Gwangju City Opens "Cafe Labora Lifelong Learning Center Branch (5th Branch)" Self-Sufficiency Work Project Group

On September 22, Gwangju City in Gyeonggi Province held the opening ceremony for the new self-sufficiency work project group, "Cafe Labora Lifelong Learning Center Branch (5th branch)," on the second floor of the Gwangju City Lifelong Learning Center.

Sang-Hwan Bang, mayor of Gwangju City, held the opening ceremony of the new self-sufficiency work project group "Cafe Labora Lifelong Learning Center Branch (5th branch)" on the 2nd floor of the Gwangju City Lifelong Learning Center on the 22nd. Photo by Gyeonggi Gwangju City

The event was attended by around 50 people, including Mayor Bang Sanghwan, City Council Chair Heo Kyunghaeng, and heads of partner organizations in social welfare, who celebrated the opening and encouraged the participants.

At the venue, participants served coffee and desserts that they had prepared themselves as part of the commemorative event, showcasing the passion and determination of self-sufficiency participants who had undergone professional training, including barista education.

The "Cafe Labora Lifelong Learning Center Branch (5th branch)" was established with a total budget of 74 million won, including 29 million won from the Gwangju City Self-Sufficiency Fund and 45 million won from a project grant by the Korea Self-Sufficiency Welfare Development Institute.

In particular, the project goes beyond simply providing jobs by enabling participants to gain hands-on experience in both barista training and store management, thereby supporting their practical independence.

Mayor Bang Sanghwan stated, "I sincerely congratulate the opening of the new self-sufficiency work project group. We will continue to actively support the activation of various self-sufficiency project groups and do our best to help low-income residents build a foundation for independence."

Meanwhile, the Gwangju Regional Self-Sufficiency Center in Gyeonggi Province currently operates a total of five self-sufficiency cafes, starting with "Cafe Labora Chowol Branch" in 2022, followed by "Cafe Changtteul (2nd branch)," "Gwangnam Book Cafe (3rd branch)," "Cafe Labora Gonjiam Branch (4th branch)," and now the Lifelong Learning Center Branch (5th branch). The center plans to continue developing various practical models to help self-sufficiency participants build their capabilities and achieve independence in the social economy sector.

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