모이자 CPI

01. Please tell us about yourself.

Hi there! I’m Kim Youme, in charge of the Global Citizenship School at international development cooperation NGO World Together. I’ve been involved in a number of international educational development projects in countries like Nepal, China, Zimbabwe, and Viet Nam, and currently administer global citizens education to students, teachers, and public officials around the country using physical activity, artistic elements, and games. I’m also an actress and a member of the production staff in the musical A Common Beat. It’s an international production that brings together actors from numerous countries. As a CPI mentor, I’ve mentored the teams from the Philippines and Kazakhstan, both countries that have special meaning to me; in fact, I performed with Filipino actors in 2019, and with Kazakh performers earlier this year!

02. You’re doing meaningful work in connecting the people of the world as “global citizens”. What did it feel like when you were offered a mentorship in the CPI program?

Exhilarated! It was exactly what I was looking for. Global citizens have a sense of belonging to the entire globe and are curious to find out more about the various cultures that populate this planet we call home. It’s when we understand our differences that we can become a tightly knit, trusting global community in a peaceful, sustainable world. “Culture” is a kind and direct reminder that the varied cultural backgrounds we come from are closely interconnected in an elaborate network of mutual influence. Speaking different languages and hailing from different backgrounds, we can identify with each other through artistic expression and philosophy. Above all, I am pleased that even amid the pandemic, we continue to connect and communicate with each other. It’s brilliant that professional arts groups from Korea and abroad can share their lives as artists and their artistic activities, growing hand in hand in the process. I highly anticipate being able to take part in the process, standing face to face and sharing our voices and gazes.

03. This is your first time as a CPI mentor. What kind of mentor would you like to be?

I want to be a colleague who learns alongside the mentee. Drawing up an action plan requires a subtle and analytical understanding of the country and region where mentoring activities take place. For this to happen, there has to be sufficient conversation regarding mentees’ individual experiences and thoughts and the social aspects of the region from which they come. I expect this process to help us develop a profound understanding of each other, the kind that makes us nod our heads. This is going to be a crucial theme and subject matter of the action plan. Personally, I expect to be able to receive creative inspiration and valuable lessons from the mentees and the staff of partner organizations who support the mentees. I hope to see a mentor-mentee partnership of mutual encouragement and hand-in-hand growth.

04. Many people find preparing an action plan challenging. Do you have any advice?

Drawing up an action plan is a process of addressing a matter that requires change and progress. Through a detailed action plan, we should be able to prepare beforehand for the intended change. An action plan that clearly shows the causal relationships between mutually influential factors is an important yardstick for measuring where a project is—determining whether or not there are matters which you have failed to take into account, whether the project is proceeding according to the intended timeline, if the intended outcome can be reasonably expected, or if the plan requires modification and supplementation, for instance. In drawing up an appealing action plan, it’s crucial to establish a title that expresses the intended activity and goals. That is, the title needs to tell you clearly why this project is necessary, and what the project entails. This helps the people executing the project to identify with it and to verify that the activities are being carried out in line with the project’s objectives. Those unfamiliar with the project should be able to read the title and understand what it is about, and the title should spark curiosity in the project.

05. Do you have any secrets to drawing up a good action plan?

The key to drawing up a good action plan is being able to emphasize and converse comfortably and freely. Action plans are drawn up in teams, and that means having a comfortable atmosphere in which team members can discuss any topic is crucial. That sort of atmosphere will elicit a flood of diverse ideas, among which you will find thoughts that more than one of you can identify with. Add to these ideas specific grounds to give it credibility, and you’re almost there! While you and your team go about drawing up the action plan, you’ll be discussing various ways of harnessing your individual artistic medium, what sort of contribution you hope to make, and in what sort of world you ultimately wish to live. The process is naturally going to bring you and your teammates closer together.

06. What do you want your mentees to take home from the mentoring process?

First and foremost, it’s an opportunity to share your life and become friends with an officer at a partner organization. Second, artists have an important responsibility to give those who experience their work the gift of connecting with and becoming enlightened of oneself and the world. I sincerely hope that mentees have fun brainstorming and working together with the diverse countries and Korean partner organizations participating alongside them and manage to produce outcomes that are helpful to the arts ecosystems and communities not only of Korea but of all countries.

07. Is there any comments you want to say to CPI Participants?

Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE) and its partner organizations have worked long and hard in preparing to receive you. In particular, the pandemic has necessitated even more minute attention to detail. These preparations have made possible the active exchanges that are currently ongoing. Foreign participants and Korean partner organizations participating together in and carrying out the numerous events and tasks making up the training program will not always be easy; many of the CPI participants have performances and ongoing projects alongside the training program. I sincerely applaud the efforts to CPI participants for their eager participation in the various program elements, the partner organizations for always striving to share better quality contents and KOFICE for staunch support we can count on. Our coming and working together will be an important first step in interweaving the world through culture, building new and sustainable ties among the corners of our planet, and ushering in the growth and warmhearted change our society needs.

Kim Youme

She is an actress, an activist working for international development cooperation projects, and a researcher studying art therapies. She has mentored the teams from the Philippines and Kazakhstan as a CPI mentor this year