Samsung C&T offers glimpse into Vitamin Camp, emotional management program
A lecturer from Samsung C&T Experience Innovation Academy explains its Vitamin Camp emotional management program, at Everland in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, in this file photo. Courtesy of Samsung C&T
Samsung C&T's Resort Group has decided to expand its emotional management program for employees, Vitamin Camp, from service industry workers to employees in all industries. Vitamin Camp marks its 10th anniversary this year.
The Samsung affiliate developed the special program offered at the nation’s largest theme park, Everland, in 2014. Vitamin Camp was designed to help employees strengthen their emotional resilience and maintain their mental peace in the workplace. Samsung C&T offers a range of experiential activities for participants in the program. More than 10,000 participants have attended the Vitamin Camp program to date.
All the participants in the program are required to carry out a self diagnosis of their emotional state. Samsung C&T developed the so-called emotional management scale (EMS) tool so that each participant can get a clearer grasp of their current emotional status.
Educators for the program analyze details for each participant's results, and help individuals identify the causes of their stress and help them find solutions to alleviate their daily struggles.
Participant then have the chance to express their emotions and share them with fellow program participants. This is the first “empathy” phase of the four-stage experimental program. They write down two to three moments when they were happy and unhappy at work, and share the results with their peers.
The “emptying” stage comes next. In this phase, participants go outside for walking, trekking and mediation. Everland is an excellent place for doing such activities, as it is surrounded by small mountains, according to the company. This stage is aimed at relieving their stress level through outdoor activities.
They then experience the “filling” stage through which participants enjoy such activities as breathing, stretching or aroma therapy and fill themselves with positive emotions. The “nurturing” is the final stage when particpants learn about the importance of maintaining positive energy in their daily lives.
Fu Bao, Korea's first naturally-born panda, reclines on a log at Everland in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Korea Times photo by Lee Min-hyung
A group of reporters were invited to take part in the program on Friday afternoon. They had the opportunity to take a look at the nation’s first naturally-born panda, Fu Bao, at the theme park. They also walked through Everland’s forest path surrounded by 340,000 trees that have been nurtured over the past half century.
After experiencing the outdoor "emptying" stage, reporters were taught mediation exercises at the Forest Dome.
“We will keep developing the program, so more people, not only service industry workers but also those from all walks of life, can enhance their emotional resilience ” Lee Yu-ri, group head of Samsung C&T Experience Innovation Academy, said.