▲ Participants gather at the beach during the three-day sustainability workshop. Photo courtesyJITC

“Nature, culture and youth” was the theme as students from across the nation convened for a youth workshop held Feb. 12-14 and organized by Jeju International Training Center (JITC/Cifal-Jeju) and Jeju National University. The event was sponsored by Jeju Special Self-Governing Province.

65 youths attended the workshop with the objective to foster leadership skills in sustainable development through engaging participants with pressing issues relating to the island's history, culture and society. Attention was also given to realizing Jeju’s vision to be a world environment hub.

The youths engaged in a variety of projects including haenyeo culture storytelling, author talks, group debates, and a visit to Jeju Sori, a local newspaper. On the final day, students visited The Jeju Weekly’s office for a seminar on news reporting.

Hwang Eunmi, a student of Interna-tional Relations at Chung-Ang Univer-sity, was happy with the diversity of topics the workshop offered.

“Through the history lecture and meeting with professors, I thought deeply on my own identity, such as who I am, where I live, and what I can do for sustainable development ... If I didn’t participate in this workshop, I would [not have had the chance to] consider the environment, culture, and local people.”

She added that the workshop allowed her to consider the dislocation between modern society and sustainable lifestyles.

“Through learning and experiencing, I came to know afresh the importance of local culture and how to coexist with the environment ... Prior to the workshop, I was not able to put my own problems into a wider perspective.”

Fellow attendee and Media Studies student Kwon Junhyup, of Dongguk University, also felt the event achieved its objectives, despite his initial uncertainty about its broad content, which “seemed inharmonious.”

“I still wonder what it would have been like if we had focused on only one topic; however, the three themes do have something in common in that they are too often taken for granted ... Much like a friend who has lived a dynamic life, I realized this island needs to be seen in all its various aspects.”

Further youth workshops will be offered throughout the year at JITC. For more information visit cifaljeju.org