Six courses — cooking, barista, yoga, personal finance, dance and sewing — offered free across 12 sessions; open to adults under 40, with QR-code registration starting Sept. 28 and classes kicking off Oct. 13
Jongno-gu is recruiting participants for its "2026 Jongno Youth Lifestyle Academy," a free program designed to build self-reliance among young adults and create opportunities for peer connection.
The academy runs under the motto "Living well on your own, living better together" and centers on practical, everyday skills.
Six courses are on offer: cooking for single-person households, a barista experience, healing yoga, personal finance, K-pop dance and home sewing — giving participants a wide range of options.
Classes run from Oct. 13 to Nov. 18, with each course held twice over the roughly one-month period for a total of 12 sessions.
The cooking course will be held at Hansol Cooking Hagwon, the barista experience at First Barista, healing yoga at Boiled Yoga, and the personal finance course at Nuguna. K-pop dance will take place at the Dancepot practice studio and home sewing at Norano Fashion Hagwon — drawing on a range of specialized local studios and workshops across the district.
Enrollment caps vary by course. The personal finance class accepts the most participants at 25 per session, followed by K-pop dance at 12. The barista experience, healing yoga and home sewing each cap at six per session, while the cooking course is limited to five — keeping classes small enough for meaningful interaction among participants.
The program is open to adults aged 39 and under, with priority given to those who live or spend most of their time in Jongno-gu.
Registration opens Sept. 28 on a first-come, first-served basis via QR code. All courses are free, and applicants will be notified of results by text message.
"I wanted to give young people a chance to build a solid, independent life while also connecting with those around them," District Mayor Yoo Chan-jong said. "We've filled the program with courses that are genuinely useful in everyday life — things like cooking and personal finance — and I hope participants come away with real skills and meaningful new relationships."
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