Will 'Seocho 50 Plus Center' Become the BTS 'Cradle'?

An Open Learning Space Where 50+ Generations Teach and Learn Themselves, ‘BTS’ (Best Teacher of Seocho) Supports Various Lectures... ‘Family Guardian Training Course’, ‘Public Guardian Social Contribution Group Training Course’, Saturday Lectures for Life’s Second Act... 5060 Playground ‘Orak(Sil)’ to Enjoy New Culture in the 4th Industrial Revolution Era... New Start, Startup Incubating Support Project ‘Dungji’ and Other 50+ Middle-aged Programs

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] COVID-19 has structurally changed social aspects such as social distancing, non-face-to-face lifestyles, and job reductions. Amid this wave of change, how should the baby boomer generation, represented by those in their 50s and 60s, prepare for their second life after retirement in the post-pandemic social environment?

There is a place where you can find clues to this answer. It is the 'Seocho 50 Plus Center.'

◇ Seocho Provides Comprehensive Content and Leisure Support for the 50s and 60s Generation

Opened in December last year, the 'Seocho 50 Plus Center' is gaining attention as a hub for the 50+ generation, supporting not only retirement preparation but also helping them accept and actively respond to changes in the world in various ways. Although it operated mainly non-face-to-face programs due to COVID-19, within just four months of opening, 4,599 people from the 50+ generation registered Seocho 50 Plus Center as a center of interest, attracting significant attention not only from Seocho-gu but also from Seoul citizens.

Especially, right next to the Seocho 50 Plus Center is the ‘Naegok Nut Tree Rest Area,’ a top popular spot among seniors, allowing both middle-aged and elderly people to use the facilities together, which is an advantage.

Career development and preparation for employment or entrepreneurship for the second round of life can be done at the ‘50 Plus Center,’ while cultural and leisure activities such as health dance, sauna, movie watching, and mental health care including dementia treatment can be enjoyed at the cultural leisure complex ‘Nut Tree Rest Area,’ offering Seocho’s unique one-plus-one service.

◇ Sharing and Lecturing Unique Content from My Perspective

'Best Teacher of Seocho,' abbreviated as BTS, refers to an open learning space where the 50+ generation teaches and learns by themselves. At Seocho 50 Plus Center, 43 instructors from the 50+ generation were selected through the BTS instructor selection contest, and various lectures on humanities, social sciences, science, IT, leisure, and more are conducted via an online platform, supporting the 50+ generation to fully showcase their talents.

So far, a total of 1,680 students have taken 39 BTS special lectures. Particularly popular courses such as Healing Horticulture and Health, the Trojan War explained through Western Art, and the nostalgic pop song ‘San Francisco’ have received great responses from the 50+ generation.

◇ Diverse High-Quality Professional Lectures Preparing for the Post-COVID World

Special premium lectures are also noteworthy. Seocho 50 Plus Center plans programs for a stable second half of life for the 50+ generation through partnerships with expert organizations.

The first programs in April and May include professional legal education on the guardianship system under the themes of ‘Family Guardian Training Course’ and ‘Public Guardianship Social Contribution Group Training Course’ in collaboration with the Korea Guardianship Association.

The ‘Family Guardian Training Course’ includes practical legal document writing exercises where each student drafts a guardianship designation petition according to their desired direction, guided directly by legal experts. The ‘Public Guardianship Social Contribution Group Training Course’ offers social contribution activities where participants can experience public guardianship work for people with mental disabilities, cooperating with the Hanul Mental Disability Rights Advocacy Project Group and the Korea Mental Health Professionals Association, and will be deployed to actual work.

To enhance social contribution activities, a partnership was established with Seocho District’s Naegok Library to jointly conduct one-person media education for middle-aged and older adults.

Additionally, various humanities lectures such as humanities book concerts and monthly book recommendations aimed at enriching the cultural knowledge of middle-aged and older adults will be offered.

Further expert courses will be prepared through partnerships with various related organizations.

◇ In the Era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, Realize Your Imagination at the 5060 Playground, O樂 Room

The O樂 Room (Hobby and Leisure Room), a special space unique to Seocho 50 Plus Center, is a playground for middle-aged and older adults designed to experience and enjoy 4th industrial revolution technology culture.

In the O樂 Room, there are 3D printers, UV flatbed printers capable of printing on various materials such as metal, acrylic, and wood, mug cup transfer machines to put your own drawings on mugs, lettering sticker cutters for sheet cutting production, and 3D pens to create three-dimensional sculptures by hand.

Courses such as ‘Making Indoor Interior Items Using 3D Pen and 3D Printer’ held in March and April received great responses by providing small joys to students. Offline courses like ‘3D Pen, 3D Printer, and UV Printer Utilization Course’ will continue steadily in May.

Additionally, ‘UV Flatbed Printer and Mug Cup Press Experience Course’ is available, allowing participants to create their own designed bags, mugs, and frames, providing opportunities for the general public to encounter and learn about unfamiliar devices.

After attending offline courses, users can become familiar with the equipment by using the O樂 Room and can produce their imagined works in reality, with paid space provided for this purpose.

◇ Social Contribution, We 50+ Do It (Experienced Senior Career Jobs / 50+ Regional Welfare Project Team)

Besides various program operations, the center also runs the ‘Smart Senior IT Supporters’ project, an experienced senior career job program providing IT education to local seniors, and the Seoul City rewarding job ‘50+ Regional Welfare Project Team.’

The IT Supporters provide seniors with various IT education suitable for the 4th industrial revolution era, such as VR device experiences, robot experience programs, and YouTube utilization, while offering the experienced senior generation opportunities to develop new careers as IT instructors.

The 50+ Regional Welfare Project Team (rewarding jobs) will be dispatched to facilities such as kindergartens and elementary/middle schools with special classes, youth facilities, and facilities for the disabled, actively engaging in social contribution activities within the local community through learning support and work assistance.

◇ Incubating Support Project ‘Dungji’ Supporting New Beginnings and Growth

An incubating support project is also underway, providing office space, facilities, education, consulting, and networking support to organizations wishing to prepare for startups with a public interest purpose.

Currently, three organizations are residing and active: the Public Interest Advertising Social Cooperative aiming to become Korea’s top public interest advertising agency; the Korea Drone Pilots Cooperative, established by drone pilots who have obtained national drone licenses; and U&Senior, supporting career planning for retired seniors composed of senior counselors and senior cultural artists. Additional shared office incubating tenants will be recruited in the second half of this year.

◇ A Place Full of Energy Even on Weekends, Seocho 50 Plus Center

Seocho 50 Plus Center offers Saturday courses for the 50+ generation who cannot use the center on weekdays. Planned courses include an introductory webtoon artist course for those dreaming of becoming cartoonists, SNS utilization, presentation skills improvement with PowerPoint, and work skills enhancement with Excel, all essential for a second life leap. The ‘50+ IT School’ will be operated, and courses will be expanded according to social distancing levels to increase weekend lecture opportunities.

In May, new courses such as YouTube video editing, tile crafts, basic SNS utilization, and picture book therapy are prepared. Programs conducted at Seocho 50 Plus Center are open to all Seoul citizens preparing for life after age 50, and registration is available through the Seocho 50 Plus Center website.

Jo Eun-hee, Mayor of Seocho District, said, “In a changing world, Seocho 50 Plus Center will be a reliable companion for those in their 50s and 60s. We salute the 50s and 60s generation who have run selflessly without looking back and will run and support the second half of their lives together.”

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