VP Updates - May 2021

I want to also mention that the class sessions are being recorded and placed in a special archive online.  This means that even if the time zones aren’t exactly favorable to you, or your simply miss a class due to other obligations, you can still keep up with the progress of these important training topics. This archive is only available to HRD Global members. However, the true benefit is gained through the participation of the live sessions where you can get all your questions answered, so do your best to be there. 

Software Updates: 

Our new online platform at hwarangdo.org also has many other features that everyone is getting to understand and use better. It is becoming the vehicle for the management of our dojangs, students, households, event registrations, membership enrollment, as well as increasingly more public features. I would like to highlight a few recent additions: 

• The Magazine Archive – Here you will be able to find PDF copies of magazine articles and publications in which Hwa Rang Do or our teachers have been featured over the years. The PDFs are nice, as they include the photography of the articles as they appeared in their original printed form. Definitely a nice repository of insightful information, just go here to explore - https://hwarangdo.org/articles 

• The News Feed – Here you will be able to find news content from not only the WHRDA, but also from our Academy & Club locations from around the world. Along with announcements and news related to training, special events, and leadership reports, we will also be adding information related to our Non-Profit mission and humanitarian outreach as well.  https://hwarangdo.org/news  

• Newsletters - With all of the content being generated in the news feed, we will be selecting some highlights and special features to be combined into a monthly Newsletter that will be sent to our students, families, and donors so everyone stays up-to-date with all of the important events and activities. These newsletters will also be available online here: https://hwarangdo.org/newsletters 

• Email Blast Service – While this isn’t necessarily a tool for general users of the website, it is an important component of our ability to communicate directly with all students, families, and non-profit donors. In the past we have used 3rd party software options, however, those were not linked automatically to our management backend and each dojang had to handle its own system to connect with their students. We now have our own robust system integrated with our platform that helps all school locations and the association connect with all of you via email. 

• WHRDA Memberships – As a reminder for everyone who is training, in order to gain access to the online videos, access to the Global University, and maintain your official belt rank certifications, all students must have a current WHRDA Membership. While the fee for this was paid through your branch location for processing in the past, everyone can, and should now take care of this directly at https://hwarangdo.org/my-whrda-memberships    
  Parents can also see their children’s status at the bottom section of that page, and if any renewals are needed simply click the links provided. Just make sure that your account is fully setup in the system ( https://hwarangdo.org/new-account-setup-steps ), and if you have children, that your household account is setup and children are added properly. Once everyone has a profile on the system, everything works smooth from there!   
  In order to grow for the future, enhance quality, and retain an honorable reputation that all practitioners can be proud of, the WHRDA is involved in many actions / public works, that benefit the art, dojangs, and practitioners. Some of these actions come in the form of individual school support, special education and training, business development, infrastructure, scholarships, licensing of certified instructors, and legal action that is necessary to protect our art and its reputation. The WHRDA is the sole governing body of Hwa Rang Do® / Tae Soo Do® worldwide, and through its efforts a proud and reputable martial art identity will be passed to the future generations.  
  Along with supporting our art, your WHRDA membership will also grant you the benefits of discounts on equipment & merchandise at your local dojang, discounts on sanctioned events / seminars / tournaments, maintaining your certified belt ranks, and special access to our online video training on this site, as well as other community sections of the site. 

We thank you greatly for your support and wish you the very best in your training and life journey! 

• More Features Coming Soon! 

• Cyberdojang will be merging into the new platform here with even more content and more efficient ways of managing and sorting through all the material. This platform will certainly become one of the largest martial art training repositories in the world! 

• Community Forums will also be available for various discussions for all students. There will be sections not only related to training, but also sections connected to philosophy, history, and teaching, and other special sections dedicated to TGT and Instructors only. 

• Dojang management features will continue to be enhanced so that all of our schools can take care of the logistics regarding operations in a more efficient and effective manner.  All staff users can look forward to some new screencast tutorials that will help you learn the ins and outs of the system in greater detail. 

• Website Template – We will be creating a template in different languages with all the necessary information for all the HRD websites online currently or in the future in order to maintain consistency, delivering the proper information to the general public concerning our identity, purpose, and goals.  

Forward March: