to TNKR

* Some start as tutors, then later become staffers, team leaders.

* You can be a leader, tutor, speech coach, mentor, donor, fundraiser, or cheerleader!

But Eben Appleton has already claimed the number #1 cheerleader spot.

* Most volunteers start as tutors. Apply here. After filling out the application, contact TNKR co-founder Casey Lartigue, attend an orientation, then get invited to a Matching session. First preference is for those who also become Members (after all, there would be no TNKR without supporters).

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Why do volunteers become Members?

* TNKR members get many benefits!

* They get to tutor fantastic and motivated North Korean refugees 1:1 who have come to TNKR.
* If they raise enough money, they can get free books signed by North Korean refugee authors.

* They avoid the "hidden costs" of volunteering and "free tutoring". Instead, TNKR can cover costs of tutoring sessions for both students and tutors.

* Here's when and why TNKR began asking volunteers for both "Time and a Dime."

* What's the easiest way to become a Member? Set up a fundraiser, donate to a project, or find other ways to donate, including directly through the TNKR Website.

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And of course, the most special thing about TNKR?

The students!

Escaping from North Korea by Yeonmi Park (One Young World) and Yeon-mi Park: The hopes of North Korea’s ‘Black Market Generation’ (Washington Post) (Yeonmi was a student in TNKR during 2013-14 and TNKR's first Refugee Ambassador)

The Lives of North Korean Women (TEDx) by Eunhee Park (from A-B-C to T-E-D)

My Arduous Journey (TEDx) by Cherie Yang

Park Sisters Graduated from College! (Yeonmi) (Eunmi)

How do you stay up-to-date with TNKR's activities? You don't have to climb a mountain! Just click!

Here are TNKR's official SNS options.

TNKR co-founder Casey Lartigue's SNS options.

Helping North Koreans 'strike the blow' (Korea Times)

H ave you ever engaged in action not because you were sure it would change the world, but to satisfy your own heart? That, I emailed to an American friend, is why I have joined the effort to help North Koreans who are trying to escape from their homeland. I can’t change the direction of policy in North Korea or China but I can row the boat I am sitting in rather than lamenting that I can’t steer the yachts somewhere else. So I have tried to do what I can: Attending protests in front of the Chinese embassy in Seoul (and I plan to do so when I visit America in April); donating money to the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights ( www.nkhumanrights.or.kr ); educating myself, writing articles and emailing friends; and, as a member of the board of trustees, I recently submitted a resolution to the Frederick Douglass Memorial and Historical Association (FDMHA) in Washington, D.C., to try to call attention to the plight of North Koreans. Our organization’s missi

2014-02-14 Yeon-Mi Park`s debut

Yeonmi Park, February 14, 2014, making her debut! Yesterday I was one of the speakers at a special session on North Korean refugees at the Canadian Maple International School. Wow, it was a wonderful time! * Yeon-Mi Park delivered her first major speech in English. She was wonderful! She told her story (35 minute speech without notes), discussed different aspects of North Korea, and then handled questions from students for more than an hour. She did seem to be nervous at the beginning-she took a deep breath just as she started, looked at me, then told her story from her heart. * Returning from the speech, I told Yeonmi that she had star potential. She told me that she didn't believe it, but I told her that the way she handled Q&A and told her story, I would be lucky to have her still returning my phone calls within a year. * The students had many questions. They have been learning about North Korea. They are now reading "Escape from Camp 14" featuring Shin Dong-h

2020-05-21 Goodbye, Katty Chi

I had heard through the grapevine and now it has been verified: Human rights activist Katty Chi has passed away. She is one of the first people that I met when I got involved in this cause. The first time was in 2012, at an event at the South Korea's National Assembly. She was super cool, one of my favorites as I used to say even when she was alive. And that is the important time to say such things, when people are alive. Whenever we met, I would say to her, "You know what happens when you meet me?" She would say, "Yeah. Time to take a photo?" I'm glad we did. And from Hyun S. Song, a close colleague of hers: And from Liberty in North Korea, the definitive announcement, August 4, 2020

Government causing problems: Caffe Bene

According to the Korea Herald : Caffe Bene, the nation’s largest coffee shop franchise, has started cutting jobs and executive salaries, blaming regulations against expansion of its bakery and restaurant chains. Then a funny thing happened on the way to a seemingly bland story: There was actual talk about the Korean government playing a role in damaging Caffe Bene's business. Not just a throwaway line or a final comment at the end of the article, but actually tying the business's problems to the Korean government's policy. Caffe Bene took over bakery chain Mainz Dom in December despite the National Commission for Corporate Partnership’s advice to reconsider the acquisition as the panel was discussing restricting bakery franchises. The state-funded commission last month designated bakeries and restaurants as “SME-only” businesses, barring franchises to keep from opening too many stores or within 500 meters from small bakeries. Large companies in the dinin

North Korean defector seeks justice (Korea Times)

It was international news when 12 North Korean waitresses and a male manager who worked at a restaurant operated by the North Korean regime in China arrived in South Korea in 2016. The waitresses have mostly maintained a low profile. There have been numerous accusations and assertions, with some saying the waitresses didn't want to escape, some accused the Park Geun-hye administration of playing politics by releasing details of the case, etc., etc., etc. My blog at the Korea Times today features an exclusive interview with one of the former North Korean waitresses who filed a criminal case against the former manager. You can read about it here on the Korea Times website. https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2023/02/728_345165.html Keep in mind that there are many more facts to the case and that it is much deeper than this brief excerpt of her comments. She also shared legal documents that I shared with the Korea Times well in advance to give them time to review the case. *

The Casey Lartigue Show!

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