[South Korea] Citizens' endeavors centered around the Mappo Co-operative Society
[South Korea] Creating metropolitan communities, living in harmony
Citizens' endeavors centered around the Mappo Co-operative Society
The Mappo Co-operative Society is not simply an ordinary organization running co-operative events. It is a local 'co-operative' which has its own ready-made food store, mechanic, FM Radio station, day-care center, and even a school. These were all facilities determined necessary for daily life and so set up by local residents. We had a look at their ESD as we walked through their 'town' and listened to their experiences.
Started by 30 working mothers
The ideas of 30 young mothers were the start 10 years ago. They were all working parents of either 1 or 2 pre-school children. With their jobs to contend with, their links with the local society were not substantial. They wished to share the raising of their children with teachers, so they all contributed to building a cooperative, and invited teachers to start a community childcare 'children's house.' This soon became a homely environment where parents could feel relaxed after work and share common views with other parents.
Following this, 'Dream House' an after-school facility for elementary school students, was also set up for all local children not just those who were members of the cooperative. And so with the concept of providing a safe lifestyle for children throughout the community, in 2001 the 'Mappo Doore (mutual help) Co-operative' was established.
Opposition of City Development Plans Leading to Relations with Elder Generation The Sonmi Hills San Development Plan paved the way for strong links within the community. The forest-covered Sonmi Hills lie adjacent to a residential district in Mappo and were frequented by the elders and children of the neighborhood.
However, predicting the need for better water supply, Seoul City and Mappo District initiated plans to build a water tank and drainage pond. Young co-operative members and elders in the community, who held doubts about this project took a stance, and managed to verify that such measures were unnecessary. They were able to bring the construction to a halt. They then proceeded to channel their energies towards local activities rapidly increasing the number of participating households in the co-operative to 1100. Thus the concept of town building by town people spread phenomenally.
Folk School set up by Parents, Teachers and the Community
While walking through a quiet residential area, we noticed a building under construction. It was the Sonmi Hills School. A 12-grade school combining elementary, junior and senior schools.
The school was opened in the hope of creating a community-based school supported by locals, as opposed to the standardized one-sided South Korean exam-based schools. The curriculum includes local issues, and local adults take on teaching roles, and there are currently 70 students. Until now there was no school building and lessons were taught in unoccupied homes or those where occupants were away, but citizens and parents contributed to a fund and a five-storey building, which was constructed on a site of about 695 square meters. The construction costs, which came up to about 3.5 billion won (390 million yen were covered completely by the community. Outside of school use, the classrooms and meeting rooms were also available for use by local citizens.
Current issues faced by the school is securing teachers who can provide the students with a quality education. Appointed by the community and parents are 12 fulltime teachers, 40 specialized field teachers, and 30 advisors (local specialists and residents). These teachers do not simply impart knowledge in the classroom, but also go out into the town and encourage the students to develop their learning ability. In order for these teachers to be paid well, a lot of financial support is necessary, but the burden of this is falling more and more on the parents. This is the biggest problem facing the school.
At the Sonmi Hills School, requisite curriculum alone is not considered to be a academic background. In a community built school, simply sticking to a uniform curriculum defeats the purpose of such a school.¡¡Because actual consideration is given to the realistic educational needs of the children, matters related to the curriculum, staff and school building, are acknowledged to be the responsibility of the parents and community.
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Seoul City's Mappo District is a metropolis close to the central city. A typical metropolis, the environment could be better and relations can be rather impersonal. However, the people are attached to the area. Through the formation of the Mappo Co-operative, thoughts and actions of the citizens for even the slightest improvements in the environment and in personal relations could deepen their connection. All are for better day-to-day life. The ESD did start from here.
(Reported by Ms. Kumi Kawamura, ESD-J Information Sharing Project Team¡Ë