South Korea

ACTIVE:

2015 – Present

TRAVEL DATES:

May 23 – June 22, 2024

GENERAL INFO:

Mercer students and faculty in the Mercer On Mission program in South Korea spend time with children in first through 12th grades at Drim School and Woorideol School, alternative schools founded for North Korean refugees and their children. The Mercer team leads activities to help improve the refugees’ English language skills and teach them engineering concepts.

Meeting a Need

The backgrounds and past traumatic experiences of Drim and Woorideol students make it hard for them to assimilate into local culture and lead productive, enriching lives. In South Korea, English and technological skills are essential to an individual’s success and acceptance, and this Mercer On Mission program aims to help students gain those competencies as well as confidence.

What You'll Do

Mercer students and faculty teach and get to know the Korean students while living on site with them for three weeks. They lead English language lessons and expose students to technology during LEGO Robotics activities and 3D designing, scanning, modeling and printing work.

Separately, the Mercer group will assist the Korean Army in its ongoing excavation project to find the remains of soldiers who fought during the Korean War.

In addition, participants will visit the city of Seoul, historic sites of the Silla and Chosun dynasties, UNESCO World Heritage sites, and Korean War memorials.

It was my first time abroad and the first time I feel I’ve made a difference in a community in a really tangible way. I found my way of life changing in that small amount of time. I want to push myself further and travel to other countries and even do work there. It kind of certified that I want to work with minority populations and help people that are less fortunate than me.

Kendall Ross

Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Criminal Justice, ’25

Academic Courses

Choose one of the following:

EGR 491 – Special Topics: Programming for Robotics with LEGO EV3
ETM 591 – Special Topics: Design and Construction of LEGO EV3 Competition Ideas and Settings
EGR 491 – Special Topics: MOM Engineering 3D Design, Scanning, Modeling and Printing
ETM 591 – Special Topics: Advanced MOM Engineering Intro to 3D Design, Scanning, Modeling and Printing