Starbucks Launches Support Program to Help 'Youth Independence' in Partnership with Areumdawoon Foundation

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Starbucks Coffee Korea, in collaboration with the Areumdaun Foundation, is recruiting youth aging out of care to participate in the ‘2021 Youth Self-Reliance Settlement Dream Support Project’ until March 12.

This year, Starbucks has raised a fund of 300 million KRW and delivered it to the Areumdaun Foundation to provide self-reliance settlement funds to youth aging out of care who are not attending university, are working as daily workers or in irregular jobs, or are preparing for employment. Additionally, various self-development opportunities will be offered to help them achieve stable social integration.

Through the ‘Youth Self-Reliance Settlement Dream Support Project,’ Starbucks plans to expand various support programs so that youth can not only receive one-time assistance but also find their aptitude, gain social experience, and develop practical self-reliance capabilities.

Accordingly, youth who are finally selected through document screening and interviews will receive up to 5 million KRW per year as self-reliance settlement funds, which will be provided as subsidies for education and career activities. Starting this year, continuous support recipients will be selected from existing participants through evaluation, and an additional one-year support will be provided.

Opportunities to participate in monthly cultural experiences, employment lectures, career aptitude tests, and other self-reliance capacity-building education and networking activities will also be offered. Furthermore, various educational opportunities such as scholarships from Hanyang Cyber University, a partner of Starbucks, and participation in Starbucks barista training will be provided.

The target applicants are youth aged 19 to 24 nationwide who have aged out of child welfare facilities or foster care, have not entered university, and do not have regular employment. Application details can be found on the Areumdaun Foundation website and the Korea Association of Social Welfare Centers website.

Meanwhile, last year Starbucks raised a total of 250 million KRW through the ‘Be the Brightest Stars’ campaign and launched the ‘Youth Self-Reliance Dream Support Project’ for the first time. Through this, a total of 25 youth aging out of care received self-reliance settlement funds and participated in various programs necessary for self-reliance preparation, such as legal knowledge lectures and self-esteem enhancement classes.

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