2012 ‘Shoes of Hope’ Festival

2012 ‘Shoes of Hope’ Festival

 

            

 

2-day festival at Gwanghwamun Square

             ‘Shoes of Hope’ sends shoes that are decorated with messages of peace and sharing to underprivileged children around the world. The 2012 ‘Shoes of Hope’ Festival will take place at Gwanghwamun Square on October 26 and 27. The 3,000 shoes decorated during the event will later be sent to Vietnam.

              The 2012 ‘Shoes of Hope’ Festival includes shoe-decorating, a photo exhibition including images from Vietnam, an exhibition showing the history of ‘Shoes of Hope’ over the past five years, a display of shoes decorated by celebrities, and a book-exchange event where participants can exchange their second-hand books for new ones.

                

 

Sharing messages of hope since 2007

             ‘Shoes of Hope’ began 10 years ago as part of the Art Miles Mural Project (AMMP), a UN-sponsored project that encourages nonviolent actions to promote world peace, culture, and children. The Seoul Youth Center for Cultural Exchange (hereafter MIZY Center) first introduced the project to Korea in 2007.

             The ‘Shoes of Hope’ project in Korea delivered the sneakers collected through this project to Ugandan child soldiers and orphans in 2007 and to poverty-stricken children in Bangladesh and Cambodia in 2008 and 2009, respectively. In 2010, sneakers were delivered to Nepalese child laborers working in dangerous conditions, such as in coal mines. The 11,500 sneakers collected in 2011 were delivered to teenagers and children in the northern mountainous region of Laos in a simple handover ceremony. This year, the shoes will be sent as messages of peace and reconciliation to Vietnam, a country where Korean soldiers once fought. 

             In addition, MIZY Center has also established ‘Libraries of Hope’ in Cambodia and Nepal in conjunction with the ‘Shoes of Hope’ project. These libraries are intended to act as a form of sustainable support for the children of these countries. This year, as part of Mayor Park Won-soon’s support plan for libraries and the establishment of a reading culture, the citizens of Seoul can exchange their second-hand books for 10,000 new books.