Ocean Cleanup Volunteer Camp: Local Experience in Wonsan Island, Korea

This is a volunteer project in a beautiful island village in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province, focused on beach cleanups and helping with village work. You'll stay in the island village with friends, clean up the coastline, and spend meaningful time connecting with local residents. Experience island life where people and nature coexist, and create special memories that will stay with you as you sweat and laugh together.

1. Join marine plogging to protect the beautiful
This is a beautiful island village on the West Sea where blue ocean, wide beaches, and tidal flats meet. The beaches and coastline have been preserved through the long-standing care and effort of local residents. By joining the project, you'll walk the coastline with residents, collect litter, and take part directly in protecting the marine environment. Beyond simply picking up trash, you'll come to feel firsthand how precious nature is and see how small actions can create big change. The clean sea that everyone helps create together will become a special, rewarding memory you'll carry for a long time.

2. Experience the slow pace of island life and local culture
Most residents here combine farming and fishing for their livelihood, so you'll naturally encounter a variety of rural daily life and culture that shifts with the seasons. By joining villagers to gather seafood on the tidal flats or help tend a garden, you can experience a way of life lived alongside nature. Walking along the beach and watching the sunset during unhurried island time, you'll discover a warm sense of community and ease of life that's hard to find amid the busy pace of the city.

3. Enjoy a special time together
During the day you'll take part in volunteer activities, and in the evenings you can enjoy preparing meals together or taking walks along the shore. Talking and connecting with village residents brings warm experiences of understanding across generations and backgrounds. Cooperating and living alongside fellow participants also helps build deeper bonds and special memories. Sweating and volunteering together toward a shared goal will be a precious time that helps everyone grow and understand one another better. Feel the joy of community life and cooperation that's hard to find in the city, and create special memories that will stay with you for a long time.

 

■ Project Activities

This is a work camp project where you will join friends in marine plogging volunteer activities in Boryeong, Chungcheongnam-do. You will stay in a beautiful island village, clean the coastline, interact with local elders, and spend meaningful time for the community.

■ Main Activities
1. Marine Plogging Volunteer ActivityYou will participate in plogging activities by walking along the coast and tidal flats to collect marine debris. Through this small action of protecting clean seas, you will learn the importance of environmental conservation and feel the joy of caring for the beautiful island village.

2. Helping in the VillageDepending on the season, you can help village residents with activities like tidal flat experiences and gardening. You will experience rural life living with nature and understand how the food we eat is made.

3. Island Village Local Life ExperienceYou will walk along small harbors, tidal flats, and coastal paths to experience the relaxed daily life of the island village. You will get closer to village events, festivals, and the lives of fishermen, experiencing the warm community culture that is hard to feel in the city.

■ Additional Information

• This project welcomes group participation from universities, clubs, and friends. Please feel free to contact us anytime!
• Volunteer activities like marine plogging and helping in the village may change based on weather and season.
• Accommodation will be provided using community spaces like the village hall. Care and cooperation among participants are needed.
• In activities with the village elders, please participate with a bright and positive attitude based on respect and consideration.
• Please prepare comfortable clothing, sneakers, and basic personal items like toiletries.
• To protect nature and the village environment, please follow waste disposal and environmental protection rules.

During the project period, you will live together in the community center and experience the everyday life of the island village.

It is a place where you can feel the warmth between people and a sense of community rather than convenience, allowing us to create special memories of the work camp by sharing meals and conversations.

Details of support

■ Project activities

• Systematic orientation
• An emergency contact network for immediate assistance in case of emergencies
• Tips for traveling in Boryeong to help you while living there

■ Certificate and recommendation

• Issuance of a certificate of participation from the organization
  
  

Exclusions

• Round-trip transportation
• Other living expenses in the area (meals, transportation, etc.)
• Train station/airport pickup fees
• Personal travel insurance

* Please book your transportation after your participation in the project is confirmed and the final schedule is provided.

This is a village community made by fishermen who have lived by the sea for a long time.

The village head, the secretary, and the residents work together to take care of the beautiful beach and daily life in the fishing village.

In this project, you will not just do volunteer work, but also live and work with the residents and meet the stories of people who live by the sea.

As we pick up trash together and take care of the tidal flats, feel the warm spirit of the fishing community that respects nature and helps each other.

While staying as a neighbor in the village, you will find an experience that lets you meet the sea and its people up close.

■ Location: Boryeong

Boryeong in Chungcheongnam-do is a representative marine city of Korea with beautiful western sea, large and small islands, wide tidal flats, and green mountains, all in harmony. It is an attractive tourist spot that draws many visitors all year long, where they can enjoy the world-famous Boryeong Mud Festival along with various marine leisure activities and fishing village culture. Recently, the opening of the Boryeong Undersea Tunnel and Wonsan-Anmyeon Bridge has improved access to the islands, making it easier to enjoy the beautiful nature of the western sea and the daily life of fishing villages. In Boryeong, where the convenience of a city meets the leisure of the countryside, you can experience open sea views and warm people, along with the unique lifestyle of the fishing village that gives you a special time hard to find elsewhere.

1. Wonsan Island
Wonsan Island is a representative island of the western sea with beautiful beaches, wide tidal flats, and charming fishing village. Since the opening of the Boryeong Undersea Tunnel, it has become a notable new travel destination where you can meet the leisurely life of an island village amidst beautiful scenery of small ports, seaways, and sunsets. Experience the various charms of the western sea fishing village, including fishing, tidal flat experiences, and fresh seafood all in one place.

2. Daecheon Beach
This is a representative beach in Korea, known for its wide and soft white sands and beautiful sunsets. Every summer, the world-famous Boryeong Mud Festival takes place here, attracting many visitors, where they can enjoy swimming and various marine leisure activities. There are well-developed walking paths, cafes, and restaurants along the beach, allowing you to enjoy the relaxed scenery of the western sea and the beauty of the ocean any season.

3. Seongjushan Natural Recreation Forest
Seongjushan Natural Recreation Forest is a representative healing spot in Boryeong, combining dense forests and clear valleys. Walking along the well-maintained paths through the cypress forest, you can enjoy the fresh scent of the forest and the ease of nature, making it a favorite spot for family travelers and trekking enthusiasts. Feel the beautiful nature of Boryeong in this place, which has a different charm from the sea.

■ You can start this project on any day you want.

■ The participation period can be discussed if you contact us in advance.

■ Target and Qualification Requirements

• People interested in marine environment protection and plogging activities.
• People who want to do meaningful activities with friends.
• People who want to experience rural volunteering or a work camp.
• People who want to escape the city and experience island life and community culture.
• People who want to make special memories by collaborating with new people.

01Look at the project.	- Check if there are specific participation dates or if you can join anytime that fits your schedule! - Read stories from participants who have actually joined the project!
02Fill out the application form.	- Don't worry, express yourself comfortably and honestly.
03Pay the project fee.	- After the registration fee or full payment is confirmed, the local agency will send the participant's application. - (If needed) After paying the project fee, a Skype interview with the local agency will be scheduled to confirm your participation. - If the local agency denies your application after review, 100% of the registration and participation fees will be refunded.
04Receive payment confirmation text.	- The day after you pay the project fee, we will send you a text confirmation. - If you don't receive a text the day after paying, please contact us! (For weekend payments, we check on Monday morning.)
05Project participation confirmed.	- It takes about 1 to 7 days for the local agency to review your application and confirm. - Once you are finally accepted into the project, the person in charge will contact you separately.
06Arrival and project start.	- Participants will arrive locally, meet the person in charge, and go through local orientation. - After the local orientation, participants will learn the information provided by the local agency and, during the project period, always pay attention to safety as they start the project. (* Depending on the local agency, the local orientation may not be held, and it may change or be reduced based on the situation.)
07 Submit feedback after the project.	- After the project ends, participants will submit feedback, and a certificate will be issued after review.

1. After the project is confirmed, refunds due to personal reasons of participants are not allowed.

2. Participants are considered to have agreed to the refund policy when they apply for the project.

3. This project has a strict refund policy. If canceled before the project is confirmed, 100% of the project fee will be refunded.

4. The project schedule and content may change due to local circumstances such as traffic or weather. In unavoidable cases, it may be reduced or modified.

5. This project is operated by partner organizations. Therefore, the responsibility for actual operations lies with the local project organization.

6. Please make transport reservations after you receive final confirmation of your participation in the project. Individual updates will be provided about the schedule after confirmation.