Jeonnam Province Expands 'Beautiful Story Grandmother Project'

[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Province announced on the 16th that it will expand the ‘Beautiful Story Grandmother Project,’ which has the effect of early character education for future dream children and providing job opportunities for elderly women.

To this end, 35 elderly participants will be newly recruited, and applications will be accepted from early childhood education institutions that wish to dispatch them.

The Beautiful Story Grandmother Project is a long-running program that started in 2009 to promote intergenerational transmission of traditional culture, marking its 14th year this year.

In particular, it provides young children with an opportunity to experience traditional culture through old stories and gives elderly women a sense of fulfillment through volunteering and pride as socially participating members.

Women elders aged 56 to 74 tell traditional Korean folktales to children aged 3 to 5 at daycare centers, kindergartens, and other early childhood education institutions. This is a national and provincial government matching project, with the Korea Institute of Korean Studies acting as the agent for local governments nationwide.

The number of early childhood institutions requesting dispatch has been increasing every year, leading to a rise in project funding. This year, the budget for the Jeonnam region is a total of 712 million KRW (498 million KRW from the national government and 214 million KRW from the provincial government), which is a 14.9% increase from last year’s 618 million KRW.

The number of dispatched institutions has increased yearly: 319 in 2019, 332 in 2020, and 371 in 2021. This year, the project aims to reach 400 institutions.

Daycare centers and kindergartens wishing to request story grandmother dispatch can contact the Story Grandmother Project Team at the Korea Institute of Korean Studies.

Recruitment of new elderly participants is also underway. Following the hiring of 20 new participants last year, Jeonnam Province and the Korea Institute of Korean Studies will recruit an additional 35 this year.

In the application period last January, 145 people applied, resulting in a competition rate of 4.1 to 1.

After the second interview, basic training and group education will be held from April to May, monthly training from June to October, and on-site activity practice from November to December. Those who pass the final selection will begin activities at daycare centers and kindergartens starting next year.

The term is five years, with activities from March to December (2 to 3 times per week), totaling 34 weeks annually. A field activity allowance of 40,000 KRW is given per session.

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