VISION & MISSION STATEMENT
What is Vision & Mission of YKA?
In Young Korean Academy, Dosan Ahn Chang Ho envisioned its members to be responsible citizens with good moral character and leadership.
4 Fundamental Principles
The first is Truth. Something that is true, concrete, fruitful, and devoid of falsehood. In Chinese, it is written as Moosil. It means to put truth into practice. Gandhi urged Satyagraha, grasp of truth and Dosan’s devotion to honesty is similar to Gandhi’s teaching. Its aim is to be truthful and sincere at all cost.
The second calls for Action. In Chinese, it is written as Ryuk Haeng. In other words, it urged actual practice by rejecting empty theories and futile argument. Dosan believed that one deed was more persuasive and effective than one hundred empty words. His philosophy was based on deed and practice, urging all the people to act. He himself showed an example of true patriotism, leadership, truth, and love through his own actions. All his life, he worked hard to construct a utopian community to set an example in this respect. He taught harmony between learning and practice.
The third is Fidelity. In Chinese, it is written as Chungeui. Man should always be righteous, trustworthy, and loyal. Lying, Betrayal and mistrust were what Dosan hated most. He taught fidelity as a virtue.
The fourth is Bravery. In Chinese, it is written as Yong Gam. One must be courageous if she/he is ever to succeed. Hesitation, inaction and cowardice lead to nothing
3 elements
1) Virtue A good character must be based on virtue. According to Dosan, cultivating virtue requires devotion to honesty, action, loyalty, and courge.
2) Strong body Dosan emphasized three areas of education: moral, physical, and intellectual education. He considered moral education to be more important than intellectual education as intelligence without virtue is prone to becoming a source of vice, while intelligence without physical health may adversely affect one’s performance
3) Knowledge & Skills Dosan put special emphasis on this particular area. He believed that being financially independent and self-sufficient are our basic duties of a good citizen. We need to cultivate our own professional knowledge and skills. Technical skills and labor used to be considered inferior and Dosan saw how detrimental that perception was. Dosan believed it as an obstacle to national prosperity. He believed that “individuals perform their duty to Heaven and mankind by working for their own nation.”
