The Poetry of Children

◉ A TV program that conveys emotional healing and heartfelt warmth through children’s poetry during the troubled times of the COVID-19 pandemic

The year 2020 was one of the cruelest. Engulfed in the COVID-19 pandemic, people throughout the world have been both physically and mentally devastated. In troubled times like these, what is essential for our survival might be inner strength and words of consolation. In this program, you will see students in a small elementary school in a remote rural area compose poems about themselves and recite them. It offers comfort and healing to those who are struggling with COVID-19 through the poems of innocent children and beautiful, high-resolution 4K(UHD) images.

◉ A TV program by children and for children
The title of the program, The Poetry of Children, has two implied meanings when written in Korean. One is “a work of poetry” and the other is “the beginning.” It is designed to support children who have just taken their first steps as writers and to encourage them to complete their poems. By showing children who have taken up the challenge of writing poetry and how they gradually complete their task, the program truly becomes both by children and for children.

◉ Raising the self-respect of children through poetry
According to Confucius, “There are 300 poems, and they can be summed up in one sentence: Have no evil thoughts.” For Korean children, whose priority is getting good grades, writing poems may seem like a luxury, little more than a time-wasting pastime. But as Confucius also said, writing and reciting poetry is a process of purifying ideas. Not only does it enhance the literary development of children, but it also helps build their character. Through these “beginnings of poetry” they can heighten their self-respect and grow up to be emotionally healthy.

◉ A TV program that makes us think about small rural schools and the children who attend them
Small rural schools have been disappearing in modern times because everything is focused on big-city life. But we have to pay attention to children in remote areas, along with the schools that they attend. The Poetry of Children aims to shed new light on these children and their schools through poetry. It asserts that small schools are needed because they provide essential space for children living in the countryside. It also metaphorically conveys the fact that these children need our attention and care so that they can be brought up in a wholesome, nourishing environment.