Yangcheon-gu 'Out-of-School Youth' Sell Leather Crafts Like Keyrings and Card Wallets to Help Neighbors, Spreading Warmth

Youth-Made Leather Handicraft Sales Proceeds Donated to Yangcheon Sarang Welfare Foundation... Out-of-School Youth Stand Tall as Community Sharing Leaders

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) School Out Youth Support Center (hereinafter ‘Yangcheon-gu Kkumdeulim’) donated 773,400 KRW from the sales of leather craft products made directly by ‘school out youth’ to the Yangcheon Love Welfare Foundation on the 1st to help neighbors struggling due to COVID-19.

‘Yangcheon-gu Kkumdeulim’ provides programs such as counseling support, educational support, job experience and employment support, and independence support to school out youth aged 9 to 24 in accordance with the Act on Support for School Out Youth. Since the establishment of the Yangcheon-gu School Out Youth Support Center in 2018, it has supported 12,451 cases of services, encouraging the dreams of school out youth.

This year, ‘Yangcheon-gu Kkumdeulim’ opened the Yangcheon Craft Classroom and conducted leather craft classes for school out youth over the past 10 months. Using the skills they honed, the youth directly made various leather handmade products such as card wallets, pencil cases, passport cases, and AirPods cases. They successfully completed the first round of sales on October 26 near Mokdong Happy Department Store, and from November 23 to 27, they conducted non-face-to-face sales for five days, earning a total of 773,400 KRW.

A representative from Yangcheon-gu Kkumdeulim stated, "The leather craft products made directly by the youth boast a level of precision comparable to products sold on the market, receiving high consumer response, and sold much better than expected, resulting in high profits."

"This is my first time donating since I was born. Every week, I met with friends to learn and practice, and I was really proud when I saw the completed craft products I made myself. It was a truly precious experience to be able to share this joy directly with neighbors in need."

A 17-year-old girl, A, who attended the profit donation ceremony, shared her feelings with a trembling voice about experiencing meaningful sharing by making leather handmade products. Although half of her face was covered by a mask, her eyes shone brightly with a smile for sharing with neighbors less fortunate than herself.

Kim Soo-young, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, said, “Through this donation, school out youth not only receive help from the local community but also stand tall as providers of help. This will be a great opportunity. The precious donation will be used valuably for youth support projects that will lead the future of our society.”

School out youth who wish to use the Yangcheon-gu School Out Youth Support Center (2nd floor of Mokdong Youth Center) can inquire by calling the youth representative phone number or apply by searching for ‘Kkumdeulim’.

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