‘Dream Start’ Mentoring Program Yonsei University starts Dream Start Mentoring program for children from low-income families around the campus. The program forms a part of Yonsei University’s efforts to promote close relationship with local community and public responsibility. It is also an embodiment of the ideal of ‘servant leadership,’ which is one of the university’s visions to educate elites with warm hearts eager to serve their neighbors and community. At the same time, Yonsei is leading a media campaign from April to emphasize its commitment to serve the local community. To establish the program, Yonsei was provided a list of elementary and middle school students from low-income families from Seodaemun-gu Office last month. Female students who volunteered for the program will spend time with children 9 hours per week, providing aid in studies and cultural experiences. Participants of the one-to-one mentoring program will be granted 400,000 KRW monthly. Different from the other mentoring programs, Dream Start has a well-prepared support system for mentors and mentees with a supervising group composed of 4 graduate- level supervisors majoring in Education Studies. Lee You-wha, manager of Woman Student Affair Center said that more than 120 students applied to the program and male students will also have a chance to participate in the program from the next semester. The number of participants will be increased twice from the next semester. University President Kim Han-joong emphasized ‘warm promise’ to deliver messages of love for neighbors in this year’s New Year address. “We have to focus on community and social unification,” he said. “We have to contribute to the making of community from local to global level.” At the time, he promised to present a policy for restoring local community. “I will take a leading role in restoring grassroots community in Korea with policies such as selecting talented students from different provinces. We learned recently that globalization cannot be achieved without restoration of local communities.” The Dream Start project seeks to make good his promise. Yonsei University is distinguished by its concern for local communities. For example, 8 students are selected by a quota for local community from 2009. This is part of building of a total solution for the university and local community, which is currently named as ‘Happiness Marketing,’ a bold application of the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (coined by Philip Kotler). The Dream Start mentoring program officially starts on 14 May, and Kim Han-joong, the University President, and Hyun Dong-hoon, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu Office will attend the opening ceremony.