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People come and go; but they all have one thing in common. They are members of the Korea University Social Service Organization (KUSSO) and have come to Down Center to participate in Saturday Art School. Children with Down’s syndrome and volunteers became one, dancing in rhythm with tap dance steps. Then they continued with pansori, a form of Korean traditional song, which helps with correcting the pronunciation of children.
Being a relatively new organization in Korea University (KU), KUSSO has been diversifying student volunteer activities since its establishment in 2008. Going beyond a group of students merely helping out the underprivileged, KUSSO has as its grand aim the fostering of potential global leaders of the 21st century by broadening their horizons through various social activities. Not only students, but also many staff and faculty members manage the organization together.
Since KUSSO is not a university club, but an organization, it provides volunteer work in many more areas, including education, medicine, legislation, environment, and regional community. During the 2012 academic year, KUSSO has been organizing more than 20 voluntary service programs. Some are short-term activities that last for only several days, for instance a bazaar or the experience of disabilities during the Spring School Festival; some are programs specific to vacations, such as education camps directed at elementary and middle schools; others are weekly or monthly volunteer activities.
KUSSO is led by student volunteers from KU in both Anam and Sejong campuses. Volunteers are recruited once a year in November from both campuses. This year, KUSSO has 100 volunteers, 70 in Anam and 30 in Sejong. The number increased from what used to be a total of 70 people. The competition is fierce among students, amounting up to around five applicants in the interviewing stage for every final volunteer. KU professors who are heading the organization look for students with true passion for volunteer work.
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| ▲ KUSSO logo. Provided by the white book of KUSSO | ||
As for choosing the sites to do volunteer work, people who come up with plans in the beginning try selecting reasonable places. Some sites are required by the school but most of the time, it is KUSSO volunteers who choose where to go.
KUSSO differs from numerous volunteer clubs in that it is an official university organization. It is funded by the university and therefore it is relatively easy to organize big events. Another difference is that KUSSO volunteers not only participate in volunteer work itself but also organize it themselves. It is even said that they do more organization work than volunteer work.
Most of the programs held by KUSSO have to recruit students to participate in individual activities. This is important in that KUSSO gives opportunities to students outside the organization to do meaningful volunteer work. Some students who loved the experience even apply for KUSSO in the next year’s recruitment.
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| ▲ Another activity pansori. Photographed by Choi Ji Won | ||
After the theoretical education, KUSSO planned as their second step to set up booths in cooperation with Korea University Buddy Assistants (KUBA) to display books related with multiculturalism during the first week of November. This book fair was anticipated to make students experience firsthand how speaking a different language can cause people to feel a sense of alienation.
Finally, there will be related volunteer activities in which KU students can join to help people from multicultural families. “Different skin color is not the sole reason for being marginalized in society. Speaking inarticulate Korean can be another important factor for such a problem,” say the staff. Therefore, KUSSO is enhancing service programs such as Korean alphabet education and mentoring activities. “We look forward to more of KU student’s awareness and participation,” they say. Hopefully, this long-term project would settle and become a program unique to KU.
Shim Da Woon (’08, Architecture) was in charge of the pansori activity in Down Center. Along with the handicapped children, she says, “I learn a lot by giving them what little help I can. I know it sounds like a cliché, but I did not know there was any good doing volunteer work for me at first. Now I understand that just being with these people helps me heal myself and grow up.” Shim added that she hopes other volunteers would also feel the warmth spreading in their hearts when they do volunteer work.
About 2,500 KU students take part in activities promoted by KUSSO, meaning they devote at least 60,000 hours in total to volunteer work. However, it is not just the number of students and the length of time that should be emphasized; social personality and altruism are also crucial features required for participants. It is important that they do not engage in these activities with any kind of expectation, but from their own initiative. In this respect, KUSSO has been successful, and is showing a bright future.