[Provided by Kyochon Food & Beverage]
[Provided by Kyochon Food & Beverage]

Kyochon Food & Beverage announced Tuesday it is running a mentoring program pairing young adults who have aged out of care with teenagers still preparing for independent living, as part of its "2026 Self-Reliance Support Project" running through September.

The program, called "Kyochon Itdahda Mentoring" (connecting youth through Kyochon), matches young adults who have already experienced independent living as mentors with teenagers preparing to take that step as mentees. The pairs stay connected for about three months, sharing information and guidance on living independently.

The mentors are drawn from recipients of the "Youth Dream" scholarship, while the mentees are teenagers from residential care facilities. The pairs met for the first time on July 22, then gathered for an overnight retreat on Jebu Island in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, from July 30 through July 31. During the retreat, mentors shared their own experiences of living on their own, and mentees worked on drafting individual plans for independent life.

"Through integrated support combining scholarships, networking and mentoring, we will stand alongside these young people so they can establish themselves as healthy members of society even after striking out on their own," a Kyochon Food & Beverage official said.

Meanwhile, Kyochon has partnered with ChildFund Korea on self-reliance support projects since 2021, with this year marking the sixth edition of the initiative. To date, the company has provided a cumulative 815 million won ($574,000) in scholarships to 281 recipients.


andy@heraldcorp.com