Campus Digest

Students participate in South Korea Peacebuilding Service Learning Study Tour 

Tuesday, 27 August 2024

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The study tour visits Yonsei University.
Students conduct an inner peace workshop at Yonsei University.
HKBU students lead secondary school students to conduct peace-related exchange activity at Hanshin University.
Students participate in the simulated Northeast Asia Peace Forum.
Students visit the House of Sharing, a historical museum for comfort women.

The Chaplain’s Office and the Centre for Sino-Christian Studies co-organised the South Korea Peacebuilding Service Learning Study Tour from 9 to 15 July, bringing together 21 students from HKBU, SKH Bishop Baker Secondary School and SKH All Saints’ Middle School. This study tour served as a concluding activity for the “Action Ark” Peacebuilding Programme, which aims to empower students through different mediums and practices to become peacebuilders and promote peace within the community. 

Led by Professor Kwok Wai-luen, Professor of the Department of Religion and Philosophy, the study tour visited several universities in South Korea, including Yonsei University, Soongsil University and Hanshin University. HKBU students guided the secondary school students in organising a workshop for the local students, sharing the values of peacebuilding and inviting them to identify their character traits through the “24 Character Strengths Chart” to foster inner and interpersonal peace.

During the study tour, the students explored local peacebuilding organisations and sites with historical significance, including the Korea Peacebuilding Institute, the historical museum for comfort women called “House of Sharing”, and the Korean Demilitarized Zone in Paju. These visits allowed students to learn about the historical background and the current peacebuilding progress in South Korea. They also took part in a simulated Northeast Asia Peace Forum to experience the process of drafting a peace treaty, and visited local churches and attended their prayer meetings to discover Christianity’s role in promoting peacebuilding efforts.