Have you ever wanted to learn about the Korean language or culture? Perhaps you wondered where you could go in order to join a class or attend lectures on the Korean language or history. Maybe you had spent hours on end browsing various websites, engrossed in your pursuit to deepen your knowledge about this foreign culture. Now, there is a perfect option for students who are interested in learning about Korea; Learnabtkorea, a student-led organization dedicated to spreading Korean culture and history to anyone who is invested in learning.
Learnabtkorea is a group founded to spread the Korean culture and history. Initially starting as a club at Beverly Hills High School, the Learnabtkorea group intends to expand itself to include students from all across the country. In particular, Learnabtkorea aims to bring second generation or adopted Korean Americans who previously had no means to connect with their Korean heritage, closer to their culture and deep-rooted history. “Through Learnabtkorea, I could finally learn about my own culture, and the language I had always wanted to understand and speak,” says Izzy, a student in BHHS. “I grew up disconnected from my Korean heritage, mainly because my parents were second generation Koreans. They don’t know the language or the culture themselves.”
But the group is not reserved just for Korean students. A large majority of the members, in fact, are not Korean at all. Rori, a high school student in Los Angeles, had joined because of her interest in Korea. “The first I learned about Korea was from kpop and the Oscar-winning movie, Parasite. Once I became interested, I wanted to learn more about the Korean language,” she says. “Even though I wasn’t Korean, I felt welcomed by everyone in the group; it wasn’t an environment like other culture clubs where ‘outsiders’ would feel unwelcomed,” Rori remarks. With members from various backgrounds, Learnabtkorea works to create a community unified through a common interest to learn about Korea.
Once every month, the group hosts a free-to-attend Korean Language “seminar” in which students can sign up to join. Just this past semester, the students in the group have made much progress in learning the Korean alphabet, with student leaders teaching the foundations in reading and writing Korean letters. A body of student representatives collaboratively work to create structured lesson plans for each week, alternating between various topics; from the Korean language, vocabulary, to the history and modern culture, Learnabtkorea intends to touch on any and all topics a member may be interested in learning about. Each month, every member also conducted their own research to report on any topic of their choosing.
If students are interested in joining Learnabtkorea, the email, learnabtkorea@gmail.com can be reached at any time of the week; the group is also looking for more students to become a part of the leadership team. Every month, there is a meeting open for anyone to attend. We look forward to hearing from potential new members to join our cause!
