Shinhan University Department of International Development Cooperation's 'WITH Project' Certified as Official UNESCO ESD Project

Praised as a "Learning by Teaching" Model Where Students Grow as Educators
Provided ICT Education to 585 Children and Adolescents Domestically and Internationally... Contributing to Reducing Educational Inequality
Student-Led ICT Education Volunteer Experience Expands into Tangible Achievements Such as Patent Applications

Shinhan University (President Kang Sungjong) announced on December 9 that its major-linked glocal educational volunteer project in the Department of International Development Cooperation, titled "Changing Someone's World, [WITH]" (hereinafter referred to as the WITH Project), has been certified as an "Official UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Project 2025" by the Korean National Commission for UNESCO.

Shinhan University [WITH] volunteer group students and their faculty advisor are holding a meeting on site in Cambodia. Provided by Shinhan University

The UNESCO ESD official project certification is a system that internationally recognizes programs among domestic Education for Sustainable Development cases whose educational effectiveness and innovation have been verified. This year, a total of 57 projects from local governments, universities, and corporations were submitted for consideration. Only 23 projects were ultimately certified, following an evaluation based on the core elements of ESD 2030 such as thematic relevance, effectiveness, originality, and inclusiveness.

Through this certification, the Department of International Development Cooperation at Shinhan University has been recognized for its excellence as a sustainable university-based ESD model, in which regular curriculum, extracurricular educational volunteer activities, and local and international cooperation networks are organically integrated.

This project has been operated in collaboration with organizations such as KOICA and the Code Club Korea Committee. Such multi-layered partnerships have played a crucial role in supporting students to gain hands-on learning experiences connected to developing countries and local communities, as well as in establishing a structure that enables the sustainable dissemination of ICT and global citizenship education content.

The WITH Project is an ICT education volunteer program in which current students teach ICT skills such as coding, drones, and 3D printing-learned in their major courses-to children and adolescents both in Korea and abroad. A distinctive feature is that non-STEM students overcome their apprehension toward the ICT field and grow as educators by designing the curriculum themselves. In particular, the project's structure, which allows students to "learn by teaching" through the Protege Effect, is considered a major strength, as it helps students grow from simple learners into proactive educational practitioners.

The project's educational targets initially included children and adolescents in the northern Gyeonggi region, and later expanded to North Korean defector youth and children and adolescents in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Through these efforts, a cumulative total of 585 children and adolescents both domestically and internationally have been provided with quality digital learning opportunities, making a tangible contribution to closing the education gap-a core goal of SDG4 (Quality Education).

Additionally, students who participated in the project developed technical ideas from problems they identified during their educational volunteer activities, resulting in a total of five patent applications. This is a representative example demonstrating that non-STEM students have grown beyond simple knowledge transmitters to become agents of ICT innovation who solve problems and create value on their own.

Han Kwangho, head of the Department of International Development Cooperation, stated, "The WITH Project has shown that ICT skills are not just the domain of certain majors, but can serve as educational tools for a sustainable future. We will continue to strengthen our support so that students can grow through sharing and become global leaders who embody the values of Education for Sustainable Development."

With this certification as an opportunity, Shinhan University plans to further expand the curriculum-extracurricular linked ESD education model of the Department of International Development Cooperation and to continuously promote global educational cooperation programs in partnership with the local community.

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