Positive change in CISV Korea Junior Branch

CISV Korea Junior Branch has undergone several positive changes recently, and I’m excited to share our journey. While we still have challenges ahead, I’m incredibly proud of how far we’ve come.

If I had to sum it up in one sentence, I’d say I’ve witnessed the power of passion and love—it can truly drive remarkable progress.

Back in 2022, my journey with CISV truly began when Jina, our former Senior National Junior Representative (NJR), introduced Cindy and me (two of us became NJRs). We had a life-changing experience through CISV, sparking our deeper interest in the organisation and our desire to give back.

At that time, CISV Korea Junior Branch was facing several challenges.

First, what we faced was a lack of communication channels among JBers. There was no centralized way to contact active members, which made organising events difficult. So, our first step was simple but effective: we created a group chat for all active JBers, making communication much smoother. We also revived the CISV Korea Junior Branch Instagram account, which had been quite inactive, posting only once a year. We started promoting minicamps and international events through regular updates, and within two years, our follower count more than doubled. This small change has made a big impact on the visibility of our activities.

The second challenge was the lack of active JBers and participation in international Junior Branch (JB) events. Several years ago, there were almost no Korean participants at international events, and we didn’t know much about them either. So, before I attended my first international JB event, I started with Risk Management Training in 2022 and became part a risk manager for the Seoul Chapter. However, the people I met there opened my eyes to how valuable these events are. The connections I made led me to become a planner for TEA workshop (Teamwork of East Asia) in 2023. Planning and facilitating an event was truly my passion and at the time, only one participant attended this event. However, that experience ignited a spark in our participant to become more active. It also made me realize the real value of international events: experiencing CISV’s energy firsthand is far more powerful than just talking about it. From then on, we started encouraging more JBers to attend international events. We supported leaders and staff who had been to Village programmes to attend JB events, and their positive feedback helped spark excitement among others.

This year, we saw a significant shift, with Korean participants at nearly every international Junior Branch event. Many of those came back to become active JBers, and some were even elected to our first Junior Branch board, a major milestone for us.

Several factors played a key role in making this progress possible:

1. The Vision Gained from International Events and Leadership’s Role in Sharing It

Participating in international events like IJBC (International Junior Branch Conference) has been crucial in shaping our direction. For example, Jina, who attended IJBC and other events before us, introduced the idea of integrating social impact activities into CISV Korea Junior Branch. We started small, by collecting toys at minicamps to donate to children in need. Over time, our efforts grew, and we now collect rice donations during minicamps. Additionally, JBers regularly volunteer by preparing lunchboxes with that rice and delivering meals to underserved communities. Also, our former secretary Soey played a crucial role in training us. She worked tirelessly to create all the training materials and documented every activity we did. Beyond that, she even designed a new project aimed at recruiting younger JBers. We’re excited to bring this program back next year and continue building on her hard work.

This year, Cindy and I attended IJBC, which inspired us to create more bonding events for JBers beyond minicamps. That’s how we launched JB Weekend, where we shared our experiences, elected our first JB board, and brainstormed future projects for CISV Korea Junior Branch together. It was an emotional moment for me, realizing that it wasn’t just NJRs making decisions anymore but a larger group actively contributing ideas.

2. JB Bonding and Passion Fueled by Warm CISV Experiences

While having only one chapter in Korea can sometimes feel limiting, it also brings us closer. We build personal connections, not just working relationships, and that makes our passion for CISV even stronger. These deep bonds create a unique energy within CISV Korea, one that fuels our drive to keep growing.

3. Support from the Chapter

We’re fortunate to have strong support from the CISV Korea Chapter. Our Junior Branch and the Chapter aren’t separate entities; we work together in a symbiotic relationship. Our Association and Secretary provide us with the financial and logistical support we need to pursue new initiatives without worrying about resources. This partnership has been invaluable in helping us build a solid foundation and launch more projects led by JBers themselves.

Challenges Ahead:

Despite our progress, we still face challenges—particularly when it comes to recruiting younger JBers. Since our Chapter only hosts and sends participants to Village programs, many kids lose touch with CISV after their Village experience, making it difficult to bring them back as active JBers. Most of our current active JBers are over 21, as they first experienced CISV as leaders or staff. This shortens the time they can participate as JBers, which is why we see a need for more programmes like Step Up and Youth Meeting to bridge that gap.

However, I’m confident that we will continue to grow and evolve. Our journey so far has been inspiring, and I’m excited about what lies ahead for JB Korea.

If you’d like to collaborate or learn more, feel free to reach out to us on Instagram: @jb_korea!

By By Jimin Lim, CISV Korea