Youth Dreaming of Culture Meet CJ Kkumjigi... Cultural Club Showcase Held

On the 12th, at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, teenagers participating in the music section of the CJ Donors Camp Youth Culture Club showcase performed a hip-hop show with rap they created themselves.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] CJ Group announced on the 13th that it held the ‘CJ Donors Camp Youth Culture Club Showcase’ at CGV Yongsan and Dongdaemun DDP on the 11th and 12th, respectively. Under the theme ‘Youth Dreaming of Culture, Meeting the Dream Keeper Called CJ,’ the two-day event was attended by over 1,000 people, including middle and high school students participating in the club program, school officials, youth organizations, community child center representatives, CJ employees, and industry experts.

The ‘CJ Donors Camp Youth Culture Club’ is a social contribution program by CJ Group that helps young people develop creativity and character through cultural education and approach the cultural industry, one of the promising future fields, from a career perspective.

About 1,200 middle and high school students selected through a public contest last September participated in club activities over the past four months in six fields: broadcasting, film, music, performance, cooking, and fashion/beauty. They worked with a total of 220 mentors, including top experts in each field such as PD Na Young-seok, director Yoon Je-kyun, singer Shin Seung-hoon, music director Kim Moon-jung, chef Kim Byung-pil, stylist Han Hye-yeon, CJ employees, industry experts, and university student volunteers. In addition to CJ CheilJedang, CJ ENM, CJ CGV, CJ Foodville, and CJ Olive Young contributed from the curriculum development stage to mentoring to provide more systematic education to the youth.

The showcase stage on the 11th and 12th was designed with the motif of ‘Prism,’ symbolizing the diverse dreams and possibilities nurtured through various cultural lectures, experiences, and creative activities.

On the 11th at CGV Yongsan, under the attendance of PD Na Young-seok and director Yoon Je-kyun, works from seven broadcasting club teams and five film club teams were screened. The audience responded enthusiastically to a total of 12 short films, broadcasting dramas, entertainment shows, and documentaries that combined the trendy sensibilities of teenagers familiar with video content and the seasoned expertise of mentors.

Lee Min-kyung (Donghwa High School, 18), who produced a 15-minute drama titled ‘Ijjag-euro Waborangkke’ with her club friends, said, “It was amazing to see our work on the large screen of a movie theater, where I usually watch as an audience. Through special lectures and mentoring by experts working in the broadcasting industry, I was able to concretize my dream of becoming a broadcasting content creator, and this showcase made my desire to achieve my dream even stronger.”

On the 12th, the stage at DDP’s Alim Hall, characterized by its all-white walls, maximized visual effects and message delivery by expressing the youth’s individuality and dreams as various colors of light passing through a prism. Participating youths presented their creations through stage performances by five performance teams and nine music teams, a fashion show by five fashion/beauty teams, and cooking catering by five cooking teams. Master mentors in each field, including music director Kim Moon-jung, producer Shin Seung-hoon, stylist Han Hye-yeon, and executive chef Kim Byung-pil, also attended to support the students.

Producer Shin Seung-hoon, who served as the master mentor for the music division, said, “There were boys and girls on stage who tirelessly strive to achieve their dreams, university student mentors and expert mentors who became their tall uncles as if it were their own work, and I was happy to hear that just being there was a source of strength. I believe this stage is not the end but the beginning. I hope everyone’s dreams come true,” offering words of encouragement.

A CJ official said, “Because expressing oneself and being recognized at a large-scale event can improve self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment, this showcase is also part of education,” adding, “We will continue to expand opportunities so that any youth dreaming of culture can nurture their dreams and receive quality cultural education necessary for developing creativity and character.”

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