Student Voluntary Labor Service for the Rural Society
In June, ST took part in supporting rural communities. Let us take a look at what ST has done. ..................Ed From June 27 to July 6th (2017), the General Student Association (GSA) carried out the summer Student Voluntary Labor Service for a rural society in Eumseong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do. From July 6th to July 7th, the membership training (MT) evaluation was conducted in Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do. Each college adopted one village for 10 nights and 11 days, in which they assisted in physical labor, while having a good time with the elders of the village. On July 3rd, a sports meeting was held in order to revitalize students, who were exhausted from the continuous physical labor. For each participant in this summer’s SVLS, the GSA provided two t-shirts, a pair of cool arm sleeves, and a lunch box. They also provided a hanging banner for the whole group. The MT evaluation was held for two days in Yeoju, Gyeonggi -do, during the participants had the opportunity to share their various efforts to support the community, and eat the delicious food prepared for them by GSA. The students were able to conduct various activities in as part of this summer’s SVLS. Basically, they helped farmers who were experiencing shortage of harvest. Students mainly assisted with watermelon farming. Firstly, we were required breaking down the large stones in the vinyl greenhouse. The reason for this is was because large stones can cause discomfort when one sits down to work. After breaking down the stones, the students covered each lane with commercial grade vinyl with holes punched through at regular intervals. A watermelon plant would grow through each hole. When the watermelon fruit grows, all the stems must me removed. Farmers today often use machines to assist them in food production, but the above-mentioned work must be done by hand. The students removed the stems with a hoe and a sickle, then they placed the stems outside the vinyl greenhouse. When all the stems have been removed, the plant will be relocated and the stems be discarded. Most of the participating colleges helped with the farming, but there were 3 colleges that studied the illness of the elderly, provided them with a massage service for 2 hours, and helped them with a pharmacist.
Han Jeong-woo (ST Cub-Reporter)