Our vision is a community where children are accepted, valued and unconditionally loved so they can grow into adults who will contribute positively to our society

february 2025 newsletter

Dear OpenArms,

The new year is in full swing, and there’s already so much to celebrate! First, we want to wish you all a belated Happy Lunar New Year - 새해 복 많이 받으십시오! May this year bring you joy, health and good fortune. Our programs are back after a busy start to 2025 and we’re excited for everything ahead.

A huge thank you to everyone who attended the AWC Gala - what an unforgettable evening! Your enthusiasm made it a truly special night. With the support of the AWC, we are able to continue expanding our programs and creating even more meaningful moments for the children.

Looking ahead, we’re gearing up for our Annual General Meeting (AGM) on April 12. This is an important event where we reflect on the past year, share updates, and look ahead to new opportunities. Whether you're a longtime volunteer or new to Open Arms, we’d love to see you there! Stay tuned for more details.

And finally—some exciting news! We’ll soon be revealing our new mascot. This fun addition to Open Arms represents the heart of our community, and we can’t wait to share it with you. Keep an eye out for the big announcement!

Thank you for being part of this journey with us. Your support, kindness and dedication continue to make a lasting impact. Wishing you all a wonderful start to the new year!

With gratitude,

amethyst

Volunteer Director

Volunteer since 2024

news

OA Volunteer Training

February 23, 2025

Seoul Foreign British School

Our first volunteer training for the year was a session on Classroom Management that was led by our own Katy Freeman. It was a cozy morning, where old and new volunteers were led through an engaging, interactive workshop on how to create the most effective and safe physical, social and academic environment specific to our kids and programs. Through a word cloud, we discussed our intentions for our programs and discussed strategies for engagement and behavior management, while being a positive presence, and asking for help when needed. Volunteers also got to know each other better through sharing their volunteer stories and discussing people who had impact on them. 

Stay tuned for more information on the next one in the fall!

Open Arms Alumni Association NEW!

Calling all former Volunteers!

We are excited to announce our new Alumni Association for former volunteers of OA. We want to reconnect with you and also reconnect you to the kids! If you are a former volunteer and haven't received an email and link to join, please click the button below to find out more, or get in touch via alumni@theopenarms.org. Looking forward to hearing from you!

upcoming events

Annual General Meeting

April 12, 2025

Registered Members Only

The AGM is our chance to meet across programs and functions for a lovely evening looking back at another great year! It is also a chance for you as a member to have insights too and influence on the development of Open Arms. We hope to see many of you! As we get closer, you will receive details on the program and venue.

SIWA/OA Coming Together

April 6, 2025

SFBS

The SIWA/OA Coming Together event represents a beautiful collaboration between SIWA, Open Arms, Crossfit Kilogram Tribe and Seoul Foreign British School, united in a spirit of compassion and mentorship to uplift the lives of children. This will be the third installment of an initiative that brings joy and excitement to these young hearts, allowing them to step outside their welfare homes and immerse themselves in a day filled with arts and sports—experiences that foster joy and creativity. The participation of high school students and aged-out youth adds a unique dimension to this event, reinforcing the community-driven spirit of SIWA and Open Arms by providing invaluable mentorship to the younger generation. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the volunteers and partners, especially SIWA, whose unwavering commitment empowers these vulnerable children through enriching activities.

OA Mascot Project

After a year in the making, the moment we've all been waiting for is just around the corner—our new mascot is almost set to make its grand debut! With the final artwork beautifully crafted by the talented Jin Kim, we are buzzing with excitement as we prepare to launch merchandise that will delight our kids, members, and sponsors alike. But that's not all; our children are taking the reins again by collaboratively naming our whale, ensuring that their voices and creativity shine through this initiative. We are also working on an exhibit to showcase our new mascot along with the children's original sketches, where they will be honored as our VIP guests along with our special stakeholders. Please stay tuned for details coming soon.

Thank you to our hardworking Mascot Team who helped make this project a reality:

Wain Choi (lead), Jin Kim (Disney Animator), Inger (co-ordinator), Katy (mascot class lead), Hye (merchandise), Irene (merchandise, event), Natalia (venue & media)

American Women's Club Charity Gala

February 7, 2025



AWC's Annual Charity Gala held at the Grand Hyatt Seoul was a heartwarming gathering of 330 people, all united under the beautiful theme of love. Open Arms was honored to be one of five recipients, along with Korean Legacy Project, Liberty in North Korea, Planting Love and Haesimwon. Their collective love and support empower us to continue our mission to provide English education to children in South Korean welfare homes. Last year's generous contribution from the AWC enabled us to expand our programs and purchase iPads, opening up a world of learning and connection for the children we serve. AWC's support not only fuels our efforts but also fosters hope and friendship within our community. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us!

volunteer with us

Open Arms provides play and activity-based English education for children living at welfare homes.

We meet the children as toddlers because we know early childhood education gives children the best start in life. Then we grow with the children following their life journey learning English. The ambition is to follow the kids even as they move away from the welfare homes and into young adulthood.

katy

Education Director

Volunteer since 2019

Volunteer Sign Up

Every quarter we send out our ROTA to sign up for program attendance for the volunteers. It is very important that you let us know if and when you can join so we can plan accordingly.

Updated Child Protection Policy

Every year we revisit our Child Protection Policy. This year we have given it a comprehensive update to make it shorter and easier to understand for our volunteers.

CW Toddlers Our toddlers have graduated and moved on to the Early Years Program! No new Toddler Program for the time being.

CW Early Years Primary Tuesday/weekly 5:30-6:15 pm

Thank you to our dedicated CW volunteers EARLY YEARS: kathrine (liaison), dee dee (coordinator), lola, marta, irene, veronica, shevanti PRIMARY: katy (coordinator), kathrine, silvia, amethyst, sanjana, joseph, lauren

CW Early Years

CW Primary

DTV Primary Thursday/weekly 5:30-7:00pm

We are currently looking for more volunteers to ensure individual attention for each child. New volunteers please fill out Volunteer Form or ROTA for registered volunteers.

Thank you to our DTV volunteers: nancy (liaison), katy (coordinator), ash, elena, amethyst, heena, gaby

MJ Primary Early Teens Sat/monthly 10:00-12:00pm

Thank you to our MJ volunteers: joohee (liaison), louisa (coordinator), sophie (coordinator), darine, alice, nikki, chey, veronica, cate, melissa, kathrine, elaine, jessica, jihong, lindsay, elze

Dulwich Early Teens Saturday/monthly 10:00-12:00pm

Thank you to our Dulwich volunteers: chris (liaison/coordinator), joseph (coordinator), sophie, gordon, kelly, lindsay, elaine, jim, veronica & christine

SMW Primary Early Teens Saturday/monthly 10:00-12:00pm

Thank you to our SMW volunteers PRIMARY amethyst (liaison, coordinator), erica (liaison, coordinator), sophia, agnes EARLY TEENS amethyst (liaison, coordinator), erica (liaison, coordinator), arya, robin

SDW @ SFS EY Friday/weekly 4:30-6:00 pm

Currently not open to new volunteers

The SFS Open Arms English Club program is a fun, activity based way of learning English. Activities such as treasure hunts in the forest, games and reading time are set in the inspiring atmosphere of the SFS learning environment, The participating children are a mix from SDW and SFS with volunteers from Open Arms who plan and facilitate the activities.

Open Arms is a volunteer-based organization, where every aspect - from planning our English education programs to fundraising - is handled by our volunteers! You are the heart of our organization! We are thankful for the wonderful and generous volunteers who contribute in many meaningful ways.

volunteer voices

I started volunteering with Open Arms in October of 2024. I had just quit my English teaching job and started studying Korean at a language school, so I finally had time in the evenings to be able to participate in different organizations and clubs in Seoul. I found Open Arms through some Google searches and after reading and reaching out to Amethyst, I thought Open Arms would be a great match with my values and skills.

While I am comfortable working with kids, Open Arms was a very different environment than that of the academy where I was teaching. Therefore, I needed to be flexible and learn from the other volunteers in order to contribute to the great learning environment of Open Arms. Luckily, the Open Arms team has been extremely helpful and supportive. They have also pushed me to become more involved and assume more responsibilities within the organization, something that I am very grateful to do.

Finally, of course, spending time with the children is the most meaningful part of this organization. Beyond learning English, I can tell the children, consciously or unconsciously, value the environment created at Open Arms events. Compared to when I first started, I can see how the children trust me more and look up to me. The children ask me questions and come to me for help. This trust is by far the most important thing to me in a teacher-student/mentor-mentee relationship. Therefore, creating this trust and seeing the resulting positive experiences that come out from it are the two most rewarding parts of Open Arms for me.

joseph

Nationality: American

Volunteer since 2024

goodbye & thank you

잘 가, 친구

Hannah Won

Richard Park

Munazza Zafar

Cristina Alonso

Gordon Winthrop

Liz McCarthy

James Metelak

Colette Pitout

Somila Tondile

Thank you for your sacrifice of time and dedication. Your presence and kindness made a difference and have created lasting memories for the children. We wish you the best in your next chapter and invite you to continue this meaningful journey with us by joining our newly launched Alumni Association. This is a wonderful opportunity to remain connected and support the ongoing growth and development of the children you have touched so deeply and to help create a global network.

meet our team

inger

Executive Director

Volunteer since 2023

THANK YOU TO OUR PASSIONATE AND DEDICATED MEMBERS WHO WORK BEHIND THE SCENES TO BUILD OUR ORGANISATION

CONTACT US

#2173, 20th Fl, 149, Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03186 South Korea

info@theopenarms.org