[By NBC-1TV H. J Yook]Citibank Korea Inc. (CEO Ha, Yung-ku, www.citibank.co.kr) and YWCA Korea (President, Cha, Kyung-ae) had a signing ceremony for Darae Class, an after-class study support program for the teenagers from multi-cultural families, at the YWCA Building located in Myeongdong in the morning of Apr. 3. On the occasion, the Korea franchise of Citigroup also delivered USD 200,000 of sponsorship fund to YWCA Korea.

‘Darae Class,’ which means ‘a class for the future of multi-cultural families’ is an after-class care program that has been run by Citibank Korea under the sponsorship of Citi Foundation and together with YWCA Korea since 2012. The main targets of the program are children of married woman immigrants, North Korean defectors, and local adolescents from low-income households, and the program will be run in the small groups of less than five to help them communicate better, sympathize more easily among themselves, and nurture leadership for the multi-cultural era.

The 2014 Darae Class financed with the donated fund will be participated by 200 students and 40 teachers from 20 cities across the country such as Kimhae, Nonsan, Mokpo, Jeonju, and Chungju. A variety of experience programs related to reading, history and culture, future dreams and vision will help them develop social and cultural sensitivity and earn self-identity and self-esteem. Undergraduate students and ordinary citizens who volunteer for the program donate their talents in the remote areas with relatively poor education infrastructure.

The event coincided with the awarding ceremony to recognize the best instructors who had delivered 80 or more sessions (160 hours) to the Darae class students in 2013.

“To build mature multi-cultural society, we all need to care and support the teenagers from multi-cultural families that every teenager from multi-cultural families will grow with the sense of world citizenship regardless of their background,” said Cha, Kyung-ae, President of YWCA Korea. Ha, Yung-Ku, the bank’s CEO also conveyed the message of hope saying, “We, at Citibank Korea, will join in instilling hope and dream to the children from multi-ethnic families that they will grow into valuable assets of Korea.”