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# Holiday charity concert with Okdal

Many say that empathy is the greatest trait unique to humans. It is the ability to understand and identify with someone else’s feelings, whether they be sadness or joy. Perhaps it is the driving force of hope and all the miracles in the world. We are all hardwired for empathy, but many people need a trigger to bring it out. Just as the wind wakes up the leaves, and raindrops knock on the eaves, a charity concert featuring the band Okdal as part of the ACC’s Culture & Art Sharing Campaign awoke the empathy and sensitivity that lay dormant in us.

Okdal’s warm lyrics and soothing melodies connected hearts and minds in a comforting way. I felt like paying it forward by comforting and rooting for someone else. It gave me the hope and the peace of mind I needed to get through these trying times.

Culture & Art Sharing Campaign celebrating 7 years of ACC

Step into the lobby of the ACC Archive & Research, and you will come across a scene that looks right out of a Hallmark holiday card. The Hope Giving Village is a Culture & Art Sharing Campaign jointly launched by the ACC and Save the Children for the first time this year to mark the 7th anniversary of the center’s founding. The two sides signed an MOU last October to promote the spirit of giving through culture and art. Visitors are invited to write a message on a postcard and place it on the Christmas tree or make a donation into the unmanned box. They can also view works submitted to the climate change idea contest organized by Save the Children.

The exhibition is full of warmth and cheer as its name suggests. The Hope Giving Village is about giving, sharing happiness and making a difference. Anyone visiting the ACC can stay in the village to practice small acts of kindness. All proceeds from the donations will help support the needs of children with developmental disabilities.

Holiday charity concert with Okdal

A charity concert featuring Okdal was held on the sidelines of the ACC campaign in the Book Lounge at the ACC Archive & Research on November 12. About 100 audience members weathered the rain to join the spirit of giving. The atmosphere was cozy, as the stage was nestled at the bottom of stairs in the lounge. With the band singing soft, sweet songs, the concert felt like a fairy tale come to life.

Okdal is a female duo of singer-songwriters, Kim Yoon-ju and Park Se-jin. The intimate and candid lyrics were the message they want the world to hear. Their songs were delivered with a playful yet sincere tone to comfort the audience. The band carefully selected heartwarming and inspirational songs to perform at this concert. They left the audience with a sense of hope and positivity, the very underlying message of the ACC campaign.

Holiday charity concert with Okdal

One of the band’s biggest hits, “You Did Well Today,” whispered to us, ‘I feel your sorrow, and I am rooting for you.’ Perhaps for those feeling lonely and vulnerable, small words of encouragement and support might be the greatest antidote. It made me feel that I could be the one who can offer a shoulder to lean on to someone in distress and say, ‘You did well.’ It fact, it could be the best form of giving that I can practice at any given moment.

In a world that apparently values having more, whether it be money or qualifications, Okdal calmly sings that having less is more. They have nothing to lose, and nothing to be afraid. They suggest that we take the courage to take a step forward. The rough patches we are going through will end someday, so we might as well start running now. The duo shares a powerful message of hope to the young and vulnerable who feel uncertain and fearful about the future.

Holiday charity concert with Okdal

No one becomes a grown-up in an instant. We all encounter obstacles, fall down, get back up, and grow up at our own pace. This endless cycle of trials and errors makes us who we are. This is why we should not rush anyone into growing up. Give them enough time and watch them grow up, and be there when they need us. Accept them as they are and tell them there is no need to try too hard and they are doing just fine. These simple gestures may be our greatest gift to each other. If we have someone like that around us, or if we can be that person to someone else, the world might be a slightly better place tomorrow. This is when the ACC’s Culture & Art Sharing Campaign comes alive.

Christmas tree celebrating 7 years of ACC

ACC’s Hope Giving Village exhibition started on November 8 and will continue till the end of the year. Bring your family or friends to take part in the holiday spirit of giving. If you share with others what you cherish most, you will be filled with greater happiness and joy. May the New Year bring us more opportunities to feel this way. I would like to close with “40,000 Won Goat,” Okdal’s song about showing love and compassion to children living in Africa.