The ‘Our Family Forest Stay’ camp, organized by the National YWCA of Korea and the Single Parent Family Association, sponsored by Citibank Korea, took place from December 17th (Saturday) to 18th (Sunday) in the Jincheon and Cheongju area in 2022.
The ‘Our Family Forest Stay’ program was designed to provide families with an opportunity to challenge and achieve together, fostering communication and intimacy through shared experiences. On the first day, the participants visited the Jincheon Bell Museum as the first program. The museum showcased temple bells from various periods of Korean Buddhism, allowing participants to explore the history and culture of Korean Buddhism. A cultural interpreter provided detailed explanations, offering a time for participants to learn and experience more.
The second program on the first day involved experiential tourism, where families engaged in making natural soap and bath salts. This hands-on experience aimed to create a bonding time among family members. Additionally, free time was provided at the location where the experiential tourism program took place, allowing families to spend quality time together.
The final program on the first day was a recreation time designed for parents and children to participate together. It included group activities to foster cooperation and build a sense of bond among participants.
On the second day, a woodworking experience program for parents and children was held. Participants had the opportunity to create items such as pot stands, chopsticks, and coasters. Through the woodworking experience, participants learned about the importance of forest resources by directly handling wood. Many families expressed gratitude, stating that the camp provided a valuable opportunity to bond with their children, especially in circumstances where travel was not easily accessible.
The ‘Our Family Forest Stay’ program, arranged for the first time this year, had a total of 16 families and 36 participants. Plans are underway to offer more single-parent families the opportunity to participate in the program in 2023.
Furthermore, the ‘Think Money’ program, running for 17 years, is a hands-on financial education program sponsored by the Citi Foundation, conducted by the National YWCA of Korea and Citibank Korea. ‘Think Money’ is a financial education class for teenagers to learn and experience proper ‘financial values.’
The program operates the permanent financial life experience classroom ‘Pufin (Public Financial Education Station)’ at Suwon YWCA and Sejong YWCA. It also utilizes an online academy platform to conduct education for students and instructors. The program includes ‘Mobile Pubfin Education’ using tablet PCs for experiential learning and ‘Mobile Good Entrepreneur Education,’ a simulated entrepreneurship experience, conducted in collaboration with 18 member YWCAs nationwide, operating the ‘1 to 1 Financial Education’ program in schools and local child centers.
