Photo report: Green Practice Youth Camp, URI Korea 2016

This week we spend in Korea for the Green Practice Youth Camp, was an intensive combination of
receiving cultural/spiritual and practical knowledge. This was transferred in the form of lectures,
workshop, group discussions and visits to local religious and cultural places. Time to reflect was quite
limited so we had to plan carefully to maximize the result. A quick overview:
Religious Pelgrimage:
The Central Church of Chondogyo
Buddhist Jogyesa temple
The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints
Central Mosque

Cultural visits
Sungkyunkwan, confuscianism,
Changdeokgung Palace
Hwaseong Fortress

Lectures
1st Forum
2nd Forum
3rd Forum

Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty

Han river cruise
Group work activities: preparing presentation on Green practice or Peacebuilding
We started every morning at 7:30 to visit a religious or cultural site and in some of the afternoons we
had a lecture and/or group work activities until approximatively 20:00 pm.
It was an intensive week which will hopefully influence our shared future for the best.
For that our thanks to the organizing parties who made this possible for us. And our special thanks and
gratitude to our hosts for this week. Not to forget our three legendary sanin translators.
If one of our young leaders had not mentioned it I wouldn't have put any second thought into it.
Interfaith cooperation definitely can bring something new to cooperations, like spirituality but also the
practical component of togetherness.
What ever it is, this week we had a chance to explore with a mix of several religions and a few nonreligious what might be possible. We respected each others faiths, moved alongside eachother and
sometimes as a solid unit. And we managed to have a great time and actually long for more time
together. If we can cultivate whatever that is and take care, be mindful of the world while cultivating, it
would be most excellent!
Gatsuga Editorial Team 2016

Pre-camp: Welcome dinner with the staff and the foreign students

Day 1: Opening at Chondogyo Church and meeting all the other participants

Day 1: Visit to Jogyesa Temple, Buddhist temple

Day 1: Visit to Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church

Day 1: Arriving at the hostel, we would sleep the rest of the week here, have lectures and groupwork
activities. We had our breakfast and dinner here as well. Lunch varied by day.

Day 1: Keynote speech and first groupsession. Venerable Jinwol explained the context of this camp
and the importance of interfaith work. Group assignments were announced. Each group could pick if
they would like to discuss about Green Practice or Interfaith Peacebuilding. The manner they would
present at the final Day, was entirely up to them.

Day 2: breakfast and Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty

Day 2: Royal Tombs of Joseon Dynasty Here were shown and could practice how in those Days you
would greet the emperor and what special rites there was if one would become an emperor.

Day 2: On our way to the hostel to get lunch and have the 1st forum

Day 2: 1st forum and 2nd forum in the Jubilee room. 1st was more the christian view on good conduct
and practice. The 2nd forum was more about the islamic perspective, and that all the religious should
step up their performance in the service of humanity.

Day 2: Dinner and groupactivities.

Day 2: Leisure time was often spend with a card game Skipbo and this particular night with Korea's
late night chicken snack.

Day 3: Breakfast and Hwaseong fortress / church Day

Day 3: Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church, experiencing a Sunday's churchday. They sang
songs, ate a piece of bread with some water, and converts told their story why they converted and how
much they appreciate this type of church.

Day 3: Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church and traditional Korean cooking

Day 3: Traditional Korean Cooking, sungchae dumpling and seasoned bamboo shoots

Day 3: Traditional Korean clothing, cookies and tea ceremony. For tea its first about color, smell then
taste.

Day 3: Han river cruise

Day 3: Han river cruise

Day 3: Han river cruise and back to the hostel

Day 4: breakfast and the Sungkyunkwan university

Day 4: Sungkyunkwan university, then, only men were allowed to study (female were present in the
cafeteria section), study time between 1 and 50 years. Punishment then was to stand on a rock in the
yard, to contemplate your mistake. Blossom of a certain tree would indicate graduation time.

Day 4: Sungkyunkwan university, two of the oldest trees. Two male trees, of wich one used to be
female. Servants in those times were the lowest class, but never the less a respected class because of
their hard work. But in this particular case, also for their honorable conduct in defending and protecting
the facility.

Day 4: Sungkyunkwan univiersity, story of the boy who got bullied and was sleeping at this tree.
Whom eventually become the number 1 student and advisor to the king. And the drum which was used
to announce certain times for people to gather. (breakfast etc.)

Day 4: Going back for the 3rd forum and preparing for the presentations

Day 4: Presentation time: introduction from different faiths and their view on peace and green
practice

Day 4: presentation time : Dedunna: 7 colors of the rainbow representing each a religion and sayings
by Elenor Roosevelt to inspire through a sketch YesterDay is history, tomorrow is a mystery, toDay is
a gift

Day 4: presentations yesterday is history and Religious Green Practice.

Day 4: Celebration you all did excellent!!!

Day 5: visit to the Mosque

Day 5: visit to the Mosque

Day 5: visiting the Mosque: explaining the prayer

Day 5: having lunch at restaurant Salam (meaning peace)

Day 5: visit to the DMZ (De-Militarized Zone aka Dream Making Zone for the sake of peace)

Day 5: visit to the DMZ (De-Militarized Zone aka Dream Making Zone for the sake of peace)

Day 5: Sharing toughts, songs and last meal together