2010 ACUCA Student Camp

July 19-22, 2010 Keimyung University, Daegu, Korea

There was an environmental theme to this year’s ACUCA Student Camp. The objective of the Camp was to develop the links between student’s Christian faith and practical efforts for living an ecologically friendly and sustainable life. The theme for the Camp was “The Earth: Our Choices, Our Actions, Our Impact.”

FIRST DAY: WELCOMING

Just over 80 students and staff members converged on Keimyung University’s Seongseo campus, coming from institutions representing all 7 ACUCA nations. Keimyung University’s ACUCA Secretariat, in collaboration with the Office of International Affairs, and a group of 7 student facilitators took care of all logistical matters. The Secretariat was responsible for liaising with participating students in the run up to the Camp, and ensuring that they were taken care of, from pick up to drop off from the campus.

Between the opening and closing ceremonies, there was ample opportunity for the students to develop their take on the theme, make firm friends, understand each other’s culture and gain an appreciation for Koreaand its culture. Monday, July 19, was devoted to the arrival of students and team-building activities.

KEYNOTE PRSENTATIONS & COUNTRY PRESENTATIONS

On the following day, students participated in two keynote presentations. The keynote presentations were given by Keimyung faculty, in accordance with their expertise. Rev. Dr. Hwang Jaebuhm, Dept. of Theology, Keimyung University, focused on Christian aspects of environmental issues. His presentation, “We are Stewards of God’s Creation: A Christian Environmental Ethic”, reminded us of our responsibility to protect and preserve the God-created earth. The second keynote speaker was Prof. Park Sangwon in the Dept. of Energy and Environmental Science and Engineering, Keimyung University. His presentation, which was entitled “Christian Youth’s Mission for the Earth that God Created”, shed light on the various environmental challenges that we are facing.

After the keynote speeches, teams representing each country had the opportunity to give a presentation on one of the following topics:

Ÿ Christian belief and its role in God’s creation

Ÿ Critical environmental issues in your region/country

Ÿ Christian initiatives for sustainable development

The presentations were then followed by a series of discussions, centered on the following topics:

Ÿ Understanding our role in God’s creation

Ÿ  Awareness of environmental issues in Asia

Ÿ  Active Christian stewardship

THEME-RELATED ACTIVITY & KOREAN CULTURE EXPERIENCE & CULTURAL NIGHT

On the third day, students participated in a theme-related activity, in which they utilized waste cardboard and plastic bottles in the construction of a practical item. Working in their pre-appointed teams, the participants produced some creative items, which were to be displayed later at the closing ceremony. The rest of the day was spent experiencing Korean culture, at which time students either participated in Korean doll-making, a Korean paper art event, or a Taekwondo performance. These ACUCA Camp activities appeared in the local newspapers. The cultural theme was continued with Cultural Night performances. Representatives from the 7 ACUCA countries put on acts, including theatre, dance and song; exhibiting each country’s traditional cultural features.

FIELD TRIP & CLOSING CEREMONY

The final day of the camp included a trip to the coastal city of Busan, followed in the evening by a closing ceremony. Busan is the second largest city in Korea and is well-known for its Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) as well as its beautiful beaches. Students had a chance to visit Nurimaru, where the 2005 APEC Summit meeting was held, and the commercial district near Haeundae beach.

The closing ceremony began with Samgomu, traditional Korean dance and Taekwondo, a Korean martial art. Then each group presented the work that they had earlier constructed from waste cardboards and plastic bottles, which served to remind us of the seriousness of environmental issues and the importance of our choices and actions. The closing ceremony was concluded with a Korean folk dance, Ganggangsulla, which was a fitting conclusion and added to all of our wonderful memories of the Student Camp.

STUDENTS’ FEEDACK (Based on 64 students’ responses)

 Q6. What was your most positive experience from the Camp?

Ÿ Making new friends (21 comments)

Ÿ All of the activities (17 comments)

Ÿ Cultural night (14 comments)

Ÿ Awareness of the environmental problems (8 comments)

Ÿ Korean culture experience (8 comments)

Q7. What suggestions would you like to make for future ACUCA Student Camps?

Ÿ To extend the Camp period (43 comments)

Ÿ To make the Camp more of an eco-friendly conference (less plastics, less food waste, etc, 22 comments)

STUDENTS’ VOICES

I enjoy the Country Presentation and Cultural Night most. I can really know the first hand information in the presentation. (Hong Kong student)

The most positive experience is when we where asked to invent something from the waste. At first I only thought about decorations, but the ideas of the other friends in my group taught me that those waste can be more useful for daily things items such like chairs and tables. ( Indonesian student)

If possible, ACUCA Camp can host a bit more students from each school. It takes place only once in two years but since it is a great chance to interact with students from ACUCA members schools, I hope more and more students will get an opportunity to participate. Thanks! (Japanese student)

Making more chances to meet another groups’ members would have been nice. But I really like my team. Thanks for everything. I really enjoy the every moment in Keimyung University and ACUCA. (Korean student)

Everything was great! The accommodation and facilities are really good. The food is great and plentiful. The most positive experience above all was meeting a lot of new Asian friends. (Filipino student)

I think everyone in this Camp is perfect. I really like this kind of feeling. They are the most wonderful people I’ve ever met. (Taiwanese student)

I want to say “thank you very much”. That’s the best time for me. I can learn more about how to care and protect environment that we know God’s creation for us. And the most important I have more friends. Although we are from different countries but we have the same God so God is the best way and makes us understand together. Thank you, ACUCA! (Thai student)

REFLECTION

Based on the students’ feedback and general atmosphere of the Camp, it was overall a productive and valuable experience for the participants in raising awareness of environmental issues in Asia and considering our choices and actions in making a positive impact on the environment. Although this year’s conference was extended to 4 days from 3 days, students still found that the time period was not long enough time to fully enjoy their friendships and appreciate the multicultural experience. This year was also the first time that the Student Camp was held separately from the ACUCA Biennial Conference and General Assembly, which we have discovered, has both benefits and drawbacks. Future ACUCA Student Camps may need to be held according to different schedules, places, and formats while considering students’ needs and cultural differences. We deeply appreciate every participant’s great enthusiasm and dedicated work during the Camp, and also extend our gratitude to the member institutions for their support for the ACUCA.