2024-2025 New York City Youth Ambassadors at The Korea Society
Posing with the Society’s Exhibition Dyadic | Annette Hur & Hayoon Jay Lee
The Project Bridge Youth Ambassador Program is the longest running program offered by The Korea Society’s Education Department. It was started in 1993 as a response to the 1992 Los Angeles uprising to introduce African-American urban students to Korean people, history and culture in an effort to promote greater understanding.
History: Since its inception Project Bridge has engaged urban youth in New York City and Los Angeles and over time has expanded student diversity in these two urban groups. In fall 2019 the Program added a rural and Indigenous youth perspective and voice with the addition of students from Montana. Project Bridge is geared to inner-city junior and senior public high school students in New York and Los Angeles and to juniors across Western Montana of diverse socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds. Students hail from diverse socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds.
US Partners: The Korea Society works in conjunction with the Los Angeles-based Pacific Century Institute and the Missoula-based Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center at the University of Montana to offer many exciting opportunities for youth ambassadors to not only learn about Korea but to develop leadership and intercultural competence skills, improve their public-speaking ability and grow their personal and professional networks. The academic year-long program consists of three key components: bi-monthly workshops, a ten-day study tour to the Republic of Korea and individual research culminating in a spring community presentation. Each site selects eight students annually through a highly competitive application process.
Goals: Project Bridge goals are to ensure students develop insights and skills needed to “bridge” the gaps between people of divergent cultural heritages, to empower them to view social and cultural differences as a pathway - not a barrier – and to exercise their responsibilities as emerging young leaders in an increasingly interconnected and richly diverse world. More specifically, it aims to build an understanding of and appreciation for Korea and the importance of the US-Korea relationship, an understanding that they hold for a lifetime and also share with their respective communities.
Korean Sponsors: Our Korean sponsors, many of them long-standing partners, offer invaluable support, especially during for our ten-day study tour. Their support makes this experience possible and enables us to offer this program at no cost to students.
Ø Korean Air assists us with arrangements for round-trip travel to Korea.
Ø The Korean International Trade Association provides logistical support and hosts a visit to their Seoul offices where youth ambassadors have the opportunity to enjoy the sweeping views of Seoul; and, more importantly, learn about the essential work they do and discuss well as the importance of Korea-US relations.
Ø Jeongbuk International Cooperation Agency arranges an array of opportunities for the group to experience the beauty of the Chosun time period visiting historical sites and engaging in craft-making. They make possible a visit to Jeongbuk Foreign Language High School where students visit classes and learn and practice traditional Korean games as well as a Temple visit.
Ø HD Hyundai prepares an exhilarating tour of their facilities and the vast array of products they make. The tour of the shipbuilding yard is eye-opening given its size and scope and the youth ambassadors learn many facts about shipbuilding of which they had no idea.
Ø Hyundai Motor Company offers educational tours of their facilities and campuses. Students first explore the history of Chung Ju-yung and his unique and critical impact on Korea’s economic development. And, they have the chance to see cars being both assembled and shipped.
Ø POSCO provides a range of stimulating activities from tours of their museums and engaging activities. Students learn not only about the history of the steel industry in Korea but also current domestic and artistic uses for steel that they had no idea existed. Further, POSCO arranges for students to tour POSTECH, a modern and high-tech university, and engage with students.
Ø CKD Kochon Educational Foundation organizes discussions and interactive activities for students to learn about the rich history of the pharmaceutical industry in Korea. They also arrange for a highly interactive visit with Daedong Taxation High School students.
Ø National Institute for Unification Education and the Center for a Unified Korea Future introduce students to the ongoing efforts and outlook for North and South unification with lectures from NIUE professionals, discussions with North Korean immigrants, and interactive activities at the Center
Ø EWHA Womans University student-led campus tours give our US students the opportunity to compare differences between our respective higher education systems as well as faculty-led interactive workshops on Korean traditional music and musical instruments and dancing.
Ø Poongsan High School welcomes the youth ambassadors providing engaging experiences and opportunities for our students to experience many aspects of high school life in Korea.
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Use the following links for further information:
Program Overview
Application Information
Most recent New York City Youth Ambassador cohort
More information on the Los Angeles Pacific Century Institute Program
More information on the Missoula, Montana Mansfield Center Program
If you want to be contacted when our Project Bridge Youth Ambassador competitions open
or if you have a question, please click here.