A total of 120 Beyonders came together to volunteer in the vicinity of PT.KRAKATAU-POSCO. The Beyonders worked not only on improving the school environment but also on building meaningful connections by teaching local students and participating in cultural exchange activities.

POSCO Newsroom was presented with two special diaries written in Cilegon. Two 13th Beyonders, Eun-Soo Lee (UNIST) and Chae-won Heo (Kwangwoon University) recorded events of the day, sharing the story of their volunteer work — and the true value they encountered.

(DAY1) [Safety First, “Hati-Hati!”]

Chae-Won: On arriving, we met the Beyond members of Indonesia. Interpreters from Beyond Indonesia were assigned to each group, and we participated in several programs together to break the ice and become close. As I got to know the Beyond Indonesia members, I was really surprised! Some members knew K-Pop better than me, and some spoke fluent Korean.

Chae-Won: We had to come up with a team slogan, and our team decided to emphasize on ‘safety.’ ‘Hati’ in Indonesian means ‘Be careful!’ We added a ‘heart’ here and completed our slogan, “HATI-HATI, HEART!”

Eun-Soo: The biggest difference between Indonesia and Korea would be the scene at sunset. It’s the same sky, but the scenery here, with all the palm trees and the pink hue, seemed surreal. Then it hit me that I was indeed in a foreign land.

(DAY2) [A Long And Hard Day…]

Eun-Soo: Wow. It was a really hard day. Carrying bricks all day long and painting with a rod that is bigger than me wasn’t easy. My whole body is aching — from my shoulders to my legs. Will I be able to make it tomorrow? Adding to the hard work, the wet weather reaching up to 29 ℃ made it harder. I had to take a rest in the afternoon because of the suffocating heat. I was sorry to my team members since it felt like my fault that I was in such a bad condition.

Chae-Won: At first, the work seemed difficult because of the environment, so I tried to avoid working hard. But as I was working, I found out that it wasn’t that difficult or hard. The moment I realized this, I was ashamed of myself. We were all in this together. If I didn’t do it, someone else had to do it eventually. But I seemed to forget that. I was disappointed at myself. Then, I looked around. All the other members and staff were voluntarily doing hard work. As I saw the Beyonders who were working, — without showing any signs of distress or exhaustion — I reflected on myself.

Chae-Won: One of the things that surprised me was that nobody complained or showed how hard the work was. Even though it was a more difficult task than when in Korea, everyone just focused and did their jobs. Watching them, I could feel that we have indeed grown up in the last few months.

(DAY3) [A True Sign of Respect And Love]

Eun-Soo: During the building project, I could meet the local school students. All of them looked so sweet and innocent. And looking at them, I promised myself that I would make a better environment for them. I know that my help is not going to bring a dramatic change, but I’m sure that this little help can come together and make a difference. Through a better environment and education, I hope these children can live happily and cheerfully in the future as well.

Chae-Won: After the activities, we played Korean traditional games with the local students. I was able to show off the skills that I had mastered in elementary school, but the students were so good at it that I was a bit embarrassed. When I had to go, the students put their foreheads and lips on the back of my hands. I didn’t know what it meant, but it felt like a nice gesture. Later, I came to know that this is an act of showing respect to someone older. All the affection and respect the students showed me, made today a meaningful day. I’ll never forget it.

(DAY4) [Have You Ever Seen Snow?]

Chae-Won: At last the education project! I had been preparing this for a long time, and now I can finally use the training aids I made! >0< I was so excited. When I was getting ready for the class, I was worried whether the local students would enjoy the class and whether we could communicate well. But no need to worry! The Beyond Indonesia team member helped with the interpretation and also taught me Indonesian repeatedly. But there were times when this wasn’t enough, and that’s where body language stepped in. It really worked well!

Eun-Soo: The education project★ was one of the most important projects in the Beyond schedule. Our team explained about nutrients, and with fruits as example, we helped the students understand the nutrients contained in fruits. The member in charge of the project led us all well so, all nine of us could fully understand the content and focus on teaching. I was worried that the high-school students might not like the ‘glass deco’ that we used, since they haven’t used it before. But they found it interesting and focused on the activity really well.

Chae-Won: I had a chat with the students during the break, and the most memorable question was regarding seasons. The students showed great interest in the ‘winter’ and ‘snow’ of Korea. I have never thought about, ‘How many seasons does Korea have?’ or ‘What season is it?’ So it was new for me to get these kinds of questions.

(DAY4) [They Love Korea So Much!]

Chae-Won: When the education class was over, I had a celebrity moment. The children made heart shapes with their hands, standing in a line and waiting to take a picture with me. I was a STAR. I didn’t know that Indonesian students would like Korea so much. Even though they saw me for the first time today, they gave me lots of love and attention, and had so many questions about me and my country. I was really thankful for all that. It was a new experience today. By interacting with these children, I could get rid of the prejudice I had. I will always remember today.

(DAY5) [Everyone’s a Little Edgy Today..TT]

Eun-Soo: The practice for the cultural performance did not go well. It was the first time something like this happened. Our team was normally full of energy and positive vibes, but not today. Everyone was a little edgy, spoke as if finding fault in each other, and acted hastily. I was a little scared that our teamwork and relationship might fall apart. But as the Korean saying, I think ‘the ground will harden after the rain.’ It was a hard day for everyone today, and I believe tomorrow will be better. I will try to compliment my teammates first, support them more, and do better!

Chae-Won: If it’s a hard job for me, it’s a hard job for everyone. If I’m on the edge, someone else might be too. I should think of this over and over again.

(DAY6) [My Special 21st Birthday As a Beyonder]

Eun-Soo: I was practicing for the cultural performance as usual. Suddenly, my teammates appeared with a choco-pie cake and started singing the birthday song for me. I couldn’t help but burst into tears because I could feel the love and affection of my teammates. My 20th birthday in Indonesia — It’s a day I will cherish my whole life It was an honor to share this special day with my teammates.

(DAY7) [The Day The Beyonders Shined On Stage!]

Eun-Soo: The long-awaited day to stage our cultural performance finally arrived! The past 6-7 months of practice flashed through my mind. At first, I didn’t even know how to hold the fan properly, and sometimes it was hard and exhausting, but in the end, we made it! We put up a splendid performance! The practicing part was really hard, but it was fun as well. I could feel that the audience also connected to our feelings! >_<

Chae-Won: I was nervous during rehearsal, but when I stood on the stage, I wasn’t as nervous as I thought — So I made a huge mistake at the end. But the performance ended well. After the perfect ending pose, our team stepped down the stage and faced each other. We told each other what a wonderful performance we put on stage today, and then I realized that the seven months of practice were indeed over. I had a mix of emotions.

Eun-Soo: The 13th Beyonders were awesome. They could dance and sing like real talented singers! But the most amazing feature would be our teamwork It is sad to think that our activity is coming to an end. We’ve just started to get to know each other. But as they say! You should know when to bow out ㅠ_ㅠ I should try my best not to cry when I say goodbye to my Indonesian friends tomorrow!

The 120 youths who had no idea of each other, truly bonded through Beyond. They shared special moments, wept and laughed together. Now, these Beyonders have returned as “global good citizens,” learning to care for each other in hot weather and hard times. This February, the adventure of the 13th Beyond will come to an end with a final presentation — showing their activities of the past eight months. We truly applaud these youngsters who have devoted two seasons of their 20’s to volunteering. We also look forward to the 14th and 15th Beyond that are to be born.

POSCO Global Volunteer Group, Off to Vietnam!

The fourth Global Volunteer Group was exclusively selected by the POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation’s internal contest, which had a competitive selection ratio of 1:7. From August 20 to 28, the volunteers participated in housing construction activities at the POSCO Steel Village located in the Tân Thành district, part of the Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu province of Vietnam.

Beginning last year, the Global Volunteer Group’s activities were designed for POSCO’s 1% Sharing Donor employees to visit overseas and participate in overseas CSR activities to experience sharing opportunities and promote them to a greater extent.

The volunteers who used their annual leaves to join this trip participated in an orientation session upon their arrival in Vietnam. During the orientation, they received safety education, shared a 9-day volunteering schedule and were introduced to Vietnam’s culture and home partners to quickly adapt to volunteering abroad.

They also had a meaningful time at a neighborhood orphanage by painting a playground and decorating dolls with children. Their visit to the orphanage was initially intended to give encouragement to the children, but volunteers said afterwards that they too gained great support. Furthermore, the volunteers visited home partners (future residents) to greet them and explain construction service plans. The expected residents expressed gratitude to the volunteers who had traveled many miles to build shelters for their communities.

Officially launched on Monday, the volunteers’ construction activity was a scene of utter devotion. Despite the extremely hot weather, all volunteers were giving their very best. The home partners who the residences were being built for also participated, which added more value to the service.

All participants, including the volunteers and the home partners, started each day with a safety guideline training which was led by Chansu Kim, Head of the Safety Department. Volunteers who had already received the training in Korea signed safety pledges to ensure safe conditions on site. In addition, volunteers with safety engineer qualifications were selected for each group to take charge of safety check-ups, toolbox meetings, and safety slogan reminders.

Thanks to these efforts, the volunteers were able to participate in the service without any accidents. Since it was monsoon season in Vietnam, there were heavy rains in the afternoon when all construction activities were in process. Because of the blustering rain, one of the domestic volunteers broke into tears, but was quickly offered support from other volunteers ensuring to build sturdy houses for the home partners. Also, during the four days of construction, employees from POSCO Vietnam’s affiliates (POSCO-Vietnam, SS-VINA, VST, VHPC) visited the construction site to assist. From POSCO group companies to local employees, it was a unified activity from the POSCO family.

On the last day at Vũng Tàu, the volunteers finally presented the completed houses to the home partners. For those who had been living in poor residential conditions, the new sturdy houses brought big change to their lives. The volunteer activity was wrapped up by a ceremony presenting the 40 houses that were built during the first half of 2016. Dongho Kim, the Managing Director of POSCO-Vietnam the Vice Chairman and Head of Labor Department at Tân Thành People’s Council wished for the new homeowners to live happily in the new houses.

In other aspects, POSCO Steel Village is a large scale social contribution project created through the collaboration of the POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation, POSCO-Vietnam and the local government to construct 104 steel houses in the Tân Thành District, 100km away from Ho Chi Minh City. The POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation funded the construction; the local government provided a location; POSCO A&C designed the steel houses optimized for the local environment; and POSCO SS-VINA produced steel materials for construction. With these supports, POSCO employees and university student volunteers worked together with Habitat for Humanity, an international non-governmental organization, to provide volunteer construction service.

The POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation will continue to provide various CSR activities in international and domestic locations to fulfill its responsibility as a global corporate citizen. More than 50 volunteers share their experiences below, revealing the great opportunities that await for any employees interested in volunteering in the future.

Volunteers’ Experiences from the Fourth Global Volunteer Group

We would like to introduce touching experiences from volunteers of the most recent volunteer group, filled with passion and a love for sharing.

POSCO STS Steel Production Group – Chansu Kim

“Our one week in Vietnam was a meaningful time for my life and career. I believe a new turning point was necessary for volunteer services. Thank you all who participated in the event.”

POSCO E&C Marketing Group – Jungho Kim

“Thank you for granting me an opportunity to participate in my very first volunteering activity. For the pure hearts of the children who were playing in the rain, I wish them happiness and joy in their future.”

POSCO ICT POSCO IT Business Group – Wonil Kim

“I went there to help but I received it instead. I went there to express love but I came back with more love. Now, I can see what my responsibility is. Thank you for the opportunity to see a different world.”

POSCO Gwangyang Hot Rolling Group – Byoungdu Moon

“One person’s journey is lonely and desolate, but a journey between two people is friendly and enjoyable. For three people, the journey is exciting and heart-warming, and as more people join, the journey lifts you up as if you were going on a picnic. The world is not a place you can live alone in. Let’s embrace each other and live with warm hearts.”

POSCO Gwangyang Technology Development Center – Byoungcho Kim

“I learned three things from this volunteering trip. First, volunteering gives you moments to feel joy with others. Second, I am capable of more volunteering than I what currently participate in. Third, the outcome of volunteering doubles when many people engage in it. I was able to have a good time because someone was always behind me, helping out.”

POSCO Humans Pohang Service Group – Kyoungsil Kim

“Life is a struggle between surplus and shortage. I appreciate the blissful time of sharing my additional resources with others, and experiencing joyful moments being with joyful people.”

POSCO Group University Job Education Group – Hyuntae Shin

“The word ‘volunteering’ has the connotation of a ‘satisfying experience’. Although it was a short experience, I am glad to think that I found my own form of happiness from the trip. Also, I was glad to see the happy smiles of other volunteers. I wish to continue the joy of sharing in the future.”

POSCO Thick Plate Group 1 Thick Plate Plant – Sangjun Lee

“It was a huge honor to join the village volunteers and contribute to the service with every effort. The children’s innocent laughter, the partners’ smiles and our passion have completely changed my life. I learned to give by sharing small things and found a newly cherished my direction in life. Let’s visit the houses again in 10 years. See you again in Vũng Tàu, Vietnam on August 21, 2017!”

POSCO’s employees are not only dedicated to the company, but to helping others as well. Their fourth collaboration with the home partners in Vietnam served to establish stronger communities and better housing, and they are looking forward to going back to reconnect with the local residents.

Please give your support to POSCO’s employees who will continue to volunteer around the world in the future!

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