“I can do it!” “You can do it!” At the auditorium of the National Youth Center of Korea (NYCK), in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, on December 20, I was immediately overwhelmed by a sea of feverish excitement. About 60 teenagers sat around tables, divided into teams, talking to each other boisterously with animated s on their faces. With mentors and staff workers seen briskly coming and going, the atmosphere was far different than most lecture meetings for youths.

Kim Nam-sook, senior researcher at Soongsil University’s Local Education and Research Institute (LERI), who was assigned by the Korea Foundation to organize and oversee the three-day event, explained: “This camp’s purpose is not simply to boost the morale of the children of multicultural families nor to help them adjust to society, but rather to scatter seeds of inspiration to help bring them up as experts of international affairs for our future society.”

Accordingly, the programs sought to develop the leadership skills of participants, unlike most other events for multiethnic children, which usually focus on athletic and cultural activities. A group of 66 middle school students from across the country, recommended by their schools, participated in the camp with the support of respective cities and provincial education offices. To learn about the camp’s programs, I sat down with two of the participants and a mentor: Cho Myo-jeong (freshman, Seorak Middle School in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province) and Seo Won-young (freshman, Songhyeon Girls’ Middle School in Daegu); and their mentor Kim Byeong-soo (32, a student of Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Public Administration).

Personal Impressions and Motivation
Cho Myo-jeong:“My homeroom teacher recommended this camp to me. Since there are a lot of students from multiracial families in my school, all 15 of us came together by bus.”
(The program organizer Kim Nam-sook had cautioned me about using the , “multicultural,” but the students used the term without hesitation.)

Seo Won-young:“From a school posting, I had the impression that the camp should be interesting, so I applied. The vice principal of my school gave me a ride to here.”

Kim Byeong-soo:“Through an introduction by Prof. Kee Young-hwa of the LERI, I first took part in the camp last July. At the time, I thought I was of some help to students, if only a little, so I decided to attend this year’s event, too.”

Seo:“Last summer, I participated in another camp for multicultural children, but it was mostly about recreation. This one is different because it focuses on lectures and team activities. I like the facility and food, too.”

Cho: “At first, I felt a little nervous because I am timid and it was the first time for me to participate in this type of camp, but I made friends quickly and I think it was because we had something in common. It is more fun than I thought.”

Kim: “I heard some students stayed up until 4 a.m. today, just chatting away. They seem to have more conversations with one another than from the programs. Mentors play the role of boosting their morale with compliments, instead of supervising their group’s behavior with instructions.”

Since the participants met each other for the first time at this camp, I could only wonder how it was they had so much to talk about.

Cho: “There will be a talent show for each team, so we discussed what we would do. At first, our team thought about doing a gag scene but we found it difficult because we have to make everything up. Later, we decided to perform a girl group dance, but I’m not sure if it will go well. We have to practice this, too.”

Seo: “Since I’m attending a girls’ middle school, I often engage in arguments with boys. Mostly, it is not a big deal, but it happens when I try to talk on behalf of other girls.”

Seo Won-young looked gentle in appearance but she surprisingly said she is learning taekwondo. I asked her what she wants to do in the future.

Seo: “I want to be a police officer. Capturing bad guys seems to be a help to society and my mom also supports this idea. So, I’m learning taekwondo along with my younger brother.”

Cho: “My dream is to become a cook. Since my mom and dad both work, I take care of my three brothers and sister. And I often cook for them. I really enjoy it.”

Productive Human Resources

Cho Myo-jeong and Seo Won-young both have Japanese mothers. Cho is the second among five siblings, and Seo is the oldest with a younger brother. They said their school grades were about average. When I asked them if they had any trouble because they were from multicultural families, they said that they rather had several advantages.

Cho: “Since there are a lot of children from multicultural families in our school, we sometimes are even appointed as class president. I don’t feel any discrimination against me, but when teachers talk about some bad things that Japan did in the past, I feel embarrassed. Yet, teachers are very careful not to speak unfavorably about Japan.”

Seo: “There is no problem at all for me. Rather, I think it’s good because I can speak two languages.”

Cho: “Well, if you think all multicultural families speak a foreign language at home, that’s a misunderstanding. I’ve visited Japan once to see my mother’s parents, but it was when I was very young, so I don’t remember it at all and I don’t speak Japanese, either.”

When fretting about their school grades, they looked exactly like any other Korean students. Then, what have they learned from this camp?

Seo: “After meeting other students from multicultural families, who are in a similar situation as me, I came to have the courage that I also can do it, and can have a dream.”

Cho: “I like this camp because there are a lot of chances to make friends. We also talked about what we will do in the future”

They were of one voice in hoping that there will be more camps like this in the days ahead so that their younger siblings can attend. According to mentor Kim Byeong-soo, participants in the previous camp remain in touch with one another and some of them even contacted him to ask for advice about their personal problems.

Kim: “Most participants tend to be very enthusiastic since they were recommended by their schools, and they seem to have a lot in common, as they have adjusted themselves to the school environment relatively well. Yet, they are concerned about their school grades. Four of the seven students in the group that I served as mentor last summer came to see me a while ago, and I showed them around Seoul National University.”

Students with bright faces and minds, who attempt to turn their family background into an advantage, and mentors who find it rewarding to help these students pursue their own dreams ― as long as we these people, I am confident that multiethnic families will become a valuable source of productive human resources for our society. I hope the government and society will provide more frequent and substantive opportunities like this camp in order for our multicultural society to thrive.

Kim Sung-hee Columnist