Starbucks kicks off history field trips for children, pledges W300m to ChildFund Korea over 3 years

Starbucks Korea took about 30 elementary school students from Pureunarae Community Child Center on a history and cultural field trip to the National Museum of Korea on Tuesday, the company announced.

The outing marked the first activity under a history and cultural experience program for children and teenagers at community child centers, which Starbucks announced last month. Starting this year, Starbucks plans to donate 100 million won ($70,900) annually to ChildFund Korea for three years — 300 million won in total — and provide roughly 1,000 children a year with field trip opportunities.

Community child centers are child welfare facilities supported by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Open to children under 18, they offer after-school care, emotional support, and lifestyle and education activities. More than 4,000 operate nationwide.

During the visit, students toured period-specific exhibition halls in groups, starting with the 10-story stone pagoda from Gyeongcheonsa Temple in the museum's central hall. Before the museum trip, the children also completed preparatory lessons at their community child center, learning about the historical stories and social context behind the artifacts.

Starbucks and ChildFund Korea are accepting applications from community child centers nationwide through Thursday to enroll about 500 children for activities running through November. An additional 500 children will be recruited for the winter school-break period, bringing the total to roughly 1,000 participants for the year.

"We will continue to introduce diverse programs so that children in local communities can discover the joy and importance of learning history through hands-on experiences," said Kim Ji-young, head of Starbucks Korea's ESG team.