Secretariat Notice/News

On September 8th 2013, the Inter-city Intangible Cultural Cooperation Network (ICCN) worked together with the staff of the Peace Education Project "MOMO", an organization focusing on Training of Trainers program in Peace Education based in Seoul to organize the workshop "YOU WITHIN ME, PEACE WITHIN CULTURE". Thirty students from high schools and universities in Gangneung City in the ages of 16 to 20 enrolled for this workshop. The goal of the workshop is to help students learn how to live in an intercultural society peacefully while still preserving their own cultural identity.

Yemack art Center was chosen as the venue for the workshop where students could join in both outdoor and indoor activities. The morning session "Cultural Diversity: Meet and Mingle", lasting from 9am to 12am, included orientation, presentation of ICCN Exchange program participants and the snail game. ICCN Exchange program is a part of CPI which is the acronym of Cultural Partnership Initiative Program, sponsored by the Korean Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Currently there are three participants working at the ICCN office under this exchange program. Through the one-hour presentation, CPI participants gave students an introduction about the cultures of Israel, Croatia and Vietnam. Following this activity was the snail game, which was purposefully designed to get students exposed to the idea of cultural diversity, one of the key words of the workshop. Students were divided into two teams to compete against each other. The winner of each run, decided after playing Paper, Rock and Scissor, got a small gift and a cultural card about an element of intangible cultural heritage of a selected country which they must read out to other students of the two teams. Around twenty cultural cards were given to the winners.

 

 

During the afternoon session, students were engaged in various activities such as Cultural Expresions & Me, Multicultural Understanding on Basic Concepts, Key Word Funding, Center Outskirt, Handshake & Silhouette, and Tableau. Each game delivered a message about the culture of peace to students, and through the activities, both individual and group, it is hoped, students could add up their knowledge about cultural differences, acceptance, tolerance, mediation, intercultural dialogue. Group discussions also offered a chance for students to practice skills of team work and interpersonal understanding which are very necessary for them not only at school but also at work later. More important, students themselves could speak out their opinions: learn from each other's and thus, strengthening their knowledge and adjusting their attitude towards the issue of cultural peace. The workshop ended with the closing speech of Dr Heekyung Choi, ICCN Secretary General and the granting of the Certificate of Participation for students. At 6pm, all participants were taken back to Gangenung City Hall by bus.

 

 One of the missions of the ICCN is to build cultural peace for all people living in the world. This mission is also in conformity with UNESCO's mandate to establish a culture of peace and sustainable development. The workshop "YOU WITHIN ME, PEACE WITHIN CULTURE" is the first pilot program the ICCN has ever organized for students. We are living in multicultural society where people are coming closer no matter the differences they have. However, this cultural diversity also poses potential conflicts to human beings. The ICCN believes that through peace education and understanding of cultural diversity, students learn how to live together peacefully and share cultural values as said by the UNESCO Director General: "Peace is more than the absence of war, it is living together with our differences of sex, race, language, religion, or culture while furthering universal respect of justice and human rights on which such coexistence depends".