One way MAP beats the summer heat is by joining the Global Citizen Peace Camp, held every year. From July 11 to 13, we spent a short three days, two nights in Jeonju and Jinan as our summer break. A total of 31 global citizens took part in this camp, which we co-hosted with the Jeonju YMCA.
On July 4, one week before gathering at the Jeonju Inhu Youth Center, we met for the first time online at a pre-camp workshop. There we agreed on promises to keep together, and we thought about what matters to each of us and how we could live together in peace for three days. The Peace Camp began in this way, from “a mind of respect for one another.”
Beyond borders, toward peace solidarity.
DAY 1 – We who just met are “Eo. Sa.”
On the first day of camp, July 11, at 2 p.m., global citizens began arriving in Jeonju one by one, two by two. After greeting one another on the busy first floor, we moved to the fourth floor, sat in a circle, and introduced ourselves. We opened our hearts by sharing how we felt at that moment, and we listened to a warm welcome speech from Provincial Councilor Guk Ju-young.
Then came the icebreakers!
The games that got the strongest response were one in which we competed in quick reflexes by shouting “Apple, banana, quince~?!”, and the traditional Afghan game “Egg Cracking (Tokhm-Jangi),” which Naim and Rezai, who work with MAP’s
After the games, each team cooked a delicious meal together.
Each team worked hand in hand under the guidance of the chefs, and the menu was truly varied. It ranged from a fresh salad full of crisp vegetables to Kabuli Pulao, a lamb fried rice that is a signature Afghan dish, Chinese Dongpo pork (东坡肉) and dumplings (饺子), and even a sweet Egyptian dessert, Basbousa! Watching five teams prepare dishes from five different countries, we felt that for that moment we had truly become “global citizens,” sharing cultures from all over the world.
Dividing roles, preparing food for one another, and eating it together… Personally, I felt that this very moment was peace itself. :)
After we had shared the delicious food, we gathered in one place again, because there was something special to celebrate!
This year, 2025, is the year that the two organizations that have run the Peace Camp, MAP and the Jeonju YMCA, mark their 10th and 100th anniversaries respectively. We spent a meaningful time looking back together on the past 10 years and the past 100 years of the two organizations.
The Jeonju YMCA is an organization that has worked for a long time for justice and peace in the local community and has run many programs for young people and citizens. As those who have followed our footsteps know, Migration to Asia Peace (MAP) supports refugees and displaced people who have experienced involuntary migration, runs peace education together with them, and has conveyed the voices of countless people to society.
After the introductions of the organizations, we also enjoyed a wonderful vocal performance. Everyone held their breath and listened to the beautiful voice.
Thank you, Nara!
“It could have been awkward to live and take part in activities with people I was meeting for the first time, but that unfamiliarity instead became the excitement of building new relationships. Even though our languages, cultures and ways of life differ a little, the walls in our hearts came down quickly through a single mind of respect and consideration for one another. In particular, the many activities during the camp, the time to introduce and understand each other’s cultures, the time to cook and eat together, and the time to quietly reflect on my own thoughts were each a precious experience for me. Hearing the stories contained in each person’s life also broadened the way I look at the world.
Also, this camp was a chance to feel and experience directly what the word ‘global citizen’ means. I thought a great deal about what attitude and perspective I should have as one citizen of the world, beyond the small society I belong to. ”
– From a participant’s review
There was also a mission to complete at this Global Citizen Peace Camp. It was a warm-up for the “Democratic Citizens Workshop” on the last day! One phrase that left an impression among the words spoken during the camp was “Peace is something we have to learn.” For us, who had been focused on our own lives, to go back to a place of learning, we needed to wake up our brains, and the mission we posed on the first day was to answer the following questions.
What does peace mean to you?
What human right is important to you?
The time spent thinking about and defining these questions together went beyond a simple warm-up and became an important first step that would lead the rest of the camp. If you are reading this, think about it too. What does peace mean to you? Which human right is the most important?
The weather was perfect for all three days, too, haha
DAY 2 - A healing time experienced in Jinan
After a first day of breaking down walls and growing close, the morning of the second day began at the
Afterward we split into groups and took part in the Human Library program. In a small, quiet room, 4 to 5 people gathered and listened to the life stories told by two “human books.” We heard vivid stories of people who came to Korea as refugees, and stories about the courage and hope needed to live in an unfamiliar place… stories about careers and studies that everyone could relate to, moving stories about family, stories about love, and more…
We also sat in a circle and asked one another questions~
Even though global citizens who speak different languages and have different backgrounds had gathered, we were able to face one another’s lives, and it was a time of deep conversation. Are you not curious what stories were exchanged during this time?~
“Over the three days, two nights of the Global Peace Citizens Camp, I gained a great deal of insight. At first I was worried about the language barrier, but what I felt as we laughed, cried and talked together was that ‘language’ may sometimes not be an essential element of connection. I learned that even when words do not get across, hearts can.”
– From a participant’s review
Wait a moment! Some of you may be wondering how we, speaking different languages, could share our hearts and communicate. As the participant’s words above say, through this camp we felt directly that “even when words do not get across, hearts can.” Language is an important means of communication, but we also convey feelings and hearts through nonverbal expressions such as facial expressions, eye contact and gestures.
Of course, “dialogue without borders” is not always easy. In fact, it is very difficult. Overcoming language barriers and cultural differences takes more time and patience than you might expect.
So we tried to break down the walls that block communication between us little by little, with the help of other members and also with the help of new technology (!). “Our Promises,” which we made together, and the many presentation materials used during the camp were translated into four languages in total, Korean, English, Chinese and Persian, and shared with everyone, and the programs, which were basically conducted in Korean, were also provided with simultaneous interpretation into English. In the Human Library program, too, we went to the places where Chinese and English interpretation was needed, and in private conversations the participants made full use of translation apps, trying by any means to convey their hearts completely to one another.
For example, like this! Here is a quiet reveal of our 2025 promises haha
Through these small efforts for peaceful communication, we were able to come one step closer to each other. Of course, it cannot be perfect! Because we are different, there are moments when misunderstandings easily arise, but all of us learned together that the more that happens, the more the mind that tries to understand one another is the most precious attitude, one that must never be lost on the journey toward peace.
“Everyone welcomed one another so warmly, and it was impressive to see how they listened to each other’s stories. Since we joined the camp with very different backgrounds and thoughts, there could be many clashes, but it seems that it was also a time when we kept talking, enduring and not fearing those clashes. The importance of dialogue and communication was emphasized throughout the camp. And because it was emphasized, everyone worked for open conversation, which made it even more enjoyable and beneficial. I thank everyone who helped me think once more about what peace is and how we should build it.”
– From a participant’s review
“By communicating sincerely with so many people, I could feel once again how grateful a life I was living. I came to know that things I used to pass by without a second thought are extremely precious to some people and a reality they must protect by any means. That hurt my heart, but at the same time I resolved to learn more and to act together.
[…] And above all, in those encounters and conversations, I felt ‘peace.’ My complicated mind grew calm, and I received great comfort from the connection with people.”
– From a participant’s review
(Do not give up on communication… do not give up on peace…!)
After the serious conversations with the human books came real “play time”! We cooled off from the midsummer heat by playing in the water on yellow tubes in a nearby valley. What a luxury to play freely without being chased by time!
Every scene was lovely: people splashing water at each other, people napping soundly on a wooden platform, people chatting happily as they shared watermelon. Perhaps peace lies in small happinesses like these?
Oh, and the mission for the second day was “Fill in the blank”! Based especially on the stories of the refugee participants that we heard through the Human Library program, everyone thought seriously together about what threatens human rights and peace today. We also thought together about the definitions of peace and human rights that we had written down on the first day. What are the things that threaten the human rights we consider important and break peace?
What threatens human rights and peace today is __________________.
The global citizens wrote down their answers, each with their own experiences and perspectives!
At night, another highlight, the “Midsummer Night Festival,” took place!
From Lee Jung-hyun’s
And as the excitement of the festival settled, we also shared a quiet time of mourning. For a participant who had recently lost a family member, we quietly shared our feelings of remembrance. Hearing the story of the person who was “like a mother to everyone,” we cried together and gathered our hearts. We learned that being together also means sharing sorrow like this.
Our hearts that love peace are burning too!!
DAY 3 – Declaring peace
On the third day, the time came to prepare for farewell. We packed our things in Jinan and moved to Jeonju, and the last program of the camp, the Democratic Citizens Workshop, began. It was a time to gather and talk seriously about “peace” and “human rights,” which we had thought about between the various programs over the past two days, and about the painful moments when peace is broken and human rights are ignored.
“What are the ways to build peace and realize human rights?”
The reason we hold a Peace Camp is to find, together, ways to actively create peace. By listening to one another’s stories and spending time together, we came to know that peace does not simply happen. Since it was a workshop, everyone thought seriously about how to build peace and realize human rights.
If we made “Our Promises” at the pre-camp orientation so that we could get along well during the Peace Camp, this time the goal was to create a “Global Citizen Peace Declaration” that we would keep as global citizens even when we left the camp and lived our everyday lives.
Talking slowly and listening to one another, of course!
(Thank you to the many global citizens who interpreted so diligently~~! Thank you, translation apps~~~!)
We are listening.
We did not forget to stretch from time to time :-)
In the workshop, we created our own “Global Citizen Peace Declaration” by following the three steps below:
Defining – Rewriting in my own words what peace and human rights are
Finding problems – Talking about what elements threaten the peace and human rights we face now
Proposing solutions – Thinking about what I can do to build a peaceful and just world
Although it was a short time of three days, two nights, we came to understand one another deeply, laughed and cried, and narrowed the distance between our hearts. And in the end, as global citizens, we went home having gained the courage to build peace in our own places.
“This camp was not a simple trip but a precious time of learning that I will never forget in my life. In particular, the message that ‘human rights are rights that must be given equally to everyone as a matter of course’ was deeply engraved in my heart. Through that sentence, I felt that the things we usually take for granted may be urgent and precious to someone else. From now on, I want to look at people with a broader view and a warmer heart.
– From a participant’s review
“During the camp I made many unforgettable memories, and I was really happy to become friends with good people. I laughed a lot, learned a lot, and above all felt at ease. I was truly grateful to be part of this gathering to share peace, understanding and friendship. Thank you for creating an environment where people from different backgrounds could gather and mix together. Thank you so much for welcoming us with bright smiles and open hearts and for sharing the joyful moments with us. Even after the camp ends, I will keep for a long time what I learned here, the precious bonds and the warm hearts. I hope we can keep in touch from now on. I hope we can meet again someday at another peaceful and joyful gathering.”
– From a participant’s review
“The days at the camp restore my dignity, my humanity and my feelings, and give me the sense that I am a person worthy of respect and that I am among people who truly welcome me. But as always, beautiful moments pass quickly and I return to the exhausting struggle of life. Even so, I recall all of those memories. I remember the warm hearts that expressed love and respect to me and my family.”
– From a participant’s review
Group photo of the 2025 Global Citizen Peace Camp
Written by: Ahn Ha-gyeong, volunteer on the DR team
IMAGES:
