POSCO Introduces Unique Volunteer Travel Program 'Voluntour'

Volunteer Trip with Local Neighbors in Gwangyang and Pohang

Creating Memories by Exploring Local Attractions with Seniors and People with Disabilities

POSCO has been conducting the POSCO Voluntour program, a volunteer travel initiative taking place nationwide including the Gwangyang area, since the 12th.

Voluntour is a combination of the words Volunteering and Tour. It is a unique volunteer travel program by POSCO that supports customized activity programs for welfare institutions and allows POSCO employees volunteers to explore local attractions with community neighbors such as seniors and people with disabilities who usually have difficulty participating in outdoor activities, gifting them a memorable day.

POSCO employees are enjoying spring flowers with local seniors at Gyeongbuk Arboretum.
Photo by Gwangyang Steelworks

With the implementation of a biweekly four-day workweek, activities can be held on weekdays that are Fridays off, increasing satisfaction for both volunteers and beneficiaries.

Since March, POSCO has been accepting applications from local welfare institutions for desired locations, times, and activity contents for volunteer trips. In April, filled with the spring breeze, the theme is exploring arboretums with seniors in areas near Gwangyang, Pohang, and Seoul, visiting places such as Suncheonman Bay National Garden, Gyeongsangbuk-do Arboretum, and Gwangneung National Arboretum.

The Voluntour, which began on the 12th in Pohang, will conclude the April schedule with a tour of the Gwangyang area on the 26th following the Seoul event on the 13th.

Heo Soon-nam, a senior using the Pohang Home Care Senior Integrated Support Center who participated in the Gyeongsangbuk-do Arboretum tour on the 12th, said, “Living alone, it is not easy to travel or go on outings, so I was very happy to be able to travel through the forest accompanied by POSCO volunteers,” and added, “I am very grateful to the POSCO employees who gifted me a day to feel the spring.”

Yang Yoon-mi, a welfare worker at the Gwangyang Senior Club preparing for the Gwangyang program at Suncheonman Bay National Garden on the 26th, said, “When accompanying seniors with mobility difficulties, the helping hands of volunteers are essential. POSCO employees are matched one-on-one for close care, and through outdoor activities, this program provides significant emotional support to seniors with high levels of depression.”

Starting this year, POSCO plans to continue the Voluntour program by linking various experiential activities such as sports and cultural heritage viewing, in addition to exploring local attractions, to maintain a happy journey together with local residents.

Meanwhile, around May 29, the founding day of the POSCO Volunteer Corps, POSCO Group has been conducting the Global Model Citizen Week every year since 2010, a special volunteer week during which all POSCO Group employees engage in various sharing activities for the local community.

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