American high school students design canvas shoes at the Shoes of Hope event at the International Seoul Youth Hostel in central Seoul on Aug. 13. The event was part of the 14-day Korea-U.S. Youth Network 2009, the first government-level exchange program of students between the two countries.
"This is a peace mark and these lines around the mark represent my hope to spread peace throughout the world", said a 16-year-old boy from the United States, holding up canvas shoes and smiling. Other students in his age group sat on the floor, concentrating on designs for their shoes, which will be sent to needy children in Cambodia.
The Shoes of Hope event, in which students draw hopeful images on shoes and them to poor children in many countries, was chosen as part of the first annual Korea-US Youth Network 2009 and took place at the International Seoul Youth Hostel, located at the northern foot of Mt. Namsan in Seoul, on Aug. 13.
A total of 101 American high school students have been participating in the 14-day program, which ends Aug. 22. The program, a follow up to the Korea-U.S. summit between Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Barack Obama last June, was created to improve the bilateral cultural relationship between the two countries.
In this year's program, students have been participating in about three different events a day with the help of student volunteers from Yonsei University.
The program includes classes in Korean language and taekwondo as well as a tour of Seoul, a kimchi-making session, and a weekend home-stay program, all designed to expose the students to a variety of aspects of Korean culture.
"People sometimes have a bad outlook on Americans, thinking that they are not motivated to spend time to help others", said Lauren Waldorf, 15, from Texas. She said her contribution to this program is "like being an ambassador. I wanted to change those perceptions by proving that not all Americans are like that".
The majority of students, between 14- and 19-years-old, were mostly unaware of Korean culture before the program despite their interest in Asian cultures. They often overlooked Korea, given its distance from the American continent.
"We are working to pursue a sustainable relationship between the two countries", said Lee Hyun-ju, an official from the Office of International Affairs at Yonsei University. "We were unable to send Korean students this year; however, we are making efforts to send students for a U.S. cultural experience next year".
The Council of International Education Exchange, a U.S. non-profit organization sending students overseas for cultural exchanges with foreign countries, arranged the program at the expense of the Korean government.
Korea Times interns Kang Hye-yeong, Kweon Yea-won and Kim Young-geon contributed to this article.
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