YU Multi-cultural Education Research Center leads mentoring trainings for 6 universities in the Yeungnam region
YU held the Orientation training of mentoring for 500 mentors at the YU Chunma Arts Center at 1pm on the 10th
[July 11, 2012]

 YU (president Lee, Hyo-soo) was selected as the regional hub university of the Yeungnam region for the 2012 'Multi-cultural/North Korean Defector Student Mentoring' project, which is being pursued by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology(MEST), and the Korea Student Aid Foundation(KOSAF).

 The 'Multi-cultural/North Korean Defector Student Mentoring' project is a program that unites regional university students with the children of multi-cultural families and North Korean defectors to lessen learning gaps by enhancing their basic academic standards and offering emotional support so that the children may not be excluded from the reaches of public education. Participating universities in the Yeungnam region include Yeungnam University, Daegu National University of Education, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu University, Keimyung University, and the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology.

 Prior to the mentoring activities at 1pm on the 10th, the 'Orientation for the Yeungnam Region for Multi-Cultural/North Korean Defector Student Mentoring' was held at the Chamber Hall in the YU Chunma Arts Center until 5pm.

 At this event hosted by the YU Multi-cultural Education Research Center, over 600 people were present, including mentors, and personnel from MEST, the KOSAF, governments of Daegu and Gyeongbuk, as well as the 6 universities in the Yeungnam Region. The orientation session was made up of ▲introducing the mentoring project and activity plans, ▲understanding multi-cultural families, ▲education for mentors, and ▲case-study presentationg on outstanding mentors.

 Ahn, Sang-ho (male, 26), a senior at the YU Department of Public Administration, who is acting as a mentor for the second year, stated, "I began doing this because of my interest in different cultures, and I am happy to be able to give direct help to the emotional stabilization and improved academic progress of the children in multi-cultural families. I feel a sense of accomplishment seeing the positive changes in students. I will continue to work hard and be responsible and diligent in my mentoring activities so that I can become an exemplary mentor."

 Park, Seung-woo, director of the YU Multi-cultural Education Research Center and representatives of mentors from the 6 universities in the Yeungnam region pose for a photo.
 (back row, left to right: Jang, Won-ju of the Daegu University, Kim, Min-sik of the Daegu National University of Education, Cha, Jun-hyuk of the Catholic University of Daegu; bottom row, left to right: Jung, In-hye of Keimyung University, Ahn, Sang-ho of Yeungnam University, Kim, Yoon-seon of the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology)

 The 500 mentors from the 6 universities in the Yeungnam region who were selected through a competition of 5 to 1 will begin mentoring activities for Multi-cultural and North Korean Defector students for 130 hours until February of next year.

 Park, Seung-woo (Department of Sociology), director of the YU Multi-cultural Education Research Center who is in charge of the 'Multi-cultural/North Korean Defector Student Mentoring' project for the Yeungnam region, stated, "The multi-cultural family online mentoring program, which is the only such program in Korea, is now in its third year. Using the system and operational knowhow of the YU Multi-cultural Education Research Center, which is assessed to be an outstanding model by MEST, the KOSAF, and government organizations around the nation, as a role model, we are planning to expand it nationwide starting next year." He also added, "As a regional hub university for the Multi-cultural/North Korean Defector Student Mentoring project in the Yeungnam region, YU will play a leading role in creating a desirable multi-cultural community culture in our society."