A group of university students from South Korea recently travelled to Western for a new summer learning program with a focus on human rights in Canada.
Over the course of two weeks in August, 19 students and one staff member from Kyung Hee University engaged in workshops, lectures, hands-on learning activities and social and cultural events, both on campus and in the London, Ont. community.
Jehyun Jeon
Jehyun Jeon (Jay), a fourth-year student studying economics at Kyung Hee, said his love for travel and learning about other cultures initially drew him to apply for the summer program.
“I have been abroad in the past and I search my university’s programs to find more opportunities. I’m actually preparing to study abroad to achieve my PhD and participating in this program will help to improve my English skills,” he said.
“Because my major is economics, I hadn’t learned much about human rights. Throughout this program, I learned that economics is also strongly related to human rights and there is an important connection.”
Led by Western International, the pilot program was carefully designed in consultation with both internal and external partners, as well as experts on human rights in Canada. Topics included a wide range of subjects, including Indigenous leadership, ageism, anti-oppression, comparing Canadian and international human rights and food sovereignty.
In addition to staff support, a team of five Western students was recruited to act as ambassadors for the program, staying with the visiting students in residence and escorting them to their activities and events, including tours of campus and the Wampum Learning Lodge, as well as trips to local museums and entertainment destinations.
Third-year student Chaiwon Lee is studying philosophy at Kyung Hee and said the human rights focus of the program was what attracted her most.
“I am grateful for this amazing experience and opportunity. I am very interested in human rights and ethics, and I’ve written reports about discrimination based on gender and gender sensitivity in the past. The lectures were very interesting for me,” Lee said.
Chaiwon Lee
“I also didn’t know anything about residential schools or Indigenous history here in Canada. I was really shocked to learn about that. We also thought about Japanese colonization in Korea, so we were able to compare the similar experiences here, which was interesting.”
The organizing team will take the success of the pilot program into account when planning for any future summer programs, said Lily Cho, vice-provost and associate vice-president (international) at Western.
“We are always interested in developing ways to strengthen the relationships we have with our global partners. Programs like this provide a valuable learning opportunity for their students to explore Canadian culture, develop intercultural competence and enhance their global citizenship,” said Cho.
The student participants are not the only ones who benefit from experiences like this, Cho said.
“This was a very collaborative effort with staff, faculty, community members and students interacting with our guests,” she said.
“Western is committed to exploring not just how Western can make a positive difference in the world, but how people around the world can help us cultivate more inclusive, diverse and sustainable practices. Having these students visit our campus allows us to learn from them, as well.”
