The International Relations Team (IRT) has just finished recruiting their new batch of student volunteers for the 2014 Global Outreach Program. The program aims to encourage students to become not only talented scientists and engineers, but also responsible citizens who can help make the world a better place through personal acts of kindness and the spreading of understanding between people and cultures. The KAIST Herald met with Kelly Yoon from the IRT to learn more about this meaningful program.

Can you please introduce yourself and your role in organizing the KAIST Global Outreach program?

Hello. My name is Kelly Yoon, and I am currently a coordinator at the IRT. I took over the KAIST Global Outreach Program last fall semester and I am in charge of processing the students’ applications.

So what exactly is the KAIST Global Outreach Program and how was it initiated?

The KAIST Global Outreach Program is a volunteer program where KAIST students can help contribute to the betterment of our global society by taking actions that they believe can improve human living conditions. The program was initiated at the beginning of 2013 by Jung-il Lee, who is currently the manager of the International Scholar and Student Services Team. Prior to this, KAIST IRT has been organizing many exchange programs to give students the opportunity to experience, grow, and mature in different study environments. However, the programs remained strictly limited to academic purposes. We believed that for students to become responsible global citizens, they should also be offered similar chances to do something for the common good. We wanted our students to develop more awareness of their fortunate conditions and more sympathy towards those who are less privileged. The KAIST Global Outreach Program is our hope of encouraging students to actively explore and give back to the world they live in.

Who is eligible to apply for the KAIST Global Outreach Program and what are the requirements?

All KAIST full-time students, both Korean and international, are welcome to apply. Students are required to fill in an application form, send a letter of recommendation from their professor, and write an essay outlining detailed plans of their activities. Students can apply as an individual or as a team of two or three, and they can either choose to volunteer in an established organization or initiate their own projects. The volunteer work needs to take place outside of Korea and must be non-profit. After submitting the required documents, students will be asked to do a short presentation on their proposed volunteer activity.

What is expected of the participants?

Since the volunteer work takes place abroad, we would like to have complete trust in our students. We expect them to respect the generous support from the school and follow the plan they have self-created. At the end of the program, some of the participants will be asked to give a presentation on their experience. By doing this, we hope that the students can inspire others from the younger generations to become involved in similar activities.

From the past programs, can you tell us what types of activities students have done?

Our intention from the beginning was to provide students the freedom of choice so that they can design or choose what suits them best. We were very glad to see our students taking part in various types of volunteer work. A lot of students chose to go back to their home country to reteach the knowledge they have learned in classes here at KAIST or apply the knowledge for design projects of various public facilities. Many others went to a completely foreign country to help farmers with their daily labor or help organize cross-cultural exchanging events. It was really wonderful to see our students’ creativity.

Any final messages for the students?

The KAIST Global Outreach Program is the perfect opportunity to open up towards the world around and see it with more love and compassion. And for KAIST students, this will also be a chance to stretch that brilliance beyond the walls of classrooms and laboratories.

  

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