May 18 Academy: Course for Civil Society Activists on Democracy, Human Rights and Peace Movements in Korea

The May 18 Foundation has announced a call for civil society activists around the world to participate in the May 18 Academy 2012 which is an education/training program on Democracy, Human Rights and Peace Movements.

The aim of the May 18 Academy is to introduce participants to Korean history and a variety of democratic movements in Korea including the Gwangju Democratic Uprising in 1980, through both theoretical and practical experiences. Participants in the Academy engage with Korean modern history of human rights and democracy through a 3 week program of guided fieldtrips to places of significance in Korean modern history (such as Panmujeom in the de- militarized zone (DMZ)), visits with Korean organizations, as well as expert lectures and workshops. The first week is held in Seoul and the following two weeks are held in Gwangju learning first-hand about the UNESCO-listed 1980 Gwangju democratic uprising against the former military regime. The 1980 Gwangju uprising is credited with bringing democracy to the Korean peninsula.

The May 18 Academy 2 strives to contribute to the development of democracy and human rights throughout Asia by hosting 20 invitees from all over the Asia (and sometimes even further afield! As we have have participants from Italy, Australia, Fiji), who have been working for human rights and peace organizations in their respective countries. The emphasis is on organizational partnership, so applicants endorsed by their organization will be given priority in the participant selection procedure. Applicants’ organizations should support their staff’s successful completion of the course from the May 18 Academy by providing expenses for issuing of the travel visa and internal travel expenses in their home country aside from the round trip airfare, Korean domestic expenses and accommodation which are provided by the Foundation for him/her.The May 18 Academy 2 will be held for 3 weeks: from 30 July to 15 August, 2012.

The May 18 Academy 2 will select 20 participants as below:

• Junior Staff : 8 people (with 2-5 years of experience)
• Middle Management/Advisory : 8 people (with 5-15 years of experience)
• Senior/Director : 4 people (with more than 15 years of experience)

The May 18 Memorial Foundation will cover the following expenses during the program:

• Round trip airfare
• Transportation expenses in Korea
• Accommodation and food

The deadline to submit applications is 29 June 2012, which is likely to be extended to 1 July 2012. For more information, visit this link.