Program links elementary schools in district heating zones to promote community benefit and expand educational access — presenting a new model of education donation through public, private and civic collaboration
What ultimately changes the future is how the next generation thinks. Because attitudes toward energy and the environment formed in childhood shape lifestyle choices and decisions later in life, the importance of education that helps young people develop a sound understanding of energy is growing.
Seoul Energy Corp. has wrapped up its "2026 Traveling Energy Experience School" program, which it ran to raise energy awareness among elementary school students in its district heating zones and promote community benefit. Student surveys conducted before and after the sessions showed meaningful shifts in children's perceptions of energy.
The program went beyond simple knowledge transfer, focusing instead on helping children develop their own understanding by seeing, learning and experiencing energy firsthand. The company pursued the initiative with the aim of fostering positive changes in how the next generation views energy and building a sustainable energy future together with children.
The educational impact was clearly reflected in student perception surveys conducted before and after the sessions. When asked whether they considered Seoul Energy Corp.'s operations to be eco-friendly and necessary, 174 of the 231 participating children — 75.3 percent — responded negatively before the program. After the sessions, 212 children, or 91.8 percent, responded positively, while negative responses fell to just two, or 0.9 percent.
The sharp reversal — from predominantly negative perceptions before the program to overwhelmingly positive ones after — confirmed that hands-on energy education can meaningfully change the next generation's understanding of and attitudes toward combined heat and power generation. Notably, the results went beyond simply counting participants or sessions, providing measurable, data-backed evidence of a shift in awareness.
The program was carried out as an education donation initiative involving Seoul Energy Corp., the Gangseo Career and Vocational Experience Support Center, Hyosung Heavy Industries and the Gangseo-Yangcheon Environmental Movement Alliance. The collaboration was particularly significant in that a public institution, an educational body, a private company and a civic organization pooled their respective expertise and educational resources toward the shared goal of improving energy awareness among the next generation.
"It is a very meaningful result that children's perceptions of energy changed so clearly after just a single experiential education session," a Seoul Energy Corp. official said. "This program confirmed that hands-on education can translate into real shifts in awareness among the next generation."
Building on these results, Seoul Energy Corp. plans to expand collaboration with public agencies, private companies and civil society to continue its education donation activities, helping children develop a sound understanding of energy and work toward a sustainable future together.
The company also plans to strengthen ties with schools and communities in its district heating zones and to continuously develop new education donation initiatives for the next generation by drawing on the expertise and resources of a diverse range of organizations.
Seoul Energy Corp. is a Seoul Metropolitan Government-affiliated public enterprise established to advance the city's energy independence through its district energy business — which simultaneously produces heat and electricity — as well as the supply and expansion of new and renewable energy projects.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
