The 4th Argentina Youth Dream Presentation Festival was held on May 13 (Saturday) from 2 PM at the main sanctuary of the First Church (Av Carabobo 1253).
This event was hosted by the ‘My Dream International Foundation’ (MDIF, Chairman Chang Hyun Son, USA), organized by the Association of Korean Schools in Argentina (President Young Hee Park), and supported by the Korean Education Center in Argentina (Director Chang Heon Lee), as part of the 'Youth Dream Presentation Festival for Overseas Korean Youth' project.
Celebrating its 11th anniversary, the ‘My Dream International Foundation’ (established in 2012) is a global non-profit foundation with the characteristics of promoting the Korean language and operating a scholarship foundation. It currently has 18 branches worldwide (Argentina branch head Young Hee Park) and hosts the ‘Youth Dream Presentation Festival’ in 62 countries. The main purpose of the foundation is to discover the next generation of talented youth (ages 12-18) with dreams and potential among overseas Korean communities and to support their dreams through global scholarship projects.
The Youth Dream Presentation Festival began with a welcoming speech by Young Hee Park (President of the Association of Korean Schools in Argentina and branch head of the 'My Dream International Foundation'), who said, "This is a precious time to share the journey of our passionate and challenging friends as they find their dreams."
The event proceeded with congratulatory remarks from Chairman Chang Hyun Son, congratulatory remarks from Director Chang Heon Lee, encouragement speeches from Chairman Kwang Mo Koo and President Seong Do Joo of the Writers' Association, followed by presentations from the 19 finalists, judging and awarding, and concluded with a photo session.
In his congratulatory speech, Chairman Chang Hyun Son introduced three values for pursuing dreams using the acronym ABC, and encouraged the participants to follow their dreams: (A) Aspiration – pursue a dream you truly aspire to; (B) Belief – have the belief and faith that you can achieve your dream; (C) Courage – have the courage to make sacrifices for your dream.
The 19 youths who advanced to the finals after the preliminary round shared their dreams, providing a time of mutual encouragement as they listened to stories of pursuing different aspirations.
The judging panel for this competition included Director Chang Heon Lee (Head Judge), Director Kwang Mo Koo (former Chairman of the Korean School), President Seong Do Joo of the Writers' Association, and Vice President Young Park of the Writers' Association. The judging criteria considered the specificity of the content in realizing their dreams (content of the script), the effectiveness of communication (personal determination, confidence, etc.), and the presenter's attitude (respect, courtesy, presentation time, etc.). One first place, one second place, and one third place winner were selected, along with five Encouragement Awards and eleven Commendation Awards. (See the list of awardees below)
In their comments, the judges remarked, "All the students were outstanding, making the judging very difficult."
This event also included an award ceremony for the foundation's selected scholarship recipients: Somi Jeon (2023 Donation Scholarship), Hana Yoo (2023 Donation Scholarship), and two others. The students selected for the global scholarship program received scholarships as follows: general scholarships of US $500 (one-time), encouragement scholarships of US $200 (one-time), and donation scholarships of US $1000 (annually for two years while attending university).
List of Award Winners for the 4th Youth Dream Presentation Festival
1st Place: Yoojin Kim
2nd Place: Yerin Lee
3rd Place: Minjun Oh
Encouragement Awards (5 recipients): Hyunseo Hwang, Minyoung Kim, Dahee Lee, Jiwoo Lee, Haneul Im
Commendation Awards (11 recipients): Joel Baek, Ae Jin Yoon, Geonwoo Shin, Aaron Baek, Yesul Jo, Aaron Jo, Isabella Kim, Eunhye Yoon, Yongki Hong, Nayoung Kim, Yeeun Jo
The prize money was awarded as follows: 1st Place - $300, 2nd Place - $200, 3rd Place - $100, Encouragement Awards - $50 each, Commendation Awards - 5000 pesos each. Winners of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places are eligible to apply for the Dream Foundation International scholarship.
The 1st place winner is also invited to the Dream Foundation International Gala in the United States.
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