On August 20, ASEZ STAR, the Church of God Student Volunteer Group, members from Homaesil, Suwon, and 34 other chapters in the southern Gyeonggi region, carried out the “Green World” activity at Gungpyeong Beach in Hwaseong. The “Green World” initiative is one of the four key activities led by ASEZ STAR, which also include Good Student, Good Neighbor, and Green School, focusing on promoting positive actions within families, schools, and communities. This event was part of the student camp–a youth Bible and character education program that the Church of God organizes during school vacations.
Around 9 a.m., more than 800 ASEZ STAR members from Suwon, Hwaseong, Osan, Anseong, Ansan, and surrounding areas, along with their families and friends, gathered on the sandy beach. The event was also attended by Oh Mun-seop, Deputy Chairperson of Hwaseong City Council, Councilor Kim Sang-kyun, and Yoo Myung-kyu, Executive Director of the Pyeongtaek Youth Foundation, who all came to encourage the motivated students.
True to their motto, “Save the Earth from A to Z, Students Take Action Right Now,” the members engaged in the cleanup with trash bags and tongs in hand. Despite the hot and humid weather, exacerbated by morning rain, the students maintained cheerful spirits as they collected trash.
There were fallen trees, big tires, iron pipes, and buoys from the sea all over the beach. The volunteers rolled the tires together, counting out loud with “One, two,” and moved trees and heavy debris together. After about two hours, they successfully cleaned a 1.3 km (0.8 mile) stretch of the beach, filling 70 bags, each holding 50 liters of trash.
Yoo Myung-kyu, Executive Director of the Pyeongtaek Youth Foundation, praised the students, saying, “It’s inspiring to see youths, who are often seen as indifferent to social issues, actively engaging in meaningful activities like this.”
Park Beom-hoon from Hwaseong said, “It was meaningful to clean the beach with many students today. I will continue to protect the environment even after school starts.” Ji Soo-bin from Ansan said, “I want to have a positive influence on my friends by doing these activities.”
The students plan to carry out various initiatives inside and outside of school to contribute to a sustainable future even after the new school term begins.
