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Jeju Youth Forum brings together students from 5 countries |
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| ▲ In one panel, students used printed pictures and newspaper clippings from home to create posters. Photo by Susan Shain |
Last weekend, students from five different countries converged on Jeju to discuss issues facing the world today.
The 2011 Jeju Youth Forum, hosted by the Jeju Provincial Government and Office of Education, included students from 16 cities throughout Japan, China, Russia, Vietnam, and Korea. The forum was held at MG Resort just south of Shin Jeju, which is also where the international students stayed for the weekend.
Participants arrived in Jeju on Thursday, Oct. 27 for registration. The opening ceremony and forum were held on Friday. The students toured the island on Saturday and departed on Sunday morning. The international students were selected by their own country's government to attend. Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the Provincial Office of Education provided food and accommodation, but not airline tickets.
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| ▲ Students presented their research and opinions in different ways. In this picture, students are presenting their argument against nuclear power with a poster. Photo by Susan Shain |
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| ▲ For many students, the highlight of the panel was the opportunity to debate with students from the other side. Here, two students are using the whiteboard to debate the pros and cons of nuclear plants. Photo by Susan Shain |
The theme of this year's forum was "Empower the Youth, the Leaders of the Future." Based on this theme, the 79 students participating sent in suggestions of topics they would like to discuss. A group of Korean students reviewed the suggestions and selected the final six topics. The students then chose one topic to research and wrote a 2-3 page essay about it.
The topics at the forum ranged from "What are the positive and negative implications of Social Network Services on the future?" to "What are the pros and cons of building nuclear plants?" The highlight of the weekend was a three-hour forum on Saturday afternoon.
The students were separated into panels of 7-18 students according to their chosen topic. Each panel was hosted by a native English teacher and was conducted entirely in English. The formats of the panels were up to the teachers, but they all focused on intense discussion of the selected topic. In some panels, the students read their essays, while in others they made posters, created a business plan, or engaged in debates.
Wenpei Deng, a 16-year-old student from Fujian, China, thoroughly enjoyed the forum. She said, "All the students were well prepared and brought up very interesting questions." As for Jeju, she remarked that, "It's very beautiful here and very clean. I like the food. I'm enjoying meeting people; everyone is very friendly and polite."
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| ▲ Photo by Susan Shain |
In addition to the panel members, there were 30 Jeju high-school students that served as the audience for each session. The total tally of audience members came to 178.
This is the second year that the Jeju Youth Forum has been held, and Mona Chang, the TALK Scholars Coordinator at the Jeju Provincial Office of Education, has high hopes for the future. She said the event's goal is to "provide students from around the world the opportunity to meet together and share their ideas, as well as improve their discussion skills through debate and build up networks." She said that there are hopes that his event will continue annually, and that "in a few years time, we will invite students from more continents."
Cho Yoon Young, a 17-year-old student at Jungang Girl's High School, found the forum fun and informative.
“In Jeju, we don't get many chances to meet foreign students our own age, or to speak and listen to English,” she said. “This was a very special opportunity, and I feel like my English developed a lot."
Lee Young Joe, a 2nd year student at Seogwipo High School, seconded her opinion. He said he enjoyed the forum because it's a good time, and “I had the chance to communicate with foreign students for the first time."
Note: This author was also a participant of the forum. -- Ed.
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| ▲ Participants came from five different countries. They were excited to meet each other and make new friends. Photo by Susan Shain |
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| ▲ Photo by Susan Shain |
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ⓒ Jeju Weekly 2009 (http://www.jejuweekly.net)
All materials on this site are protected under the Korean Copyright Law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published without the prior consent of Jeju Weekly. |
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Copyright ⓒ 2009 All materials on this site are protected under the Korean Copyright Law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published
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