Participating in workcamps or community service activities is one way to develop students’ character and soft skills. Similar to what was done by Ridha Aninda Restu, an Applied Foreign Language student class of 2022 successfully completed her service activities on August 24, 2023. The workcamp or service activities, which lasted for 8 days on Yeosu Island, Geumodo, South Korea, were organized by the International Workcamp Organization (IWO). IWO is a non-profit, non-governmental organization founded in 1999 to promote world peace, global citizenship, youth and community development, and cultural exchange through international volunteer service.
Workcamp activities provide a link for building a sense of community between participants and Korean locals. It is possible to characterize this workcamp as a symbiotic mutualism because it helps participants improve their public speaking skills and raises the moral standard of the activities they participate in. Meanwhile, they get support and help from the local population in their neighborhood.
Many of the locals rely on natural resources for their livelihoods, such farming and sailing. Thus, Ridha completed a number of community service projects, such as painting walls to enhance the aesthetic of public infrastructure and cleaning the area along the beach, which resulted in more than 20 large bags of trash. Based on the current actions, it appears that the goal is to make sure that plastic garbage and ship waste do not interfere with locals’ ability to fish.
Not only focusing on cleaning and improving the beach area, they also help elderly local residents carry out several daily activities, one of which is sharpening knives, which is an important tool for Geumodo residents to work with. Other activities carried out by Ridha include playing and studying together with Yeonam High School students. They played games about Korean history, which are usually played by young people in Korea, and also had the challenge of cooking typical South Korean food.
Ridha and other participants also had the opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty of Geumodo Island, South Korea. During their break, the participants used their time to climb Mount Billeong-gil and see the beautiful views from the top of the mountain. Additionally, half of the participants made the decision to go swimming at the beach.
As an Applied Foreign Language student, Ridha also applies the language skills learned during lectures to community service activities or workcamps in Geumodo, South Korea. Ridha said, “This activity really helped me improve my social and English skills in front of many native speakers.”
by: Jihan Ainiyah Firdaus
Recent Comments