Freedom Speakers International (FSI)

September 27th is the birthday of North Korean refugee Songmi Han!

If you have read her book then you know about some of her previous birthday celebrations, both happy and sad.

This year she will have a special birthday celebration: she will be giving a speech in Nashville, Tennessee, about her memoir Greenlight to Freedom!

Songmi says that FSI changed her life. She has a new world of opportunities and possibilities. She escaped from North Korea because she couldn’t see a future for herself. For several years the future was also dark for her in South Korea.
That change could not have been possible with everyone who has bought her book and supported her activities in FSI!

You can buy the book for yourself or a friend. http://smile.amazon.com/Greenlight-Freedom-Korean-Daughters-Herself/dp/B09TR8HFTM

* * *

Some related articles from the Korea Times:

A North Korean refugee learns about Harvard

[INTERVIEW] North Korean girl's story of searching for mother, freedom and herself (The Korea Times)

Unthinkable in North Korea (The Korea Times)

My 'Greenlight to Freedom' (The Korea Times)

Healing 'han' (The Korea Times)

Songmi's story (The Korea Times)

* * *

Greenlight to Freedom (animation by Teri Shim)

People all over the world watch TED videos. Did you know that TED speakers don't get paid?

Freedom Speakers International would like to build a speaker fund so we can seek out opportunities for members of FSi who would like to give speeches to platforms and organizations that cannot pay them. 

We have 20 members of the North Korean Refugee Keynote Speakers Network of Freedom Speakers International (FSI) and we have more North Korean refugees who want to join us. 

We would like to wait until we can get more speaking opportunities for the speakers, and yes, we would like for the speakers to be paid.

* * *

Note: Before the reporters and researchers among us have heart attacks about North Korean refugees getting paid for public speeches (which is common in the public speaking world), I will be clear that some of them waive the speaking fee as a donation to FSI. 

However, as an organization, it isn't right for us to ask North Korean refugees who are opening up what sometimes are painful stories to speak without payment. If they choose to waive the fee, that's fine and a different issue from how we as an organization should operate.

NOTE 2: This is not a slap at TED, it provides a great platform and it can add credibility to a speaker's career. 

There are other great platforms and opportunities at which speakers don't get paid, but TED is strong enough to endure being singled out.

NOTE 3: For larger-scale donors, we can mention you as a sponsor or major donor to an event. For the rest of us non-wealthy people who donate, we can also mention in the description of an event as being a donor (or you can do so anonymously).

The good news! Songmi Han and her co-author Casey Lartigue have been invited to the USA for a book signing for the book @Greenlight to Freedom.

The bad news? We need to raise some money and we need your help!

The book signing is scheduled for September 27, 2022, in Nashville, Tennessee (USA).

Details will be announced soon.

You may make a tax-deductible donation to Freedom Speakers International to help cover some costs for the trip.

Songmi will be in the United States for about a week to 10 days. If you would like to organize an event with Songmi then submit your proposal here.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfrnCmzpkJcLoPgFpgDBocWX1QLILjzamW9sp0gCdXJQFkeEQ/viewform

Be sure to read the book and leave a review. http://smile.amazon.com/Greenlight-Freedom-Korean-Daughters-Herself/dp/B09TR8HFTM

* * *

Some related articles from the Korea Times:

[INTERVIEW] North Korean girl's story of searching for mother, freedom and herself (The Korea Times)

Unthinkable in North Korea (The Korea Times)

My 'Greenlight to Freedom' (The Korea Times)

Healing 'han' (The Korea Times)

Songmi's story (The Korea Times)

* * *

Greenlight to Freedom (animation by Teri Shim)

Eleven North Korean refugees have set up fundraisers supporting FSI. It is incredible because many of them had no concept of civil society before joining our organization. After studying with volunteers, many of them say they hope to volunteer one day.

Some of them even take that next step--fundraising for FSI!

Who are they? They include published authors, public speakers, human rights activists, YouTubers, and even a former doctor from North Korea.

My Father`s North Korea Story: Walk to freedom is a non-fiction memoir written by the late father of a North Korean defector. He tells the tumultuous journey faced by millions of individuals still struggling to escape the harrowing conditions under the Kim regime.

If you make a donation to FSI to help us continue publishing books then we can send you a copy of the book.

Pledge US$ 25 or more: Receive a paperback copy shipped within the USA.

Pledge US$ 35 or more: Receive a paperback copy shipped outside of the USA.

NOTE: Due to shipping costs associated with COVID, it is difficult for us to send signed copies of books outside of South Korea where the co-authors live. If you would like a signed copy, then please contact us to discuss options (book+shipping costs).

Freedom Speakers International will be holding its 16th English Speech Contest on August 27, 2022. The first 15 contests were off-the-record, no live streaming permitted, only limited photography and video allowed. That grew out of our history of North Korean refugees coming to us to study English and us wanting to respect the privacy of those students who wanted to remain anonymous. Many people would ask us to hold the contest online, but we knew that the students weren't necessarily eager for that and it would have destroyed our process then.

Then, COVID. We flipped our programming to focus more on public speaking rather than English tutoring (which we are bringing back in a different form). With our network of speakers growing, we have reached the tipping point that we believe we have enough North Korean refugees active within our network that we can have enough participants to join an online contest.

We are going to try it this August, but we need your help!

We need to raise another $3,300 to have a high-quality online contest. Your donation would be your ticket to watch the contest live online.

September 5th!!! It is the birthday of FSI Co-founder Casey Lartigue Jr!! 

9월 5일은 FSI의 공동대표,  케이시 대표님의 생일 입니다!!  

Mr. Casey is an American now living and working in South Korea. Instead of working as a researcher or commentator in the USA, he has been working directly with North Korean refugees for 10 years. Even though he isn't Korean, he established TNKR in 2013 along with Eunkoo Lee. Behind-the-scenes, he counsels, mentors and sponsors North Korean refugees.

FSI 케이시 대표님은 한국에서 거주하며 일하고 계시는 미국인 대표 입니다. 미국에서 충분한 월급을 받을 수 있는 연구자 혹은 애널리스트의 삶보다는  한국에서 탈북민들의 영어공부를 돕는 삶을 살고 있습니다. 그리고 2013년 이은구 대표님과 함께  FSI 을 세우는 등 10여년간 탈북민을 위해서 일하고 있습니다.
 외국인임에도 불구하고, 탈북민들의 교육, 자유를 위해 끊임없는 열정을 가지고 있으며,  때로는 탈북민들의 상담자로, 멘토로 혹은 후원자로 함께하고 있습니다. 

We asked Mr. Casey how we could celebrate his birthday this year. We aren't surprised when he said: "A fundraiser for FSI. All gifts for me, except expensive cars, can be donated to FSI."
올해 케이시 대표님께 어떻게 생일을 축하하면 좋을지 여쭤봤습니다. 너무나 당연하다는듯이,  생일축하는 FSI 을 위한 후원모금으로 하자고 이야기하였습니다.  

Together, let's make a great fundraiser for FSI, to honor Mr. Casey's great work. No contribution to this goal is too small, and we appreciate any help in supporting FSI to continue working with North Korean Refugees. 
케이시 대표님의 생일을 함께 축하하고자 하는 모든 분들은 FSI의 모금활동에 참여해주세요! 모금된 후원금은 앞으로 FSI 발전을 위해 쓰일 것 입니다.

Please watch these testimonials from FSI volunteers, staffers, fans, donors and, of course, North Korean refugee students wishing Mr. Casey a Happy Birthday!
후원을 통해서  케이시 대표님의 생일을 축하해주세요!
이 영상에서는 FSI 스텝, 봉사자,  후원자, 그리고 학생들의 생일 축하 메세지를 볼 수 있습니다.

Happy Birthday to Casey Lartigue, co-founder of Free Speakers International!

Testimonials from: Yeonmi Park, Jang Jin-Sung, Ken Eom, Cherie Yang, Kang Nara, Eunhee Park, Sharon, Yuna Jung, Jade Kim, Chanyang, Hwang In-Cheol, John Schuldt, Youngmin Kwon, Georgene Zaydell, Inae Lee, Eben Appleton, Janice Kim, Park Eunjung and Lee Jungbin, Daniel, Han Minyoung, Joo Yeon, and staff.

North Korean refugee Songmi Han will be publishing the book "Greenlight to Freedom" in February 2022. She has told her story to only three people, but her inspiring story will now be told.

Pledge US$ 15 or more: Receive a digital copy of the book.

Pledge US$ 25 or more: (Shipping within the USA) Receive a paperback copy.

Pledge US$ 35 or more (Shipping outside the USA): Receive a paperback copy.

Due to shipping costs associated with COVID, it is difficult for us to send signed copies of books outside of South Korea where the co-authors live. If you would like a signed copy, then please contact us to discuss options (book+shipping costs). We had previously been charging $75 for shipping signed copies to the USA.

In late 2020, TNKR (now FSI) leadership made the difficult decision to suspend its English tutoring project. From 2013-20, we had more than 450 North Korean refugees and more than 1,000 volunteers study together, mainly in our Track 1 English tutoring program. We hope to resume the tutoring project, if we can get adequate funding to run it as a first-rate program.

The main reasons we suspended English language tutoring:

* COVID. The changes brought about by the virus destroying the world also harmed our organization and special approach.

* Finances: With a decrease in fundraising, it was going to be more difficult to simultaneously operate three programs.

* Organization growth: With COVID and with an anticipated drop in grassroots funding, it made sense to downsize our programming and to focus on what we could do well.

* Expertise: The co-founders are not experts in ESL or EFL, but one co-founder is a public speaker and a professor teaching public speaking. Even with no volunteers, he could run that project on his own. With the English language program, however, we were relying on volunteers when we should have had paid professionals. And that goes back to finances, we are not wealthy enough to have a paid staffer managing the English language tutoring project.

* * *

The main reasons we are considering resuming our tutoring project:

* We survived COVID! We had so much uncertainty during 2020, we weren't confident we could survive as an organization. Several organizations that we have partnered with have died, and that was a real possibility for us. Before our cheerleaders get out their pom-poms, we won't operate as we did in the past. In our naive days, we would do the work, then go online to raise money later. That was fine when we were still in our formative years, but the second time around, we will operate as most organizations do: Raise the funding, then do the work. (Kind of like most employees in the world won't keep showing up for work unless they know they will get paid.)

* North Korean refugees are still coming to us. We were known for being picky--and those higher standards are what also attracted many North Korean refugees to us. They knew they weren't joining a social club and that the focus was on them as individuals. In the last year we have had to turn away some North Korean refugees who were eager to study English, had tried other places, met people online, or were just beginning. With those many options, they were still coming to us after hearing how great our project was.

* Potential volunteers are still seeking us out. It has been almost a year since we suspended our tutoring project, but we still have potential volunteers coming to us. Many people assume that we have a huge budget already (Ha!) and that we should be like a delivery service sending refugees to anyone who asks. Hopefully, some of them will help us to get strong enough financially that we can restart programming. The help can be with fundraisers, donations, and also we will be applying for larger grants to help us with the re-boot.

* Our Keynote Speakers have asked for us to resume tutoring. While many of our speakers are great English speakers, a few lack confidence. We would like to help boost their confidence and ability by working with tutors committed to helping them improve their English.

* * *

Not everyone, even our fans, reads messages carefully, so I am sure there will be some misunderstandings and we will probably have some people saying that we have already re-started.

Nope! When we are able to raise funding, then we will resume the tutoring project, with a paid staffer (without the benefits typically offered to English teachers in South Korea, we can't compete with the language institutes).

If you believe that it is important to have a professional and well-organized English language tutoring program for North Korean refugees, then please support this project as a monthly donor and set up a fundraiser to help us raise money. We hope to raise enough money to pay at least one coordinator as well as to raise funding to support the project overall.

Here are some reminders about why our tutoring project was so valuable and why we hated to suspend programming.

TVN (Little Big Heroes feature on TNKR)

https://www.facebook.com/CaseyLartigue/videos/vb.100004020120914/1135977703212890/?type=2&video_source=user_video_tab

Testimonials from North Korean refugees

"I am lucky to have found TNKR." | Yuna Jung - YouTube

TNKR taught me how to build my self-confidence" - YouTube

"TNKR is doing great work" for North Korean refugees - YouTube

"TNKR continues to be a huge help to me" says NK refugee Paul. - YouTube

"Without TNKR, I could not do it." - YouTube

"TNKR gave me a lot of opportunities to learn English" | Yuna Jung - YouTube

What do you like about TNKR? - YouTube

Fundraisers by North Korean refugees

The truth about North Korea's medical system (Dr. Choi)

FSI changed my life (Songmi)

Hyosim's fundraiser for FSI (Hyosim)

Yeonmi Park's fundraiser (Yeonmi Park)

Help North Koreans Find Their Voices  (Yeonmi)

Please Donate to my 25th Birthday for a cause - (Yeonmi Park)

Thank you volunteers and FSI - (JeongCheol Lee)

Sharon Jang (Sharon Jang)

Yena (Yena)

Why freedom is essential - TNKR (lovetnkr.com) (Chaeeun)

TNKR IS A LITTLE BIG HERO(작지만 큰 사람 TNKR) (Ken Eom)

Every Falling Star by Sungju Lee (autograph) (Sungju Lee)

Help bring TNKR to the UK - (Jihyun Park)

Help this great organization last forever (Jinmi)

"Dear Leader" author recommends TNKR (Jang Jinsung)

탈북민 영어교육프로그램 모금 - (Cherie)

당신이 바로 탈북민들의 운명을 바꿀수도 있는 멋진 사람이란걸! (Eunhee) 

탈북민들에게 무료로 원어민영어 가르치는 TNKR을 격려 해 주세요 (Chanyang)

Special testimonials

Thae Yong-ho praises TNKR (태영호 공사가보는 TNKR) - YouTube

Amy Kim, Teach North Korean Refugees - YouTube

Video introductions

What is Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR)? - YouTube

[Interview] Volunteers teach North Korean defectors in South Korea - YouTube

[Heart to Heart] Ep.62 - 'TNKR'(Teach for North Korean Refugees), Casey Lartigue & Lee Eun-koo - YouTube

#신지은의 통일공감 11회 케이시 라티그 (TNKR 창립자) - YouTube (Interview in English)

Teach North Korean Refugees (rap, short version) - YouTube

Testimonials from volunteers

What is it like to volunteer with North Korean refugees? (Minwoo Kim) - YouTube

TNKR volunteer Victoria Otter - YouTube

Testimonials from refugees to FSI's co-founder

Happy Birthday Casey Lartigue! - YouTube

꽃미남 KC (Pretty Flower Man) <--Facebook (The video at YouTube has sound problems because of Sony Music) 

Would you like a Greenlight to Freedom ice tumbler?

Here's your chance! Because of COVID increasing shipping costs it would be impossible for us to ship them from Korea.But we have a chance to deliver them to you during our upcoming trip to the USA. September 26 to October 4th.

Please donate at least $20 to FSI for the tumbler by September 20th.

Additionally, you can receive a signed copy of Greenlight to Freedom by donating at least $50.

Please be sure to contact FSI co-founder Casey Lartigue to give your mailing address after you have made a donation.

* * *

P.S.: You could also order an extra one or two for Songmi to give out to her friends and family.

Please support this fundraiser for Freedom Speakers. 
 

Teri Shim, a high school student in South Korea, made this original animation. It is absolutely incredible.

If you donate to this fundraiser, then we will send you a copy of the book Greenlight to Freedom that is mentioned in the animation ($25 for US deliveries, $35 non-US, $75 for autographed copies).

May 5th is Children's Day in South Korea!

* According to South Korea's Ministry of Unification, 72% of North Korean refugees are women.

* In the history of Freedom Speakers International, 76% of our students have been women.

Freedom Speakers International is kicking off a campaign to support North Korean refugee single moms. Usually, when we mention them, people want to send toys, chocolate, or snacks to the children.

As FSI co-founder Casey Lartigue wrote in a Korea Times column last year: "One mother thankfully accepts all gifts but explained that her son loves the new toys ― for about a day. When I began to probe deeper, she and other North Korean refugee parents would talk about actual needs, such as having money for private academy classes or being able to save enough money for college."

With that in mind, we would like to encourage donors to give $10 a month as support for a North Korean refugee single mom. If you donate for a year, then that can be $120 for a mom.

We have four different moms that we discussed this with, and each was thankful to know that anyone would want to help them defray education expenses. If you donate $40 a month, that could provide support for four different North Korean refugee moms. If you donate more than that, we would equally divide it among the four moms. For now, all four moms will remain anonymous, but if this effort is successful then they are more likely to acknowledge the supporters of this campaign.

You can make it a monthly donation or all at one time.

By the way, thanks to FSI's donors, we are now strong enough to hold such a fundraiser.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Freedom Speakers International (FSI).

Thanks to two generous FSI donors, we have a Matching Donation Challenge of $6,500 to end the year! Make your tax-deductible donation to Freedom Speakers International to end the year to help us secure the Matching Donation Challenge.

The benefit of donating?

* US 501(c)3 tax-deductible donation (and other countries where it is applicable) or a tax-deductible donation in South Korea.

* Receive a copy of one of our two upcoming books, either "My Father's North Korea Story" or "Greenlight to Freedom" if you donate at least $25 for orders in the USA, at least $35 for orders shipping outside of the USA, at least $75 for signed copies of either book.

* Your donation is doubled because of the donors.

The One Ensemble team from Freedom Speakers International presents to you a virtual relay concert video featuring both individual and group performance plays! In this concert video, each ensemble member introduces and performa a solo piece. In the end, the ensemble team performs a group piece titled "Merry-Go-Round of Life" by Joe Hisaishi! As the Christmas holidays approaches, One Ensemble hopes to spread joy and love to everyone  on behalf of FSI!

* Ticket price: 30,000 won, if you buy the ticket, we will send the music concert video! 

* We will send the music concert video on 22nd! 

Hello Everyone! I am Eunkoo Lee, co-founder, and co-president of Freedom Speakers International (FSI).

Before FSI, I was living a routine life. I loved watching baseball, seeing movies, and going shopping (especially when I felt stressed from my job). People don't believe it, but I'm really shy and prefer working behind the scenes.

Then much to my surprise, I became the co-founder of FSI (founded in 2013 as TNKR).

I am really thankful to Casey Lartigue for helping me develop leadership skills. When we first began to develop this volunteer project into a real organization, I offered to be the assistant director, and he would be the director. I was so used to being behind the scenes. But he refused, and he even fired me until I was ready to be a leader, to be co-director of TNKR. And it worked!

For the first time, I have had to be a leader, not just a team member.

I have met so many nice people. We have worked directly with almost 500 North Korean refugees, educating and empowering them over the years with English language skills, public speaking opportunities and career development. Our main focus now is to partner with North Korean refugees who want to engage in public speaking or to publish books.

I have grown during the past 8 years working at FSI in various leadership roles, such as managing FSI staff, writing grants and now writing a book with a North Korean refugee. I have learned that It is not easy to establish, develop and financially sustain an organization.     

I can say that FSI has changed my life! Definitely, I have become a more active person. Instead of doing just enough to keep my job, I am now co-founder and co-director of a program that does something practical to help others!

Setting up a fundraiser like this was another challenge for me. FSI's important mission gave me the fortitude to stand up to ask people to join my fundraiser. Because of FSI, I have the confidence to give this a try!

I hope that FSI will one day become a financially solid organization that can empower North Korean refugees in even more ways. North Korean refugees often tell me that FSI changed their lives. It has changed me.

I still enjoy watching baseball, seeing movies, going shopping. In addition, I am now a Ph.D. student. But now I am more of a leader who has seen how people can live better lives after they study in FSI.

Together, we can keep making a difference in the lives of others, and ourselves.

Please join my fundraiser, it will be one way to celebrate my birthday!

Thank you!!!

When I was in North Korea, I have never seen super hero movies. I never even heard words like Superman, Spiderman or even Wonder Woman. I am always fascinated how people here are somewhat obsessed with super hero movies. I do truly believe that people genuinely want to help others and human nature is compassionate.
However, what people don’t realize is that they don’t need to have a super power like heroes in the movies to help other people. To me, being free and having a voice is a super power that I never thought I could have. In that sense, we are all super heroes and have the ability to help others.
What would you do with your super power? Would you use it to help someone who is less fortunate than yourself?
Today is a World Refugee Day! When I was a refugee, I felt like I was somewhat less of a human than non refugee persons.
Being born into oppression and poverty is nobody’s fault. By some mysterious luck, some people born into freedom and prosperity and some don’t.
So I kindly ask if you want to use your super power today to help North Korean refugees.
Often people think our journey ends when we arrive in South Korea, but it is just the begging for us. There are still mountains of obstacles for us to overcome to survive in freedom and FSI smooths this rough process for us to overcome.

I am deeply grateful for your support for my mission to free North Koreans. Hope you all take care xoxo

https://give.lovetnkr.com/en/Yeonmi

___________________________________________________________________________

2019 Birthday:

A lot of you often have asked me how you can help the situation in North Korea. So this is the chance where you can make that difference. TNKR gives voices to North Korea defectors to share their stories internationally by teaching them English for free. This is really a tip of iceberg of what they are doing. The founders of TNKR and the volunteers that I met showed me an unconditional care and that gave me a confidence that we can free North Koreans if we know what is going on.

I hope we do something positive to show that people are still kind and we still have hope in this world. I am eternally grateful for all your support and please give any little amount you can or just share with your friends. You could become an individual donor to help TNKR become a sustainable organization or donating once is fine too.

You are invited to the first North Korean Refugee Authors' Conference hosted by Freedom Speakers International. The theme of the 2022 conference: "Healing their hearts."

The first conference will introduce three North Korean refugee authors releasing their first books.

The featured North Korean refugee authors:

* Songmi Han, co-author of Greenlight to Freedom: A North Korean daughter's search for her mother and herself with Casey Lartigue

* Bonghee Han, co-author of My Father's North Korea Story: Walk to Freedom with Won Chae-Han

* Yeongnam Eom, author of a forthcoming book (The Strongest Soldier of North Korea).

Other featured speakers include:

* Jeon Byung-Kil of the UniKorea Foundation

* Tom G. Palmer of the Atlas Network and author of Realizing Freedom

* Michael Breen, author of Kim Jong-Il: North Korea's Dear Leader

* Sylvia Yu Friedman, author of A Long Road to Justice: Stories from the Frontlines in Asia

* Matthew Friedman, author of Where were you?: A Profile of Modern Slavery

* Eunkoo Lee, FSI co-founder

* Casey Lartigue Jr. , FSi co-founder and co-author of Greenlight to Freedom by Songmi Han.

The main sponsor is UniKorea Foundation with additional support provided by the Atlas Network. Please RSVP in advance for notifications and updates.

The YouTube link is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agYeDWP9H6s

FAQ

Q: Do I need to understand Korean in order to join this event?

A: This conference will be conducted in English. If a speaker opts to speak in Korean then we will have an interpreter ready.

***

Q: What if I want to buy the books of the refugee authors?

A: Two of the books will be published soon, you can reserve a copy with a donation here or at their main pages. Greenlight to Freedom: A North Korea daughter's search for her mother and herself and My Father's North Korea Story: Walk to Freedom.

***

Q: Must I stay for the entire event?

A: Join when you can. Please RSVP so our sponsor will know about the number of attendees.

#fsi21 #fsi21.org #FreedomSpeakersInternational

Please check Eventbrite for updates 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-first-north-korean-refugee-authors-conference-healing-their-hearts-tickets-244179205577

Many people have been inspired by great and interesting books.

Freedom Speakers International (FSI) has been working with five North Korean refugee authors who want to publish books in English. Based on our current progress, the first book will be published in December 2021, and four books will be published during 2022.

To help us kickstart this project, one of our donors has pledged $3,000 in seed funding and challenged us to match his donation. By supporting this project, you can receive the following benefits:

* Founding Member: You can be listed on our Website as a founding member of FSI's Book Publishing Project.

* North Korean refugee postcard. To thank you, we will send you a North Korean refugee postcard for any donation of at least $5.

* Ambassador. In addition to the above, work with FSI staff to market and promote the books to the world.

What's the number one question from some potential donors and curious people: How will we spend your donation to help us kickstart this project?

* INCENTIVE STIPEND: About one million books are published every year, but probably another 20 million books are unfinished and a countless number of people say "I want to write a book." Writing can be a lonely process, people want updates even when the only update is, 'I'm still writing." This stipend can encourage refugee authors as they are writing their books and also remind them that others are waiting for their books.

* MARKETING: There are marketing costs with any books. Your donation will help us inform more people about the books published through this project.

* PROOFING-READING & TRANSLATION: We have some volunteers who are helping us with getting the books prepared. In the end, we will need to pay professional editors to review the final versions of books to make them completely ready for publication, and professional translators to confirm some tricky language.

You can make your donation monthly or one-time to help us kickstart this project. Books change lives. We will empower North Korean refugees, to share their experiences and to change the lives of the people who read what they have written.

P.S.: Of course, if you wish to remain anonymous, that's fine too.

The FSI-GHSU, which began in 2019, now has more than 150 members from more than 50 schools in the USA, UK and South Korea. This special project supports the activities of Freedom Speakers International, a non-profit organization in South Korea, that has empowered more than 470 North Korean refugees with free programming that has focused on public speaking and English tutoring.

Freedom Speakers International- Global Highschool Union Fundraising team!! 

만원의 기적은 Freedom Speakers International(FSI)- Global High School Union(GHSU)의 펀드레이징팀에서 진행하고 있는 고등학교학생들의 캠페인입니다. 북한청소년들이 경제적 어려움 없이 영어로 말하고 쓸수 있는 환경을 제공하는데 목적이 있습니다. 여러분의 적극적인 참여를 통해 그들이 당당하게 영어로 말할 수 있도록 함께 해주세요. 정기적으로 매달 1만원씩 기부하는 것은 탈북청소년들의 배움에 대한 의지를 북돋우는 데 도움이 될것입니다. 여러분의 관심과 나눔이 저희에게 큰 힘이 됩니다.

  < 캠페인 참여방법>

1. 신용카드로 후원을 원하시는분

먼저 만원의 기적 신청서 Miracle of KRW10,000 (만원의 기적) 신청서 (google.com) 를 작성 하신뒤 현재 웹사이트 monthly donation 혹은 Single donation을 통해 등록해주세요.

2. 한국계좌이체를 통해 후원을 원하시분 

1) 한국계좌이체 정기후원 

Miracle of KRW10,000 (만원의 기적) 신청서 (google.com)

3) 한국계좌이체 일회성후원 

Miracle of KRW10,000 (만원의 기적) 신청서 (google.com) 작성 후 우리은행 1005-303-794226/ 예금주: 글로벌교육센터로 이체하면됩니다. 

** 모든 개인후원은 기부금영수증 발급이 가능합니다.

** 신용카드를 통한 개인후원은 미국과 한국에서 기부금영수증 발급이 가능합니다.

함께해 주셔서 감사합니다. 

  The miracle of 10,000won is a campaign that started to provide an environment where North Korean refugees can empower throung English speech and writing their stories in English without financial difficulites. Please join us in sharing so that they can speak up confidently through support from you. The regualr monthly donations of 10,000won would contribute on helping to empowering North Korean refugees. Your interest and sharing give us a lot of strength. 

 < How to start > 

1. If you want to donate by credit card, please register in this website 

2. If you want to be monthly donor by Korean bank, please register in here:

Miracle of KRW10,000 (만원의 기적) 신청서 (google.com)

* Individual donor by CMS will be eligible tax deduction in Korea

* Individual donor by credit card from this website will be eligible tax dedution in the USA and Korea.   

Thank you for joining! 

During 2021, Freedom Speakers International will be focused on the "Voices from the North" project. The major activities of the project will be partnering with North Korean refugees who seek to:

* publish books in English.

* become more engaged with public speaking.

* participate in at least one English speech contest.

* speak at an international forum.

* share their insights in roundtable discussions.

If you would like to hear a variety of North Korean stories, become a monthly donor to this special project.

* * *

This fundraising project supports Freedom Speakers International (FSI) empowering North Korean refugees to engage in publishing speaking and writing.

The FSI- Global High School Union(FSI-GHSU) has launched this fundraising project in July 2021 as part of a year-long campaign. The FSI-GHSU started in 2019 when two high school students approached FSI seeking to volunteer. From that humble start, more than 100 high school students from more than 40 high schools from Korea and abroad are actively volunteering.

The members of the FSI-GHSU pledge to celebrate their birthdays with fundraisers to help make FSI a sustainable organization and to keep it independent.

Let`s work together!

Below are FSI-GHSU's main activities.

* FSI-GHSU members can join activities by team, school and independent project

* FSI-GHSU had international youth forum, speech mentoring for North Korean refugees, translation books etc.

* FSI-GHSU Teams: Fundraising team, Translation teams, Givingtuesdaykorea team, Event team, Media team, One ensemble team, Running club team, Mentoring team

* FSI-GHSU School clubs: Fayston preparatory school, Saint Paul Academy Daechi, Valor international scholars, Seoul International School, Ewha Girls' Foreign Language high school, Big Heart Christian School, Saint Paul Preparatory Seoul, Seoul Scholars International, Korean Minjok Leadership Academy, Cornerstone Collegiate Academy of Seoul, Sevenoaks School

Yeonmi Park, author of In Order to Live:

When I was in North Korea, I never saw superhero movies. I never even heard words like Superman, Spiderman or even Wonder Woman. I am always fascinated how people here are somewhat obsessed with superhero movies. I do truly believe that people genuinely want to help others and human nature is compassionate.

However, what people don’t realize is that they don’t need to have a superpower like heroes in the movies to help other people. To me, being free and having a voice is a superpower that I never thought I could have. In that sense, we are all superheroes and have the ability to help others.

What would you do with your superpower? Would you use it to help someone who is less fortunate than yourself?

Today is World Refugee Day! When I was a refugee, I felt like I was somewhat less of a human than non-refugee people.

Being born into oppression and poverty is nobody’s fault. By some mysterious luck, some people born into freedom and prosperity and some don’t.

So I kindly ask if you want to use your superpower today to help North Korean refugees.

Often people think our journey ends when we arrive in South Korea, but it is just the begging for us. There are still mountains of obstacles for us to overcome to survive in freedom and FSI smooths this rough process for us to overcome.

I am deeply grateful for your support for my mission to free North Koreans. Hope you all take care xoxo

https://give.lovetnkr.com/en/Yeonmi

Give. Educate. Learn.

TEACH NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES is a project and book club started to help people - refugees. And while it is for helping people, you'll also be having a little bit of fun doing it, that is, if you're into books.

By donating you'll get to be a part of a book drawing when we have a book club discussion - a chance to win a signed copy of a book written by a North Korean refugee.

Books such as:

English
* Dear Leader by Jang Jin-sung
* A Thousand Miles from Freedom by Eunsun Kim
* Every Falling Star by Sungju Lee
* In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park
* Under the Same Sky by Joseph Kim
* The Aquariums of Pyongyang

Korean
* Sunhee by Lee Ju Song
3층 서기실의 암호 by 태영호 (Thae Yong-ho)

And what's more? You even have a say over the book you would like to win by - emailing Casey Lartigue CJL@ alumni.harvard.edu to let him know which book you would like when you win.

Give. Educate. Learn.

To find more resources about North Korea, check the archive that TNKR is compiling.
http://teachnorthkoreanrefugees.org/2018/01/tnkr-resource-list/

Harvard alumni have recently begun discussing how to support the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education.

FSI College Union

Last year the owners of the Haanong Furniture company learned about Matching Donations for non-profit organization. They told the co-founders of FSI (then TNKR) that they would like to have a Matching Donation challenge of their own.

That time has arrived! They will be matching up to $2,000 a month.

What can you do?

Donate whatever you can. If we have 400 donors giving $5 a month then every month we can match what Haanong has generously offered. Every monthly donation can help us reach the monthly goal of $2,000.

People often say that South Koreans don't care about North Korean refugees, but the owners of Haanong have been supporting FSI ever since they learned about us in April 2018. They have been inspired by the staff, volunteers and refugees connected with FSI. One thing that really impressed them is that not only do volunteers give their time, but some even raise money for the organization.

Learn more about Haanong: Website and YouTube channel (please subscribe).

"55% of Young Adults Have Never Heard of Giving Tuesday, and only 16 percent of those have given annually during the event," according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

What is Giving Tuesday? To most people, not very much, based on those statistics. But if you are a non-profit organization, then it is like an early Christmas! It is the one day a year that you can request financial support, without feeling guilty.

Giving Tuesday started in the USA in 2012 as a project of the UN Foundation. It has spun off into a separate organization that now operates in more than 60 countries. 

Until recently, South Korea was not one of those countries.

This Giving Tuesday is special because FSI's leaders are helping to bring the concept to South Korea by establishing Giving Tuesday Korea.

If you are part of the 45% of people who have heard of Giving Tuesday, then please consider donating to a worthy organization. Of course, we hope you will donate to FSI, but even if you don't, please support at least one organization this year.

Why support FSI? It empowers North Korean refugees to find their own voice and path through education, advocacy, and support.

Eleven North Korean refugees have set up fundraisers supporting FSI. It is incredible because many of them had no concept of civil society before joining our organization. After studying with volunteers, many of them say they hope to volunteer one day.

Some of them even take that next step--fundraising for FSI!

Who are they? They include published authors, public speakers, human rights activists, YouTubers, and even a former doctor from North Korea.

KOTESOL (Korea Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) is excited to collaborate with Teach North Korean Refugees at the 2020 Online KOTESOL National Conference and through this fundraising project.

KOTESOL, or Korea TESOL, is a not-for-profit organization with the motto “teachers helping teachers”. By partnering with TNKR we are able to not only to act on our motto, we get to help support the amazing work that TNKR does for its students. Please consider contributing to this fundraiser, and learn more about TNKR and the work they do by joining us at the free Online 2020 KOTESOL National Conference at http://kotesolconf.com

TNKR’s co-founders Casey Lartigue and Eunkoo Lee, and TNKR Representative Yuna Jung, are invited speakers at the 2020 Online KOTESOL National Conference. On April 25th, they will give a virtual presentation about their organization and the invaluable services they provide. https://kotesolconf.com/speakers/featured/TNKR

Donors who contribute to this project and attend the free Online KOTESOL National Conference on 4/25 will be entered into a raffle drawing for prizes that include gift certificates to Butlers Korea, and the Mac&PC Guys. (Winners need to reside in Korea in order to receive raffle prizes. Winners announced after the conference.)

To celebrate the new decade, I am starting a TNKR fundraiser all the way from Boston, MA. With a new year comes new dreams, new goals, and new perspectives. I hope to reign in the new year (and new decade) by raising $10k as a cheers to TNKR's future and all the good work the organization has done already.

--Edward Kyungjun Mun

September 5th!!! It is the birthday of TNKR Co-founder Casey Lartigue Jr!! 

9월 5일은 TNKR의 공동대표,  케이시 대표님의 생일 입니다!!  

Mr. Casey is an American now living and working in South Korea. Instead of working as a researcher or commentator in the USA, he has been working directly with North Korean refugees for 7 years. Even though he isn't Korean, he established TNKR in 2013 along with Eunkoo Lee. Behind-the-scenes, he counsels, mentors and sponsors North Korean refugees.

TNKR 케이시 대표님은 한국에서 거주하며 일하고 계시는 미국인 대표 입니다. 미국에서 충분한 월급을 받을 수 있는 연구자 혹은 애널리스트의 삶보다는  한국에서 탈북민들의 영어공부를 돕는 삶을 살고 있습니다. 그리고 2013년 이은구 대표님과 함께  TNKR을 세우는 등 7여년간 탈북민을 위해서 일하고 있습니다.
 외국인임에도 불구하고, 탈북민들의 교육, 자유를 위해 끊임없는 열정을 가지고 있으며,  때로는 탈북민들의 상담자로, 멘토로 혹은 후원자로 함께하고 있습니다. 

We asked Mr. Casey how we could celebrate his birthday this year. We aren't surprised when he said: "A fundraiser for TNKR. All gifts for me, except expensive cars, can be donated to TNKR."
올해 케이시 대표님께 어떻게 생일을 축하하면 좋을지 여쭤봤습니다. 너무나 당연하다는듯이,  생일축하는 TNKR을 위한 후원모금으로 하자고 이야기하였습니다.  

Together, let's make a great fundraiser for TNKR, to honor Mr. Casey's great work. No contribution to this goal is too small, and we appreciate any help in supporting TNKR to continue working with North Korean Refugees. 
케이시 대표님의 생일을 함께 축하하고자 하는 모든 분들은 TNKR의 모금활동에 참여해주세요! 모금된 후원금은 앞으로 TNKR 발전을 위해 쓰일 것 입니다.

Please watch these testimonials from TNKR volunteers, staffers, fans, donors and, of course, North Korean refugee students wishing Mr. Casey a Happy Birthday!
후원을 통해서  케이시 대표님의 생일을 축하해주세요!
이 영상에서는 TNKR스텝, 봉사자,  후원자, 그리고 학생들의 생일 축하 메세지를 볼 수 있습니다.

Happy Birthday to Casey Lartigue, co-founder of the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center!
https://give.lovetnkr.com/en/casey-bday

Testimonials from: Yeonmi Park, Jang Jin-Sung, Ken Eom, Cherie Yang, Kang Nara, Eunhee Park, Sharon, Yuna Jung, Jade Kim, Chanyang, Hwang In-Cheol, John Schuldt, Youngmin Kwon, Georgene Zaydell, Injae Lee, Eben Appleton, Janice Kim, Park Eunjung and Lee Jungbin, Daniel, Han Minyoung, Joo Yeon, and TNKR staff.

Hello!! 

My Birthday is Feb 10th! 

The meaning of my birthday has changed, depending on my situation.

* Growing up: When I was young, my birthday was during the school vacation. I rarely met with friends on my birthday (No phone or email, especially for a country girl like myself). It was a special day for eating cake and receiving gifts from my family. I could feel love from my family on birthday.

* Becoming an adult, my birthday became a time to meet close friends. In some cases, we might only talk on each other's birthdays. We could find out: "Hey! You are still ALIVE!!!" I would then celebrate my birthday with family and friends.

* Now as the co-founder of FSI, my birthday is associated with Freedom Speakers International. Being the leader of this organization has changed me in so many ways, I can feel the warmth of the world around me. I have always been a shy person, I usually only talk to people who are really close to me. Because of FSI, I have been meeting people from around the world. I now celebrate my birthday for a good cause with family, friends, and colleagues and people around the world.

* With every birthday, I always appreciate my co-founder Casey Lartigue Jr. He is the person who encouraged me to be at the front (not just working behind the scenes) and inspires me to take practical action. It has made me a POSITIVE person.

NOW I am setting up a birthday fundraiser and telling people to DONATE to celebrate my birthday. A few years ago, I could not have imagined doing this kind of thing. Casey reminds me that he encouraged me many times to set up a fundraiser, but I hesitated. Finally, when I tried, I only asked me mother and sisters.

YES!! Please make a donation to this fundraiser and join a good cause to help FSI become a solid organization.

Thank you!

#GivingTuesdayNow is a global day of giving and unity, set to take place on May 5, 2020 as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19. The day is designed to drive an influx of generosity, citizen engagement, business and philanthropy activation, and support for communities and nonprofits around the world. It’s a day when we can all come together and give in all ways, no matter who or where we are.

You can support TNKR this #GivingTuesdayNow with a monthly or one-time donation.

September 5th!!! It is the birthday of TNKR Co-founder Casey Lartigue Jr!! 

9월 5일은 TNKR의 공동대표,  케이시 대표님의 생일 입니다!!  

Mr. Casey is an American now living and working in South Korea. Instead of working as a researcher or commentator in the USA, he has been working directly with North Korean refugees for 7 years. Even though he isn't Korean, he established TNKR in 2013 along with Eunkoo Lee. Behind-the-scenes, he counsels, mentors and sponsors North Korean refugees.

TNKR 케이시 대표님은 한국에서 거주하며 일하고 계시는 미국인 대표 입니다. 미국에서 충분한 월급을 받을 수 있는 연구자 혹은 애널리스트의 삶보다는  한국에서 탈북민들의 영어공부를 돕는 삶을 살고 있습니다. 그리고 2013년 이은구 대표님과 함께  TNKR을 세우는 등 7여년간 탈북민을 위해서 일하고 있습니다.
 외국인임에도 불구하고, 탈북민들의 교육, 자유를 위해 끊임없는 열정을 가지고 있으며,  때로는 탈북민들의 상담자로, 멘토로 혹은 후원자로 함께하고 있습니다. 

We asked Mr. Casey how we could celebrate his birthday this year. We aren't surprised when he said: "A fundraiser for TNKR. All gifts for me, except expensive cars, can be donated to TNKR."
올해 케이시 대표님께 어떻게 생일을 축하하면 좋을지 여쭤봤습니다. 너무나 당연하다는듯이,  생일축하는 TNKR을 위한 후원모금으로 하자고 이야기하였습니다.  

Together, let's make a great fundraiser for TNKR, to honor Mr. Casey's great work. No contribution to this goal is too small, and we appreciate any help in supporting TNKR to continue working with North Korean Refugees. 
케이시 대표님의 생일을 함께 축하하고자 하는 모든 분들은 TNKR의 모금활동에 참여해주세요! 모금된 후원금은 앞으로 TNKR 발전을 위해 쓰일 것 입니다.

Please watch these testimonials from TNKR volunteers, staffers, fans, donors and, of course, North Korean refugee students wishing Mr. Casey a Happy Birthday!
후원을 통해서  케이시 대표님의 생일을 축하해주세요!
이 영상에서는 TNKR스텝, 봉사자,  후원자, 그리고 학생들의 생일 축하 메세지를 볼 수 있습니다.

Happy Birthday to Casey Lartigue, co-founder of the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center!
https://give.lovetnkr.com/en/casey-bday

Testimonials from: Yeonmi Park, Jang Jin-Sung, Ken Eom, Cherie Yang, Kang Nara, Eunhee Park, Sharon, Yuna Jung, Jade Kim, Chanyang, Hwang In-Cheol, John Schuldt, Youngmin Kwon, Georgene Zaydell, Injae Lee, Eben Appleton, Janice Kim, Park Eunjung and Lee Jungbin, Daniel, Han Minyoung, Joo Yeon, and TNKR staff.

Item 1: TNKR volunteer Alannah Hill donated her birthday gift money (about 400,000 won, $335) in honor of the North Korean refugee mother who reportedly starved to death.

Item 2: Over the past few years, several North Korean refugee mothers studying in TNKR have come to us asking for assistance. We are not a one-stop shop for social issues, but we have helped them behind-the-scenes with various issues.

Item 3: In 2017, TNKR received a one-time donation of almost 3 million won to distribute in the form of scholarships for North Korean refugees, but that lasted only one year. All seven beneficiaries were North Korean refugee women studying in TNKR, they each received about 400,000 won.

Item 4: Mirroring the general population of North Korean refugees who have escaped to South Korea, about 76% of students in TNKR are North Korean refugee women.

Inspired by the donation today and the other items above, TNKR would like to resume scholarships for North Korean refugee women studying in our program. Nothing against the men, if you would like to support a scholarship for North Korean refugee men, please contact us, if we have at least one donor giving a significant amount then we can launch such a fundraiser.