Q1. Please introduce yourself briefly!
Hello! I am Song Ha-yeong, working as a second-half volunteer at MAP. I am currently double majoring in international area studies and social welfare. With the visions of ‘Why Not Change the World’ and ‘Learn in order to give to others’, I study hard and strive for the future with passion and humility. I have long been steadily interested in MAP and refugee issues, and I even subscribe to Displaced! So I am truly grateful to be able to join as a second-half volunteer.
Q2. Please tell us your motivation for joining MAP.
By taking part in the ‘Human Library’, one of MAP’s programs, I came to see the reality of refugees who are excluded in Korean society. I had thought of refugees as an international issue far removed from Korean society, but that was the moment I realized the problem is closer and more real than I had thought. In particular, by looking at refugees’ experiences of exclusion during the COVID-19 disaster and their present situation, I was able to face the reality of refugees who are discriminated against in fields such as mental health, violence and education.
I think that, as global citizens living together, we should empathize with these problems and work together to solve them. And to put that into action, I think it is important to have a way of seeing that grasps correctly what the problem is. I thought that the report
Q3. Please fill in the blank in ‘I want to be a ___ volunteer’!
I want to be a volunteer ‘with a sincere heart’!
According to Urimalsaem, the Korean open dictionary, ‘sincere’ (진실되다) means ‘to be pure and upright in heart, without falsehood’! In keeping with this meaning, I hope that my attitude and actions are pure and upright throughout all of my activities. I would like to look at the community and neighbors I work with with pure eyes, take on the work with pure passion, and feel pure joy and fulfillment when the activity ends.
Q4. There are times when, whether or not others notice, you think you look cool yourself. When in your life did you look your coolest?
I have a peculiar academic zeal for exploring the essence of a problem. When I was active in an academic group, I would pick out one problem, look for the cause that makes the problem a problem, then the cause of that cause, and I felt rewarded when I finally found the essence of the problem. When I gave an academic presentation of this, and the students who heard it began to recognize, empathize with and understand the problem, I thought my abilities and I myself were cool.
Q5. What gives you your own small but certain happiness?
I am currently carrying out this activity alongside my studies! When I get tired of assignments and studying, I feel happy when I go outside, breathe the fresh air and take a walk listening to my favorite songs.
Q6. What is something you have never done but want to try in order to discover yourself?
I want to go on a trip alone! I am curious how I would resolve hardship (?) when I face it while traveling alone, how I would relieve stress, and what I would be like when making new friends. I want to discover myself in a new environment.
Q7. Finally, what kind of ‘change’ do you want to bring about through your work at MAP?
I want to bring about a ‘change in society’s gaze’. Even if it is not a big change, I want to make a small change during my period of activity. Just as my gaze toward refugees changed through MAP’s ‘Human Library’, I hope that through
