Since 2 years ago, I’ve been meeting up with the Minwoos about once or twice a month. They’re kids living in a group home, and they’re the reason I started working on Volko in the first place.
Funny enough, they both have the same name, and there’s only a one-year difference in age.
At first, the plan was to teach them English, but they’re still quite young, so I’ve mostly just been playing with them and trying out new experiences together.
One thing I’ve realized by spending time with the Minwoos is that while kids in group homes don’t seem to lack basic necessities (like food or clothing – the government does a pretty good job with that), there’s a clear gap when it comes to the quality.
First, the quality of their housing and food. In their group home, there are five kids/teenagers living together, but only two rooms with no beds. The living room is tiny. At least the place is in a safe neighborhood, but when it comes to food, the kids seem kind of fixated on it; they’re not used to having solid meals. They often talk about eating ramyun, and it doesn’t seem like they get much meat, either.
Second, the quality of education. The Minwoos do go to school and even take taekwondo after class, but since they live in a group home and already receive government support, they don’t get any extra help when it comes to learning. Stuff like coding classes or private English lessons are just way too expensive. That’s actually why Volko’s first project was to match group home kids with native English speakers for free language exchange sessions.
Another thing I’ve come to see is how important community is. The head of the Minwoos’ group home is a pastor, who they call “Dad,” even though he doesn’t live with them. Day to day, the kids live with the older boys and a teacher. On weekends, they go to church where “Dad” is. The church even takes them to places like the pool or the movies to give them some sense of belonging.
And that makes me wonder – could Volko become that kind of community for someone too?
Once the app is finished, I’m planning to meet kids from other group homes as well. I really hope they’re as cheerful and full of life as the Minwoos.
