
The MISSION of the Korean Culture & Language Program is to provide students with a unique, in-depth
immersive experience and foster a development of identity, cross-cultural awareness, and language proficiency. Students will step out of their comfort zone and have an opportunity to broaden their perspectives through culture and language.
Why Korean?
UNITY & EQUITY
Democracy Prep believes that there are numerous benefits to immersing in Korean culture and language, the most significant being unity and equity. As most of our scholars will be entirely new to Korean when they enter high school, it creates a unifying learning experience that they undertake together. With any other common language choices, scholars will likely bring varying degrees of linguistic abilities to the program.
GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP
Learning about different cultures allows students to reflect on their own identity and increases their awareness of similarities and differences between and among global cultures, discovering values and traditions different from their own.
- Immersion in Korean Culture & Beyond: Learning Korean culture and language will expand scholars’ understanding of society, identity and global citizenship beyond familiar lenses and value systems, from Korea to East Asia and ultimately to the world.
- Self-determination: There has been a resolve among the Korean people to maintain a strong collective identity that can transcend national boundaries over a history of political occupation. This affords our scholars the opportunity to examine how individuals and people groups around the world are impacted by oppressive state power and/or colonialism.
EDUCATION FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
In both America and South Korea, education has played a critical role in liberation and progress for oppressed groups. By exploring how education has been a vehicle for social justice around the world, students will learn to take action that leads to meaningful, lasting change.
Korean Street Festival
Each year, Democracy Prep hosts the Korean Street Festival (KSF), a celebration of Korean culture and language for our scholars, teachers, staff, and the greater New York City community.The festival is an opportunity for our schools to share their knowledge of Korean culture through performances and cultural activities. The festival also includes food and prizes.
Korean Culture & Language in the News
First Lady of South Korea Visits Democracy Prep Charter High School (Yonhap News -9/23 Democracy Prep at Agassi Campus High School Student’s Field Trip to LA (SBS News -5/3)Democracy Prep Students Travel to South Korea (Korean Daily -4/18)
Democracy Prep Harlem High School Students Visit Korean Cultural Center (Korea Times -3/12) Democracy Prep Harlem Middle School Students Celebrate Hangeul Day (Korea Daily- 10/10)Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) at Bronx Prep High School (Korea Daily- 9/25)
Temple Stay #DPHHSKorea2017 pic.twitter.com/T8Eg0YO47h
— DPHarlemHigh (@DPHarlemHigh) April 14, 2017