On February 9, Yonsei University School of Business held an online briefing session on the third uSET (undergraduate Sustainability Engagement Training) program. Started in 2018, uSET is a student-led social problem-solving program that focuses on field activities and approaches social issues from the perspective of corporate management under the theme of "20 Sustainability."

The presentation was attended by YSB Dean Ji Man Lee, along with Professor Jooyoung Kwak, Youngsok Bang, and Jaehoon Hahn, who led the three teams involved, and officials from the Seodaemun-gu Office, the Work Together Foundation, and the Seoul Korean Sign Language Professional Institute. Research Professor Jungmi Yang hosted the session.

YSB Dean Ji Man Lee said, “uSET is a program that can strengthen social innovation capabilities by solving social problems based on business administration studies. I am grateful to the partner organizations, students, and professors who provided thorough guidance. In the future, we will continue to produce good outcomes for those who trust their projects to YSB.”

The session was divided into Track 1 and Track 2. Track 1 was presented by institutions and by the school. In Track 2, students invited institutions directly and made proposals to the school.

In the first presentation of Track 1, four students Jeong Min Lee (Business Administration, entering class of 2018), Boram Kim (Business Administration, entering class of 2018), Jung Hyun Kim (Business Administration, entering class of 2018), and Junhyung Kim (Public Administration, entering class of 2018) presented a model to analyze actual conditions in Gajwa, Seodaemun-gu, and revitalize the commercial area. They conducted surveys and field trips and also analyzed best cases of collaborative networks similar to the youth-owned shops in Gajwa to identify the needs of the area’s economy. Based on the results, they planned an entrepreneurship educational program and a consulting program.

[ First presentation of Track 1]

As the second presenters, students Kahyun Kim (Business Administration, entering class of 2017), Moosup Park (English, entering class of 2017), Jihye Oh (English, entering class of 2017), and Seok Yeong Lee (Business Administration, entering class of 2017) worked as a team in cooperation with the Work Together Foundation. They presented their “Response to COVID-19, Vulnerable Children Care Program.” Emphasizing the need to take care of small-scale local communities to minimize the risks of the coronavirus, the team proposed to make use of a caregiver’s hobbies, specialties, and majors in decorating caregivers’ houses according to themes such as bookstores and science classes.

 [Second Presentation of Track 1]

In Track 2, a team of four students, Dong Young Kim (Business Administration, entering class of 2015), Hee Woong Park (Business Administration, entering class of 2016), Jun Seong Yang (Psychology, entering class of 2015), and Jaejun Choi (Business Administration, entering class of 2017), worked with the Seoul Korean Sign Language Professional Institute to solve problems the deaf community faced because of COVID-19.

 [Presentation of Track 2]

They noted that the public has generally been unaware of the difficulties faced by the hearing impaired during the pandemic because offline sign language courses have been stopped and because of the use of masks that cover people’s mouths, interfering with lip reading. To enhance public accessibility to sign language education, they created a curriculum focused on everyday expressions through the Palette Sign Language Class YouTube channel. In addition, to help with the lip-reading problem, they initiated a social media challenge called the "New Ear Challenge" that encouraged people to wear a "lip view mask" and to introduce themselves in sign language and has increased public interest in sign language.

An official from the Seodaemun-gu District Office, who attended the briefing session, encouraged the students by saying, "Despite the difficulties in visiting the site due to COVID-19, students have fully investigated and understood about the local alliance. It is meaningful that they have proposed plans that take the realistic aspects of problems into consideration."

Professor Youngsok Bang, who led the Work Together Foundation team, said, “The theme of child care is important, but it is difficult to address because of the conflicting needs of different stakeholders. However, the process and achievements of improving business outcomes through repetitive revision work are meaningful.” He commented that, based on the current plan, if recruitment of caregivers can meet the demand for child care and transportation problems can be solved, this proposed project will be a more realistic solution.

Research Professor Jungmi Yang, who has overseen the uSET program from planning to the briefing session, thanked the team members who showed critical results and the partner organizations who implemented the project plans proposed by the teams. She then concluded the event, "I hope that the plans made by the students can be implemented through ongoing communication between the partner institutions and the students."