University of Seoul to dispatch global volunteer team to Kyrgyzstan in July
Won Yong-kul, sixth from right in the front row, University of Seoul president, poses with student volunteers, faculty and staff members at a ceremony marking the launch of “2026 Summer University of Seoul Global Volunteers: Kyrgyzstan” at the Centennial Memorial Hall on its campus in Seoul, Tuesday. The team is scheduled to depart for Kyrgyzstan on July 4 for a 12-day volunteer program in Bishkek. Courtesy of University of Seoul
Volunteers to engage in cultural programs, sports activities
The University of Seoul will dispatch a summer global volunteer team to Kyrgyzstan on July 4 to provide Korean language and cultural programs as well as sports activities in Bishkek, the university said Wednesday.
The university held a ceremony to launch “ 2026 Summer University of Seoul Global Volunteers: Kyrgyzstan” at the Centennial Memorial Hall on its campus in Seoul, Tuesday.
The team, consisting of 25 students and three faculty and staff members, marks the university’s 23rd overseas volunteer dispatch to the Central Asian country.
During their 12-day stay in Kyrgyzstan, the volunteers will provide Korean language education for local students and ethnic Koreans in Bishkek as well as specialized programs based on their majors and expertise.
They will also offer cultural and sports programs, including K-pop dance, cheerleading and taekwondo. In addition, they will provide education programs linked to the Sustainable Development Goals reflecting local conditions.
Furthermore, the volunteers plan to engage with local students through cultural and sports activities, including a mini-sports festival.
The university noted that all the education programs and other activities will serve as meaningful opportunities for interaction and exchange with local residents.
“With hearts as clear and steadfast as the eternal snow of the Tianshan Mountains, I hope our global volunteer team will become a meaningful force that brings the joy of learning and hope to children and students in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan,” Won Yong-kul, president of the university, said during the volunteer team launch ceremony.
“I hope this will be a valuable opportunity for our students to continue our 14-year partnership with Kyrgyzstan,” he added.
Won also encouraged the students to become global leaders who put sharing and volunteer activities into practice.
Since dispatching its first volunteer team to Kyrgyzstan in 2012, the university has maintained close cooperation and partnerships with the country, except during the COVID-19 pandemic period.
The university has further strengthened its collaborative relationship by signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Korean Education Center in Bishkek in 2023.
It has also continued to conduct overseas volunteer activities, mainly in Asia, by sending a total of 708 volunteers overseas, including the 23rd global volunteer team members.
A university official stressed that this year’s dispatch marks the team’s return to Kyrgyzstan two years after the previous volunteer activities in 2024. He expects the university to further solidify trust and cooperation with the Korean Education Center.
For successful and safe volunteer activities, the team members completed the common curriculum of World Friends Korea, a government-run overseas volunteer organization, to gain basic knowledge about development cooperation, human rights, cultural diversity and overseas safety rules.
They also participated in a two-day workshop and seven pretraining sessions to enhance their understanding of Kyrgyz culture and communication skills with local people.
The University of Seoul said it will continue to operate the global volunteer team to help students cultivate global citizenship and engage in more community service activities in accordance with the university’s educational philosophy of “truth, creation and service.”