An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Good Neighbor Program welcomes youths into homes

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Chad Thompson
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  As part of the Good Neighbor Program, members here recently invited 23 eighth graders from the Pyongtaek area into their homes to share some culture during the Osan Air Base-hosted English Camp.

Fourteen families volunteered to support the 23 students during the three-day event. Each student lived with a host family on base and was paired with an eighth-grade student from Osan Middle School.

The camp was an opportunity for the two countries to work together and it also afforded the young Koreans a chance to see what living in an American home was like.

"For three days, the Korean eighth graders lived with an American family to become more familiar with American culture," said Mr. Yi, Chongkun, 51st Fighter Wing public affairs. "They shadowed Osan Middle School students during regularly scheduled classes and got a chance to bowl a few games at the Mig Alley Bowling Center with their host families."

The Korean students and their family members also toured Osan Air Base. The camp culminated with a graduation ceremony at the middle school's cafeteria.

"Living on an American military base is an opportunity that not everyone gets to experience," Mr. Yi said.

Many of the students agreed that the camp was a good opportunity for exposure to American culture, he said.

Mr. Yi said the highlight of the Good Neighbor English Camp is a graduation ceremony where the participants receive certificates of program completion.

In 2005, a group of Korean civic leaders participating in the commander's Korean Advisory Council recommended that a USFK-hosted English camp for local school students would be an excellent outreach program for the command.

Since May 2005, the 51st Fighter Wing public affairs office has supported the camp to help build a strong community partnership with the host nation.

The English Camp is an annual U.S. Forces Korea Good Neighbor Program event. Students were selected by local school boards under the direction of the Korean Ministry of Education based on their ability to speak English and their willingness to participate in a home-stay program.