Aurora English Tutoring Program

Program Overview

The Aurora NK English Tutoring Program connects volunteer tutors with enthusiastic North Korean refugee students living in South Korea and the US. Through our conversation-based tutoring program, our students build confidence by speaking with native English speakers and develop valuable skills needed to pass exams that boost career opportunities in South Korea or access to opportunities in other countries. Most volunteers are university students, allowing for a greater connection between the tutor and student.

North Korean refugee students meet with our tutors twice a week for 30 minutes over Zoom. For students who wish to study grammar and writing in addition to speaking, Aurora has created resources for both students and tutors to use. Because our program is entirely virtual, tutors and students can get connected from anywhere in the world. The only requirement is fluency in English.

More information can be found on the application page: https://forms.gle/aBm2778pqta2YH6K8

Cost Info

Student and Volunteer Success Stories

WHY OUR TUTORS JOINED AURORA:

"I am a firm advocate of the gradient unification of Korea and the human rights of North Koreans, I am interested in helping the integration of North Korean refugees into Korean society or other parts of the world. Whether the refugees decide to migrate to South Korea or other parts of the world, they will have to acquire proper language skills not only to communicate but also to settle in successfully, and I would like to be an aid in tutoring English to North Korean refugees."

"As a Korean American whose parents are both from South Korea, I cannot say that I have a perfect understanding of the lives refugees face. However, the dissonance between my culture and the environment in which I grew up has allowed me to understand many aspects of the struggles of living somewhere new. I believe I have a duty to utilize the privilege I have had, growing up learning both English and Korean, to share those skills with others. I hope that this can be a learning experience for myself and whomever I teach."

"I believe North Korean refugees deserve every opportunity and chance to pursue their dreams as anyone else. Through learning about Aurora's mission, I became aware that structural barriers such as wealth and lack of access to resources can prevent refugees from achieving their goals even after resettling in South Korea. As a volunteer English tutor, it encourages me to know that by sharing my abilities as an English speaker I am playing an active role in reducing some barriers for my North Korean refugee friends to learn English and become successful in whatever they are pursuing in life!"