KKOOM hosted the GEM Winter Camp in February 2025. We asked KKOOM Board member, Margaret Cleveland, to share her experiences being at the camp in Seoul, South Korea. Below is her reflections from the camp:
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I am sitting in a cafe in Korea, reflecting on an amazing week of art, creativity, and growth through KKOOM’s GEM winter camp. The Girl’s Empowerment and Mentorship (GEM) program’s goal is to provide career education, mentorship and educational support for young women in Korean children’s homes. This past week the winter camp program called “Unexpected Arts” brought young women to Seoul to explore creativity through art, dance, movement, and storytelling. It was an amazing experience to take part in and was truly transformative through the week to see the young women open up and grow in confidence.
I flew into Korea and met the other volunteers in Seoul. We did our best to prepare for what the week might be like but in all honesty, it is hard to prepare for this kind of experience. Even with three years of teaching experience in Korean schools, I was nervous for what the week might bring and worried if my Korean language skills would be enough to help the group.
The girls arrived bright eyed and ready for the week. We took them back to our accommodation and quickly settled in and started to get to know everyone. We had goodie bags prepared with some of the essentials for getting around in Seoul in the winter including transportation cards, hand warmers, and tissues as well as snacks for the week. Just like any other group they were quiet and a bit shy at first. It was also interesting to note that they relayed a lot on each other. It was sweet to see the older girls taking care of the younger ones and reminded us that they have strong trust among their group and we would need to work to earn just a piece of that trust.
To get the most out of our packed week, we moved right into programming. While KKOOM plans a lot of their own camps and activities, we also partner with other organizations in Korea as well. For this camp, KKOOM partnered with an education research center that specializes in arts education. This partnership really made a huge difference in our week and the success of the program. From the first day, the girls were struggling to have the confidence to answer questions or participate. Our leaders stepped up and participated right along with the students and it made such a difference in the attitude of the girls and their willingness to participate. It wasn’t so embarrassing for them to move in a funny way if all the adults in the room were doing it too. Slowly throughout the week they gained their own confidence and needed less and less help from the leaders. The group we worked with was amazing at adjusting to the needs of the group each day and throughout the session.
From creating body movements that then turned into dance movements, to painting an amazing canvas, to tracing our faces, to watching a professional NANTA performance (professional Korean drumming comedy show) and shopping for snacks in Myeongdong, the students absorbed it all and learned from all the different experiences. They soaked up every moment. The week wrapped up with a final performance that brought tears to my eyes. These amazing girls that had grown in confidence throughout the week, gained the courage to dance on their own in front of the group. Something at the beginning of the week, we would not have dreamed they would be able to do. The performance began with the students dancing alongside the leaders and then the leaders stepping aside and the students sharing the dance floor together as a group and then even individually. It was a truly moving experience.
These are the types of experiences KKOOM hopes to create for the youth we work with. Opportunities to grow, learn, and build life skills that will benefit them throughout their lives. Experiences that many of these children may not ever have the chance to do outside of this setting. Thank you for supporting KKOOM and helping us to create these memories for the youth of Korea!
Everyday of the camp, the girls wrote in their journals about the different experiences they had.
Having the children reflect during these camps is an important part for their development. It helps them become more self-aware and grow their interpersonal skills.
The girls participated in many activities, from creating body movements to painting a canvas.
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Margaret Cleveland attended the University of Missouri and participated in the TaLK (Teach and Learn in Korea) program, through which she developed a passion and heart for the people of Korea. After graduating in 2015, she was a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant for a year in Yeongcheon, South Korea, followed by two years teaching with Fulbright at an elementary school in Seoul. In 2017, she was named the Native English Teacher of the Year by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. During her time in Korea, she volunteered with multiple mentoring and teaching programs for North Korean defectors. She is currently working on her fourth-generation family owned fish farm in central Missouri. She is honored to work with KKOOM to help meet the needs of Korean children.
