Abstract
This study examines why humanitarian, refugee, and migration activists invest their time and resources to participate in public education programs. Previous research has focused mainly on the types of issues such programs address or on their project-level outcomes. However, in a context where activists face constraints on time and resources, we still know little about who chooses to participate in such programs and why they are willing to bear additional costs. This study argues that activists engage in public education because of a combination of expectations related to learning, solidarity, professional development, and normative commitments. Using survey results and feedback from participants in the 2025 regular course of the DAK Humanitarian Assistance, Refugee, and Migration Working Group, the analysis finds that participants in their twenties, students, and NGO practitioners are more likely to attend repeatedly and report higher levels of benefit, while those in their fifties or researchers tend to participate only once due to time and career constraints. The findings show that public education functions not only as a venue for knowledge acquisition but also as a space where activists reinterpret humanitarian issues, build peer networks, and strengthen their motivation for action.
BibTeX citation
@article{Kong:2025,
Author = {Kong, Seonju, Seungji Lee, Young Hoon Song, and Sanghoon Park},
Journal = {Korean Journal of International Migration},
Number = {2},
Pages = {147--174},
Title = {Motivations for Humanitarian Assistance Activists' Participation in Public Education in South Korea},
Volume = {12},
Year = {2025}}