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 | | |
Dear OpenArms,
This was my first couple of months as Executive Director, and what an inspiring and fulfilling time it has been. The commitment of our volunteers, the engagement and love shown by our kids, and the growing support towards our mission is energizing and grounding.
Rolling off the high energy of the mascot launch and AGM in April, May and June were exciting months for Open Arms. Along with our regular programs, we hosted three very successful fundraising events. Open Arms Talks, our first ever community talk series, focused on Korea’s history and trends in adoption, the experience of growing up in the welfare system, and why these are social topics that we should all be interested in. Through these talks we heard expert perspectives and lived-in testimonials, and had a chance to engage with our wider community on the work we do. The talks were followed by the Namsan Mountain Music Festival, hosted by Colleen Allan and her family. Four local bands volunteered their time and music to make it a warm, fun and lively afternoon full of good-will and camaraderie. We were also at the school fairs in SFS, Dwight, YISS and Dulwich - meeting with kids and families, and new volunteers.
In our programs, the kids have enjoyed a variety of activities like camping games in tents, fun science experiments, limbo dancing, learning about Lithuania, to name a few. We had the highly anticipated Coming Together event with our partners SFS and SIWA, where the kids got to choose between rock-climbing, baking or CrossFit, based on their interests.
As we get ready to take a short break for summer, we are already planning ahead to a full agenda for Fall, which will include special field trips for our kids and our next fundraiser, a bike-a-thon in Seoul. Stay tuned for more details!
Thank you as always for being part of our community. It takes a village to help raise children and we are ever so grateful for our growing one.
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yolekha
Executive Director 2025
Nationality: Indian
Volunteer since 2024- present
| | | As we get ready to break for summer we want to say thank you for a great first half of 2025. Your commitment and love for the organization and our kids is what keeps us moving and growing. Looking ahead, here’s the schedule for Fall and a few key things to plan for. A very happy, safe summer to all of you and please feel free to reach out to Yolekha or any of our coordinators for anything you may need in the meantime. | | |
June
Volunteer sign-up for fall programs
Information posted in Signal chats for registered volunteers
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July
Programs will be on summer break in July. No classes!
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September
Bikeathon - September 6
Eric & Justin are planning their 3rd Bikeathon Fundraiser in Seoul! Stay tuned!
Social Club Picnic - September 20
Mark the date!
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October
Volunteer sign-up for winter sessions
Volunteer Workshop - October 26
We have a really great session planned for our next volunteer workshop. It will be held at Aston Hall in the British Embassy, and our key speaker will be Yurim, who grew up in a welfare home and represents the perspective of the children in our programs. It will be an important and powerful session and we hope many of you will be able to attend. More details to come.
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November
Programs evaluations
Holiday markets International Schools (TBC)
Thanksgiving Event
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December
OA/Dulwich 9th Annual Holiday Gift Drive
Social Club: Holiday Mingle - December 5
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Namsan Mountain Music Festival
June 1, 2025
On Sunday, June 1st, the inaugural Namsan Mountain Music Festival was held in a beautiful and intimate setting in support of Open Arms. It was a very special, sunny afternoon filled with great music, food, and our wider community who showed up to mingle, relax and support our work. We couldn’t be more grateful.
Very special thanks to the four bands that filled the afternoon with music and magic:
Honey Jam Sam, Red Dawg String Band, Wild Atlantic Way and Seth Mountain.
Thanks as well to Jackson Pizza, Chillhops Brewing Co. and Moet Hennesy for the food and beverages. And nothing is complete without an assortment of desserts, created by several volunteers and friends.
Most of all, special thanks to Colleen and her family for hosting in their dreamy space.
It is truly humbling to see our village continue to grow in support of our mission and our kids. It is this bedrock of goodwill that enables us to keep surging forward.
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Dulwich Seoul Fair
May 14, 2025
Dwight Spring Fair
May 17, 2025
Open Arms was represented at Dulwich Seoul & Dwight International Schools by our amazing volunteers and HaNeul, our mascot. This year, we also had a very fun and engaging HaNeul themed game that the kids loved! We had merchandise available for donations and were excited to see our mascot go out into the world with new friends. Our presence at these fairs is a great opportunity to advocate our mission and also find willing partners to join us on the journey. Big thanks to Dulwich & Dwight for supporting OA throughout the year and having us. Thank you also to our talented OA bakers who provided amazing baked goods for the Dulwich Fair. Thank you to our hardworking OA team headed by Rita, who enthusiastically spread our good work in the community.
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OA Talks
Understanding the Field of Adoption May 14
OA hosted its very first talk. It was an enlightening evening and we are grateful to share it with everyone who came. OA is continuously trying to learn and understand the lives of our children.
The talk gave us a broader understanding of adoption in a historic perspective with a presentation by Dr. Philshik Shin. Further, acclaimed author Eva Tind expressed the feelings of a child that was moved to the other side of the world, in a poetic way. Her words will stay with us and give us a language to talk about and understand the feelings of both adoptees as well as our children growing up in welfare homes.
Growing Up in Care May 22
OA’s 2nd talk continued the conversation on how to understand the lives, thoughts and feelings of our children.
Director Park of Shinmangwon and Vice-President of the Seoul Children’s Welfare Association, opened up about the difficulties of creating a loving home which at the same time is under law and regulations, tight budgets and is fundamentally someone’s workplace. It was an insightful presentation and one quote coined the overall message, ‘Self reliance, ironically, cannot be achieved alone.’
Yurim bravely shared her own personal experiences growing up in care and it was a powerful testimony showing how difficult a childhood is, but also insisted that we must break the stigma and stop portraying children in care as pitiful.
We could not agree more! At Open Arms, we want to help our kids reach their full potential.
| | CW children made Get Well Soon flowers & cards for Katy | |
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.
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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.
| | 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 (coordinator), Irene, Veronica, Murray PRIMARY: Katy (coordinator), Silvia, Amethyst, Sanjana, Joseph, Lauren | | |
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 DT volunteers: Nancy (liaison), Katy (coordinator), Ash, Amethyst, Heena, Gaby, Tash, Lisa | | 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, Cate, Jihong, Lindsay, Elze, Suyeon, Brooke, Emma, Jake, Sanjana | | Dulwich Early Teens Saturday/monthly 10:00-12:00pm | | Thank you to our Dulwich volunteers: Chris (liaison), Joseph (coordinator), Sophie, Kelly, Lindsay, Elaine, Christine, David, Rita, Lavinia, Beatrice, Isabelle, Suyeon, Emma, Claire, Carolina, Brooke, Laura, Jake, Heather | | SMW Primary Early Teens Saturday/monthly 10:00-12:00pm | | Thank you to our SMW PRIMARY volunteers: Amethyst (liaison, coordinator), Erica (liaison, coordinator), Sophia, Agnes EARLY TEENS volunteers: 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.
| | Thank you to our SDW PRIMARY volunteers: Lee family, Johnson family, Jeon family, Cuello-Federighi family, Yoon family, Katy | | Community, connection, kids and fun are some of the key words our volunteers use to describe what they love about Open Arms. We are proud of our community, that every week and weekend show up to give the kids magical memories while practicing their English. We celebrated more than 1800 volunteer hours with the kids in 2024. If you want to join our community as a volunteer, check out the opportunities on our website: www.theopenarms.org | | |
I started volunteering in February 2025, at the beginning of my exchange semester. I wanted to do something meaningful during this semester abroad, and I have zero regrets! I enjoyed every moment with my little girls. Every week, even after one hour on the subway from university to get there, I was always excited. Seeing the smiles on their faces and having fun with them is a feeling I will never forget.
Thank you to all the Open Arms members I had the chance to meet. We had great talks, and you were always there to help me, even when I didn’t ask. Open Arms has genuinely been one of the best parts of this semester. We come from all around the world, but we gather around our love for the children and our big hearts. Now I’m heading to Canada to finish my final year of university, but believe me, I’ll be back in Korea and with Open Arms very soon.
Stay healthy, laugh, and smile.
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lisa
DT Primary
Nationality: French
Volunteer since 2025
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I joined Open Arms in October 2024 as a volunteer with the pre-teens at Dulwich College, and it’s been such an enriching experience. Working with the kids reminded me that connection doesn’t always require words.
For me, connection came through singing, dancing (mostly trying my best to keep up with the girls doing K-pop!), skipping rope, and cooking. When there’s no shared language and trust is still growing, movement and music can build a bridge.
Each time, my goal was to create small moments of connection—hoping they brought joy, laughter, and a sense of presence.
On a personal note, as an expat—especially one who doesn’t work here or speak Korean—my experience of Korean culture can sometimes feel limited. Volunteering with Open Arms and other organizations has offered me glimpses into different realities. It’s helped me feel connected to Seoul in a more meaningful way.
The Open Arms community has truly blown me away with its vision, dedication, and heart. I’m deeply grateful to have been a part of it, and I wish the organization continued growth and impact. Most of all, I wish, with all my heart, the very best for the kids—and the support and strength they deserve as they move through the world.
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kristine
Dulwich ET
Nationality: Canadian
Volunteer since 2024
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thank you & goodbye
잘 가, 친구
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Elze (MJ)
Jihong (MJ)
Lisa (DT)
Kristine (DW)
Johnson family (SDW)
Natalia & Cuello-Federighi family (SDW)
| | 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. | |
Open Arms is a Volunteer-Driven Organisation
Thank you to our passionate and dedicated leaders who work behind the scenes to build our small but beautiful organisation.
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Representative Director
ALICIA CHUNG
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Executive Director
YOLEKHA MALLIER
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Educational Director
KATY FREEMAN
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Finance Director
ERIKA LEE
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Volunteer Director
AMETHYST ETESSAM
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Welfare Home Liaison
KATHRINE NEILSEN
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Fundraising
COLLEEN ALLAN
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Child Protection Officer
DELASI OSEI
| | The Administration Team tracks our finances, plans events, ensures our volunteers have a great experience, and our programs run efficiently | | | | |
CONTACT US
#2173, 20th Fl, 149, Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03186 South Korea
info@theopenarms.org
| | Thank you to all the volunteers for contributing photos and reports. If you have any questions or ideas for upcoming newsletters, please DM or email Barbara at info@theopenarms.org. It's a joy to bring you the latest news! | | | | |
