As winter arrives, everyone starts to prepare for the end of the year and so does Open Arms. Another great year has passed for Open Arms. Everyone is so happy to be back with the kids and all programs are again running at full speed after the close down.

The past 5 months I have gotten to know Open Arms and it is impressive and heart warming to see how all the volunteers go the extra mile to make every session special for the kids. This fall we have also been able to host very special sessions together with Jeena and Fur All Dogs, who works with rescued dogs. It is a perfect example of the kids getting new experiences while practicing their English.

During our last strategy session, we set goals for our organization for the coming years. It was a good and industrious Saturday with many volunteers participating. Thank you for that. It is so important to have many inputs from the volunteers who do the work on a regular basis moving the organization forward. In the coming year, our focus will be on consolidating the organization after some tumultuous years with the pandemic, reopening etc. that naturally affects a young organization as ours. This means developing a new and smoother system for onboarding and managing volunteers, setting up a new and more transparent organizational structure and creating a written curriculum to make our work more sustainable. By doing this, the curriculum team was also able to invest in a new learning program for our Primary (Early Years) program, thanks to the generous donation from AWC’s gala 2022. The next time we will work on the strategic side of Open Arms will be at the AGM in spring 2024 so keep an eye out. 

Now everyone is preparing for Christmas and so are the hard-working OA and Dulwich College Seoul elves to get all the kids what they wished for during our 6th annual Christmas Present Drive.

We are excited to welcome Inger as our acting Executive Director as Sanjini steps back from active participation in this role. At our AGM 2024, Sanjini will formally resign and our membership will have the opportunity to vote on our leadership. In the meantime, we hope you will give Inger your warm support!

PAST EVENTS

Conclusions on goals

The goals were accepted with no changes. Going down the road of course they need more work and eventually we need to start working on a longer term strategy once the infrastructure is in place. 

Conclusions on organisation

The new organisation was accepted with no changes. 

We had an important discussion of whether volunteers should follow the kids as they grow up or the volunteers should stay with their program. The overall conclusion was that the character of our work and volunteers call for an overall principle that the volunteers follow the program, and as the kids “graduate” each program we make a lovely transition into a new group. This ensures a transparency of the transience of our individual relationships with the kids. It also ensures the development of core competencies in each team towards each age group. 

Curriculum development

An overall framework was set in place around the curriculum.

SPECIAL EVENT

OA/Dulwich Christmas Present Drive

The elves were busy at Dulwich preparing Christmas presents (worth up to 30,000 KW) for 218 ‘nice’ and deserving children this Christmas! This year, a request of 40 additional children for all the girls living in the Blue House at DTVB and 10 aged out young adults from SMW was made. Dulwich and their parent community did not disappoint! Gifts were sponsored in record time and have started to arrive in Santa’s workshop a.k.a the Dulwich Primary office :-) The OA/Dulwich Christmas Present Drive, now in it’s 6th year, is truly a labour of love for everyone involved, What makes it special is that each child or caregiver is able to personally choose their present. They were as varied as the children and included clothing, shoes, cosmetics, toys and even snacks. With a few years under their belt, the dedicated Christmas Present Drive team of Mary Ann, James, Barbara and Milee have made the process more streamlined and efficient. Thank you team and Dulwich College Seoul's Global Warriors for making Christmas a little more special for the children. MaryAnn mentioned a few years ago that we are more than a partner, we are friends. Indeed, each valuable member and partner is part of the OA community where children are accepted, valued and unconditionally loved so they can grow into adults who will contribute positively to our society. Thank you Dulwich and the army of children, staff and parents who support Open Arms, hearts and arms wide open.

OA/Dulwich Christmas Toy Drive 2022

Volunteers are the lifeblood of Open Arms. We are the ones working with the children, and with that comes a level of commitment. As our organisation grows, the coordinator team will be responsible for making sure that our volunteers have everything they need to be the best they can be for the children. Thank you all for making Open Arms a special and safe space for the children.

We have had a fun action-packed few months with our Primary Years Program at DTV and CWWC. We have had the privilege of working alongside Jeena and her team at Fur all Dogs. Seeing the children around the dogs is just incredible. The children often feel scared and nervous to start but thanks to Jeena's approach and the beautiful nature of the dogs the children quickly come around to see how gentle and comforting the dogs are to touch and be with. 

We have also made pancakes, learnt about Pakistan, Autumn festivals, played games, made necklaces, played lego challenges, treasure hunts and so much more. My thanks goes of course to our amazing volunteers who make these programs possible. For their dedication, time and passion for the children's learning.

Katy

Education Director

HAPPY Socks

Every Monday, I slip on the same pair of socks to meet the toddlers in Room 301. The word “HAPPY” is spelled in colorful letters on each sock, which matches how I feel greeting those sweet faces. This week, while playing with foam alphabet shapes, an adorable nearly 3-year-old named Juwon carefully positioned the “A” on my sock. Then, he eagerly searched for another and discovered the “H.” Together, we matched a few more.

It’s all about connections. Juwon connected the scattered pile of letters on the floor with the word on a pair of socks. Similarly, Open Arms volunteers connect with the children of Room 301, dedicating time and energy to the growth, development and encouragement of these precious children.

Together, we sing songs, play games, color, cut, paste, and paint. However, the real purpose of Open Arms is to connect parentless children to moments of joy and new opportunities. Thank you, volunteers, for so many happy mornings!

Dee Dee - CWWC Toddler Co-ordinator

Our thanks to our lovely CW team: Katy, Mihwa, Sunny, Ingrid, Louisa, Lauren, Kathrine, Miyong, Julie, Sally, Junhwan, Chiara and Minwoo

Also see Open Arms on Dream Tree Village's Instagram account

It has been wonderful to see how the attitudes and behaviour of the children have developed since our first session in October 2021. As many of you, who were there at the start know, it was challenging and a little overwhelming to work out how to best connect and teach the children. Fast forward to our last session, and it shows the great work that our volunteers have put in over the years. The children now engage with the activities that are on offer and approach learning in a focused and calm way. We were lucky enough to have Anne Gerard Berthet, a mural artist who will be working at MJ in the coming months. Activities were aimed at giving the children the opportunity to be creative with art and a selection of painting and drawing tasks were given. Many had the opportunity to work with Anne to learn how to create digital artwork on an iPad.

James - MJ EY Co-ordinator

On a mission to show the world that dogs can do things for humanity that humans can’t do.

We're dedicated to show the world the impact of therapy dogs, illustrating how they possess a unique ability to provide comfort, support, and healing in ways that often surpass the capacities of humans. Through our mission, we aim to elevate awareness of the transformative role therapy dogs play in enhancing the well-being of humanity.

These kids are incredible and you can’t even believe how amazing and different they are with the dogs. Difficult kids, super shy kids and younger harder to focus kids BLOSSOM!!!! Some are scared and won’t come close in the beginning but then TOTALLLLLLLY are all over the dogs. It’s incredible. I want to do more. I see this being a long term partnership and I want to grow my team, grow your team, to help support Open Arms emotionally and financially.

Jeena

Thank you also for the socks for the girls! Please support their mission of supporting local charities by purchasing items from their shop www.furalldogs.com.

To protect the children's right to privacy and as a child safeguarding in general we are tightening up our procedures for photography. Going forward, only one person should take pictures at the sessions. The group coordinator will designate this person. That means no one else takes pictures. You can all see the pictures on Signal later, but they are not to be downloaded. 

In general, you are never to post pictures from Open Arms on Social Media. No matter how cute the situation is, if it is to raise awareness or you cannot see the children's faces :-) We know you take pictures to be helpful and because you really love the kids. But it is important to keep the rights of the kids in mind - they will be adults too one day and have the right to choose if they want pictures out there. 

Also, it is a way of protecting you as our volunteers because not everyone wants their picture taken or shared. If you as a volunteer do NOT want your picture taken or shared on social media let us know. Going forward we will clarify this already at signing up 👀 If you have any questions do not hesitate to ask :-)

Thank You For Your Generous Donations

AMERICAN WOMEN'S CLUB KOREA

NEW YEAR'S GALA

January 13, 2024

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Behind the Scenes

I am visiting NGOs all over the world to become an expert in small-scale change makers. If you want to get a hold of me, you are welcome to write me at juliepalstrom@gmail.com and I share stories of my travels at @vidi_community on Instagram.