55 scholarship recipients to receive grants

[Hana Financial Group]
[Hana Financial Group]

Hana Financial Group said Wednesday it held a launch ceremony for its "Out-of-School Youth Scholarship Support Project," aimed at helping young people outside the formal school system with their studies and career development.

The initiative is part of the "Cheongnyeonae YOUTH BRIDGE" project that Hana Financial Group launched in March together with the Korea Federation of Enterprises, the Korea Youth Counseling and Welfare Institute and the Educational Broadcasting System. The launch ceremony was held at the Royal Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, and was attended by Kim Chang-beom, standing vice chairman of the Korea Federation of Enterprises; Han Jeong-won, chairperson of the Korea Youth Counseling and Welfare Institute; and Lee Eun-hyeong, vice chairman of Hana Financial Group.

Hana Financial said it plans to build a foundation for out-of-school youth to enter society by combining scholarship grants with financial education and corporate field experiences. Through the program, 55 out-of-school youth selected from youth support centers — known as Dream Centers — across the country will each receive a scholarship of 3 million won ($2,030).

The scholarships can be used for hagwon tuition, textbooks, certification exam fees and experiential activity costs — expenses related to university entrance preparation and career readiness. In addition, 20 outstanding participants from among the scholarship recipients will be separately selected to receive vouchers for physical activity programs such as swimming and taekwondo.

Following the ceremony, a Hana Bank youth financial education instructor led tailored sessions covering financial goal-setting, credit management and fraud prevention. Participants then toured Hana Bank's headquarters dealing room, Hana Infinity Seoul, as well as its counterfeit-response center and currency museum, getting a firsthand look at the financial industry.

Starting with this financial education, the scholarship recipients will also take part in a career exploration program organized by the Korea Federation of Enterprises. Beginning in August, they are scheduled to visit a range of industry sites — including Galaxy Robot Park, CJ ENM and Hyundai Motor Studio — to experience the working world firsthand.

"We will serve as a strong support system so that young people with diverse dreams can be safely protected and continue to nurture those dreams even outside of school," Lee Eun-hyeong, vice chairman of Hana Financial Group, said. "We will continue to provide the support that young people need to grow."

Meanwhile, Hana Financial Group has been carrying out a range of social contribution programs for the next generation, including a project to prevent and treat illegal gambling among youth, support for rehabilitation and learning-assistance devices for children and youth with disabilities, a coding education program called Happy AI Coding School, and a dosirak support program for children who care for family members.


forest@heraldcorp.com