This study attempted to explore the meanings of college international
volunteers’s experiences in terms of Education for International
Understanding(EIU). This study focused on how main issues of EIU were
encountered through the experiences of international volunteer services and
what were their difficulties, and further sought the ways of improvement.
For this, I conducted in-depth interviews with 10 college students who had
participated in the international volunteer service programs organized by
Korean University Council for Social Service. Major findings are as follows.
First, participants had chances to raise awareness of global inter-dependence
and community life in relation to main issues of EIU. And, they had
opportunities to enjoy native life through cultural exchanges and experiences
to decrease cultural differences. In addition, they had chances to experience
self retrospection and reflection. Although international volunteer services
involved meaningful experiences in relation to major issues of EIU, they
revealed several shortages. Those are as follows: unfamiliar circumstances
and very demanding work schedule, lack of skills needed for service work,
and limited opportunity for participation. Based on meanings and shortages of international volunteer services, I provided several suggestions for the
improvement.