Seoul's Seocho-gu and Kia Corp. have successfully wrapped up two flagship programs — the Donghang Camp and Donghang Mentoring — under their joint initiative "Kia Frentoring," which aims to close the education gap for low-income children and youth and support their healthy development.
Now in its 14th year since launching in 2013, Kia Frentoring is a public-private partnership funded by a 100 million won ($68,200) contribution from Kia Corp. Three specialized local mentoring organizations — Umyeon Community Welfare Center, Banpo Community Welfare Center and Bangbae Youth Center — collaborate to run the program.
The initiative pairs college student mentors with children and youth from educationally disadvantaged, low-income backgrounds, providing tailored mentoring in academics, psychological and emotional support, and career guidance. It also runs programs to help the college student mentors plan their own careers and build professional skills.
The Donghang Camp, held Friday, drew 17 college student mentors and 21 mentees from the partner organizations. Participants explored career paths firsthand at KidZania Seoul, a children's and youth vocational theme park, trying out a wide range of occupations.
Mentors and mentees also took part in one-on-one activities designed to deepen mutual understanding and strengthen emotional bonds.
On Tuesday, the Donghang Mentoring session focused on helping college student mentors map out their careers and sharpen their job-seeking skills. The 23 mentors who attended toured Kia's AutoLand Hwaseong production line and the company's headquarters in Yangjae, gaining a firsthand look at real industrial settings and work environments.
At a group job mentoring session held at Umyeon Community Welfare Center, Kia employees provided practical career consulting — including guidance on fields of interest, personal statement reviews and job-hunting tips.
Seocho-gu and Kia plan to continue running social contribution programs through Kia Frentoring where mentors and mentees grow side by side. Ongoing initiatives include Eco Mentoring, which has participants make eco-friendly goods to donate to vulnerable households; Eum Mentoring, focused on assembling sharing kits; and a supplies support project for educationally disadvantaged youth. At year's end, the partners will hold "Hamkke-haKia," a joint showcase to share achievements and recognize outstanding mentoring cases.
The district continues to advance a range of welfare projects in close partnership with local private organizations. Notable programs include Banditbul House, which supports households living in poor residential conditions; Dream Homcci, which helps youth aging out of foster care and young adults with developmental disabilities achieve independence; and Ontact House, which assists low-income households with air-conditioning inspections ahead of heat waves. The district said it will expand tailored support linking private-sector expertise and resources with public services to actively meet the community's growing welfare needs.
"We will continue working closely with a wide range of private companies to reduce welfare blind spots and spare no effort in delivering the tailored support our residents need," Seocho-gu District Mayor Jeon Seong-su said.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
