Service Learning Experience

As I have stated in my previous post, I am extremely interested in working with the non-profit organization Liberty in North Korea (LiNK). They work with North Korean refugees who have escaped from the repressive government there. It is difficult for these refugees to flee the country because of the tight security at the borders, and if they are caught, the consequences are often life imprisonment in the equivalent of Nazi concentration camps. It is virtually impossible for refugees to cross into South Korea, so most of them flee to China. However, the Chinese government considers these refugees as illegal immigrants, and when they are caught, they are sent back to North Korea. The human rights that are being violated in this situation have really torn at me, especially since working with LiNK last semester as a part of the International Relations course.

Not only do I want to help these people as the service learning portion of this class, but I also feel that something needs to be done to help the refugees. LiNK helps the refugees get to the border, across it, and into safe-houses scattered throughout southeast Asia. I don't think that everyone is obligated to participate in service learning projects, but I do believe that if one feels passionately about an issue, they should help to bring awareness to the issue and do what they can to help resolve it. I think that I have a mixed view of citizenship. I believe that people should help out at some point in their lives as more of obligatory thing, but at the same time, no one can be forced into enjoying doing service. Since this is an issue that I care about, I will enjoy the project more, and therefore get more out of it.