The Virtuous Cycle of Sharing: 'Samsung Dream Class' Winter Camp... Boarding Mentoring for Middle and University Students

Middle school students, university student mentors, Samsung Electronics employees and executives participated in the welcoming ceremony of the '2020 Samsung Dream Class Winter Camp' held on the 3rd at Kyung Hee University International Campus, posing for a commemorative photo.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyewon] Samsung Electronics announced on the 5th that it will operate the '2020 Samsung Dream Class Winter Camp' for three weeks from the 3rd to the 22nd at five universities nationwide, with 1,600 middle school students from 694 middle schools in eup, myeon, and island areas, and 540 university students participating.

Samsung Electronics recruited middle school students in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. Among them were 495 children of soldiers, firefighters, coast guards, and national merit recipients who dedicate themselves to the country.

The middle school students participating in the vacation camp will live together with university student mentors and receive a total of 150 hours of education in English, mathematics, and software. They will also have opportunities for cultural experiences such as university major fairs, career mentoring, and concerts, which are usually hard to access.

Gwon Hyunwoo, a second-year student at Wontong Middle School located at the entrance of Hangyeryeong in Seoraksan, Gangwon Province, said, "Living in a quiet village surrounded by mountains like a folding screen, I have lived without special motivation for studying, but as I became a middle school student, I started to worry about my career path. Through this camp, I want to study hard and find my dream," expressing his thoughts on participation.

Samsung Dream Class is Samsung Electronics' representative educational social contribution program that provides learning opportunities to middle school students who lack educational conditions economically and regionally, and supports scholarships for university students participating as mentors. Since its launch in 2012, about 82,000 middle school students and 23,000 university students have participated. During the semester, after-school classes are held at middle schools in large and small cities, and during vacations, middle school students from eup, myeon, and island areas are invited to university campuses for vacation camps.

Now in its ninth year, Samsung Dream Class aims for a 'virtuous cycle of sharing,' where middle school students who received education enter university and pass on their learning as university student mentors. Among the 540 university students participating in this camp, 72 were mentors who had participated in Samsung Dream Class as middle school students.

Jeon Wootak (Seoul National University freshman, 20), who participated in the Dream Class winter camp held at Seoul National University in 2015 as a middle school student, said, "By participating in the camp and meeting university student mentors, I was able to set concrete goals for my career path. This year, as a university student mentor, I will strive to help juniors have bigger dreams and goals."

Ki Minjung (POSTECH, 20), who attended elementary, middle, and high school in a small village in Jangseong-gun, Jeollanam-do, said, "I grew up in a small rural village lacking opportunities for information, culture, and career exploration, but the Samsung Dream Class summer camp I participated in 2014 was the turning point that gave me the big dream of becoming a scientist. I joined this camp because I want to share what I felt with juniors who may have the same concerns."

Executives from Samsung affiliates also attended this camp to encourage the students. No Hee-chan, President of Samsung Electronics Management Support Office, said, "I hope the middle school students participating in the camp actively engage in various programs, discover what they like and are good at, and find their own paths of talent."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.