Summer Extracurricular Activities Also Follow the 'Untact' Trend
[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] With the normalization of 'social distancing' in the first half of this year, the previously diminished extracurricular activities for university students have returned in a non-face-to-face (untact) format. This is expected to be a relief for university students whose external activities were restricted due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).
According to the related industry on the 4th, advertising company Daehong Communications will hold the 37th 'DCA University Student Advertising Awards' in a non-face-to-face format during this summer vacation. This is a university student advertising contest where aspiring advertisers compete in advertising marketing creativity. This year, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the entire process from application to judging will be conducted online in a non-face-to-face manner. The application period is from the 10th to the 24th of next month and can be submitted through the website. A total of 12 winning works will be selected, including Grand Prize (2 works), Gold Prize (2 works), Silver Prize (4 works), and Bronze Prize (4 works), with a total prize money of 20 million KRW awarded to the winners. Applications are divided into planning and work categories, and domestic and international university (graduate) students, including those on leave, can apply individually or as a team of up to four members.
SK University Student Volunteer Group SUNNY is recruiting participants for the 'Social Change Challenge Project' aimed at university students who want to proactively solve social issues. This project will be conducted in a hybrid format combining online and offline activities using online video conferencing programs to support in-depth discussions among participants while adhering to social distancing. The project plans for university students to take the lead in defining, planning, executing, verifying, sharing social issues, and deriving solutions based on SK SUNNY's five major social values. Applications can be submitted through the official SK SUNNY website by the 5th of this month, and the activity period is from the 11th of this month to October 31st.
OB Beer launched the university student social contribution supporters group 'OBrang' for the first time this year. The 24 supporters selected through online interviews in March acted as 'Eco Speakers' for three months by producing over 800 videos and card news contents on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and blogs to raise public awareness of environmental issues and promote eco-friendly living in daily life. The closing ceremony was held in an ontact format using a live broadcast on OB Beer's YouTube channel, where participants shared their impressions and experiences through real-time comments.
University students also plan to focus on job preparation this year as their external activities such as language study abroad, part-time jobs, and travel during summer vacation are restricted due to COVID-19. According to a survey on '2020 Summer Vacation Plans' conducted by the job portal Incruit's part-time job app AlbaCall targeting 749 university students, the top summer vacation plan chosen by students was ▲obtaining certifications (24.3%). This was followed by ▲language study (14.6%), ▲internship applications and practice (13.4%), and ▲preparation for civil service and public institution exams (8.0%).
In particular, extracurricular activities such as contests, supporters groups, and volunteer groups operated by companies are popular because university students can experience their areas of interest in advance and build their resumes through awards. From the companies' perspective, these activities not only enhance brand awareness but also help discover talented individuals, sometimes offering employment-related benefits to outstanding participants.
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