CWNU Summer Elementary English Camp Closing Ceremony (Source : Waggle)

From August 2 to August 24, the summer English camp at CWNU's International Affairs and Education (IAE) was successfully completed after about three weeks of a detailed schedule. The children's camp has been operated more than 26 times since 2009 to reduce the cost of English training for local children and to provide high- quality educational services. It has been temporarily suspended due to COVID- 19 since 2019. The resumed English camp was held for a total of 15 days, 7 hours a day for 3rd to 6th graders in elementary school. Students who participated in the elementary English camp were able to cultivate basic English skills such as listening, speaking, and writing while also building science and content- based subject education through various hands- on activities. Through an interview with Shin Ye- rin, a camp manager at the IAE, we were able to hear more about the operation of the summer English camp.

Q. How did CWNU’s summer elementary English camp run in 2023?

Shin: This English camp was operated with the help of three foreign teachers, three assistant teachers, one administrative assistant, and various other officials and management staff. A total of 40 elementary school students between the third and sixth grades who applied for the camp were divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes through level tests and then took English classes by corresponding level. In the morning, basic language classes such as listening and speaking, reading and writing, and curriculum integration classes covering science, society, and history were held, and in the afternoon, different English activities and project classes were held in each classroom. All classes were conducted in English by native teachers, and students were taught and encouraged to communicate only in English during the camp outside of class.

Q. This summer camp was suspended for a while due to the COVID- 19 incident in 2019 and was resumed again this year. Did you have any difficulties running the first face-to-face camp after COVID- 19?

Shin: I was in charge of the English camp for the first time in three years, so I felt the most pressure. The English camp is a program that is conducted with the time and money of students and parents, although operators are not given a separate income. Firstly, I paid a lot of attention to course preparation because I felt responsible to provide high- quality programs. Secondly, it required the cooperation and help of countless people while preparing and proceeding with the camp. A lot of effort has been put into this coordination process. In particular, in the case of outdoor activities, which took place twice during the camp, there was a lot of complexity in the work to ensure its fluidity, such as individually investigating and selecting candidates for location selection, and coordinating the possible time with related parties. There were many social changes during the COVID- 19 outbreak, and accordingly, camp operators put a lot of effort internally, including new safety provisions and adjusting the unit prices of items needed for the camp.

Q. What do you think makes CWNU English camp different from other camps?

Shin: The most significant difference between CWNU English camp and other camps is that it is striving to provide high- quality English learning opportunities to students in the area where our university is located. For this summer's English camp, most of the 40 participants, except for two, were elementary school students living in nearby areas. In addition, our camp has signed an MOU(Memorandum of Understanding) with the Gyeongsangnam- do Office of Education and provides two low- income children selected by the institution the opportunity to participate in the camp free of charge. The MOU has been around since the beginning of the English camp.

Shin Ye- rin, the camp manager, talked about the operation of the CWNU English Camp and its contribution to the local community, and thanked various officials who helped during the camp. Meanwhile, before and after the operation of the Summer Elementary English Camp, inquiries about the winter camp flooded in from parents wishing to participate in the camp. Shin Ye- rin said, "We need an internal meeting for details," adding, "Thank you for your interest in the elementary English camp." As the CWNU English camp, which resumed for the first time after COVID- 19 has been completed successfully, the contribution of CWNU IAE to the region will continue to move forward.

Kim So-ha, cub-reporter  lucky.river16@gmail.com

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