"Rural Talent Donation is Now 'Nonghwal'"

25 Dongmyeong University Students Volunteer for Three Days in Goseong, Gyeongnam
VR Experience, Environmental Cleanup, Health Exercises, Smartphone Education, and Concert Held

Students from Dongmyung University conducted rural talent donation activities for three days starting from the 17th in Maejeong Village, Donghae-myeon, Goseong-gun, Gyeongnam.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] “Farm volunteering? Now let's go for rural talent donation.”

Twenty-five students from the Nurinam Volunteer Group of the Department of Social Welfare at Dongmyung University carried out a ‘special farm volunteering’ for three days starting from the 17th in Maejeong Village, Donghae-myeon, Goseong-gun, Gyeongnam Province.

Instead of helping with farm work, they taught how to use smartphones, demonstrated new generation health exercises, and held mini concerts to showcase their skills.

Supported by the Rural Development Administration and the University Social Service Council, this was a ‘rural talent donation’ volunteer activity where each student enthusiastically shared their abilities in the rural village.

As talent donation for rural elders, they conducted activities including ▲VR experience, a representative technology of the 4th Industrial Revolution, ▲food culture experience with rural elders and young people, ▲presentation of longevity carnations in August, ▲village environment cleanup, ▲health exercises, ▲smartphone education, and ▲village concerts.

The Nurinam Volunteer Group submitted a plan titled ‘TU-Donggodongrak (Isn't it fun when Dongmyung University and Goseong are together)’ to the rural talent volunteer activity contest in April and was selected among 32 teams nationwide.

The Maejeong Village disinfection team disinfected the village hall and glamping site where the students stayed daily, ensuring the students' safety.

Amid concerns about the resurgence of COVID-19, they practiced hand washing and mask wearing, and carefully checked and recorded the elders’ temperatures.

A student who participated in the talent donation activity said, “Because of COVID-19, we wore masks even while sleeping, maintained social distancing, ate separately, and split into mini groups for activities, so it was an inconvenient ‘farm volunteering’ in many ways, but sharing skills familiar to me like smartphone use with the elders brought greater joy.”