Prepaid giving for children's JOY
Handon Sospeso gifting meals and memories
Book Sospeso enriching children's knowledge
The warm bonds within the local community are coming together with Italy’s culture of sharing to take root as a new, uniquely Joyang-dong-style child welfare model in Sokcho City.
Sokcho City Joyang-dong Administrative Welfare Center is holding a donation ceremony and plaque presentation for participating partners of JOY (Joy) Soseupeso at the center on the 25th. Provided by Sokcho City
The Joyang-dong Administrative Welfare Center in Sokcho City, Gangwon Province, held a donation ceremony and plaque presentation for partner organizations participating in "JOY Sospeso" at the center on the 25th, and will begin in earnest a child welfare program based on voluntary community participation in line with the start of the new school term in March.
JOY Sospeso is a community-based child welfare program that adapts Italy’s "Caffe Sospeso" culture, in which people pay in advance for a cup of coffee for a neighbor, to Joyang-dong. Local merchants, institutions, and residents prepay not for coffee, but for a solid meal (food), nourishment for the mind (books), and joyful experiences (play) for children, thereby delivering JOY to them.
In particular, it is drawing attention as an original signature project that puts into practice, in the form of Sospeso, the three promises of Joyang-dong’s character JOY, unveiled in December last year: "Eat well, learn well, and play to your heart’s content."
At the donation ceremony, Seorak Saemaul Geumgo (Chairman Song Se-yoon) and Geumgang Saemaul Geumgo (Chairman Joo Young-rae) each donated 1.2 million won, and Jungang Saemaul Geumgo (Chairman Han Sang-gi) contributed an additional 4 million won following a 2 million won donation as part of the Jomdori Campaign. With in-kind donations from Munudangseorim (CEO Lee Minho) and Jeju Eomeong Dwaeji (CEO Kim Minjeong) added, a total project fund of 15 million won was created.
About 40 participants, including three elementary schools within the district (Joyang Elementary School, Cheongdae Elementary School, and Cheongbong Elementary School), related institutions, and social organizations, attended the plaque presentation ceremony, further underscoring the spirit of sharing, and plaques were awarded to five participating partner organizations.
The main program, "JOY Handon Sospeso," will support about 400 people annually, including children from multicultural families and elementary school students in the district, using funds raised through sponsorship from Jeju Eomeong Dwaeji and voluntary donations from regular customers. A weekly "VIP Meat Party Day" will be held so that children who usually have to eat alone can spend time socializing and being celebrated with their friends, and a Polaroid photo session will provide them with precious memories.
"JOY Book Sospeso" will be implemented using designated donation funds from Saemaul Geumgo and book donations from Munudangseorim. For 593 students in the 4th and 5th grades, once per semester each student will receive a book voucher worth 16,000 won, enabling them to choose and purchase a book they want to read at a local bookstore. This goes beyond the simple delivery of goods and is all the more meaningful as an investment in children’s intellectual growth and their future.
Joyang-dong is home to 1,762 elementary school students, accounting for 47.8% of all elementary students in Sokcho City, and 13.9% of all students fall into the category of children in crisis or vulnerable groups. In response, the district established the "Children♥Joyang" public-private network last year and has been operating an integrated care system that connects the entire process from identifying children in crisis to treatment and follow-up management. Going forward, the district plans to expand the program to "JOY Play Sospeso" so as to further strengthen support for children to grow up in a safe and culturally rich environment.
Sokcho Mayor Lee Byungseon stated, "We hope that the JOY Sospeso project will establish a virtuous cycle in which private resources created through voluntary participation by the local community are returned to children, and that it will serve as an opportunity to create an environment where the community raises its children together."
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