Come together

This is a series introducing associations and clubs that expats can get involved in. This week, Expat Living spoke to Sara Rai of Korea International Students Support Association. ― Ed.

● Name of Club: KISSA (Korea International Students Support Association)

● Location: Seoul, South Korea

● No of Members: 500

● Started: March 2005

Who is it for? KISSA was established to act as a bridge between the international student community and Korean society. Its main target is international students in Korea, but those who would like to help are also welcome to get involved.

What goes on?

Since its inception, we’ve been organizing various cultural, exchange and volunteer service programs and events in line with our vision to connect the international student community and Korean society and help students have a rewarding and exciting experience here.

Our major events in the past included international student assemblies in which we held cultural talent shows and shared international food, service projects to experience and help farmers in the countryside, cultural classes for North Korean defectors, and sport events.

In June, 2011, we organized the First Annual International Students Football Tournament, in which more than 500 people from over 50 countries gathered for the football competition, dynamic cheerleading performances, games and more. We are presently busy preparing for the International Students Sports Festival on Nov. 5.

Apart from events, we act as a support system for international students by sharing info and experiences, mentoring and friendships.

We provide a variety of opportunities for international students to experience Korea, network and have fun.

We help international students reach their potential as future global leaders through our programs and projects.

We gather and relay the voices and needs of international students to Korean society to improve services and policies.

Plans for the future: We plan to continue organizing the International Students Football Tournament every spring and International Students Sports Festival every fall. Apart from these events, we plan to work on creating various programs and events to support our goals.

How to join: Anybody who is interested can join our Facebook page and share information or events related to or concerning international students or use it as a platform to share their feelings and ideas.

For regular membership, anybody who is interested can visit our webpage www.ikissa.net (still in the preparation stage) and fill out a membership application form and submit it.

As of now, the membership is free of charge, but as we grow and get bigger, we may change our membership policy.