Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
KOGAS expands mentoring program for slow learners
From left, Kim Sung-joon, head of external cooperation and public relations at Kyungpook National University, Lee Gwa-hyung, general manager of the corporate social responsibility department at Korea Gas Corp. (KOGAS) and Kim Hye-jin, CEO of Ieum Development Support Center, pose after signing an agreement for a slow learners mentorship program at the Ieum Development Support Center office in Daegu, Monday. Courtesy of KOGAS
By Lee Gyu-lee
Korea Gas Corp. (KOGAS) will be expanding its mentorship program for slow learners to help children and teens in the Daegu area with borderline intellectual abilities better adapt to everyday life.
The company announced Tuesday that it signed a partnership for the slow learners mentoring program with Kyungpook National University and Ieum Development Support Center the previous day.
The term "slow learners" refers to individuals with an IQ between 71 and 84, who are not intellectually disabled, but have cognitive abilities below the average range, causing difficulties in communication, interpersonal relationships and social adaptation.
The program was first launched last year and paired local university students with children and teens for one-on-one mentoring to help children boost their cognitive skills, emotional well-being and social relationships through various activities.
This year, KOGAS is investing 10 million won ($7,200) in the program to pair 10 student mentors from the university with as the same number of children and adolescents facing learning challenges.
“The project, launched last year, was well-received not only by slow-learning children and adolescents, but also by all participants. So we have decided to continue it this year,” a company official said in a press release.
“We will continue carrying out diverse social contribution projects to support the healthy growth of future generations.”
Last year’s mentoring program primarily focused on foundational learning. Building on that, this year’s mentoring will be upgraded to include practical, day-to-day skills, such as cooking, navigating public transportation and hygiene, along with hands-on experiences like visiting cultural sites and ordering food at restaurants.
The company will recruit participants in September through Ieum and the university’s Community Service Center, and will run the mentoring program until November.
It will also hold a contest to collect ideas among mentors and mentees for merchandise to help promote awareness about people with learning challenges. The winning ideas from the contest will be used to create merchandise that will be distributed and promoted to the general public as part of a campaign until the end of the year.