Skip to main content

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.
_________________________________________________

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. (VideoScript)

_________________________________________________


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)
_________________________________________________


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)

_________________________________________________

 

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 leadertutorspeech coachmentordonorfundraiser, 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).

_________________________________________________

 

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 fundraiserdonate to a project, or find other ways to donate, including directly through the TNKR Website.

_________________________________________________

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 L
artigue's SNS options.

Popular posts from this blog

Let's not shake hands (Korea Times, July 2, 2014) by Casey Lartigue, Jr.

Let's not shake hands By Casey Lartigue, Jr. While there are many things that I love about Korea, there are two things that drive me crazy. One is that, in my observation, most Korean men don't wash their hands after using the bathroom. I know some people get defensive about non-Koreans commenting in a negative way about Korean culture and life, that they want to attack the messenger and the messenger's native country. So I will start by clearly stating that many men in America don't wash their hands either. According to the Website  Stop Handshaking , while 92 percent of adults in America say they wash their hands in public restrooms, an observational study of 6,076 adults sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) found that only 66 percent of men actually washed their hands in public restrooms (88 percent of women did so). As an aside, I am curious how they "observed" that many peopl...

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 t...

Radio, Harvard

I'll be a guest on XM 169 The Power this morning from 10:15 a.m. EST. I'll be talking about teaching English abroad. I'll be interviewed by Brian Higgins of MYB Talk . I sang last night for about five hours with friends but I'm sure my voice will be fine. Tuesday, I'll be interviewed by a Harvard University representative who wants my input on a new doctoral program for education leaders . It is a collaboration between the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School. Some folks at the Booker Rising site are (again) reminding me that I'm not as smart as I think I am. CJL

Park Jin welcoming remarks to FSI (and Casey Lartigue)

  National Assembly member Park Jin makes the welcoming remarks at FSI's conference featuring North Korean diplomats. Park Jin | Greeting message to FSI and Casey Lartigue mention - YouTube

Chosun Monthly magazine [Korean language]

  Chosun Monthly Magazine has made an announcement (in Korean) about the Seoul Honorary Citizenship award that I received on December 9, 2022.  Our Korean staffers say that the magazine is a big deal in South Korea. Here's the overall roundup of media about the award. In the next two months, I have extended interviews coming up in two different magazines, one in the USA and one in South Korea. Both articles will be in respected publications so they should raise awareness of FSI's work that your support makes possible. * * * Support FSI via Stripe or PayPal . https://donate.stripe.com/3cs28F5IAcc85IAaEF or PayPal .