Gyeonggi Province Expands 'Middle-Aged Happiness Campus'... Adds Hwaseong, Uijeongbu, Yangju, Anseong, Yangpyeong

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hoon Reporter] Gyeonggi Province is additionally establishing the 'Gyeonggi Middle-Aged Happiness Campus,' which supports retirement planning, lifelong education, and job creation and entrepreneurship for people in their 50s and 60s, in Hwaseong, Uijeongbu, Yangju, Anseong, and Yangpyeong, in addition to the existing locations in Yongin and Pocheon.

Once the additional installations are completed, Gyeonggi Province will operate a total of seven middle-aged happiness campuses.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 28th that it will recruit 1,092 students for the second-half education programs at the Gyeonggi Middle-Aged Happiness Campus starting August 1st.

Previously, the province established the middle-aged happiness campus at a university in May 2021, the first among metropolitan local governments nationwide. This facility serves as a dedicated activity space for middle-aged individuals, offering high-quality educational programs such as resocialization education and professional training in employment and entrepreneurship, as well as counseling, communication, leisure, and club activities.

In the first year of the project, the province operated the happiness campus at Kangnam University (Yongin) in the southern region and Daejin University (Pocheon) in the northern region, with approximately 250 students per semester. Since a survey showed that over 93% of students were satisfied with the education, the province decided to expand the educational institutions.

Accordingly, the province accepted applications from cities and counties last year and decided to operate city and county-run middle-aged happiness campuses in Hwaseong, Uijeongbu, Yangju, Anseong, and Yangpyeong.

Kangnam University and Daejin University, which are province-run, are funded 100% by provincial budgets, while city and county-run facilities are operated with 50% provincial funding and 50% city and county funding.

The universities selected through public competition in each city and county are Hyupseong University (Hwaseong), Kyungmin University (Uijeongbu), Seojeong University (Yangju), Hankyong National University (Anseong), and Asin University (Yangpyeong).

The seven happiness campuses, including those run by cities and counties, began operating educational programs in the first half of this year and plan to complete the establishment of leisure and communication spaces by August, with official opening scheduled from the second-half educational programs.

Second-half educational programs this year will support 53 courses including pet plant care, dementia prevention instructor certification, literacy instructor training, and estate organizer certification, as well as comprehensive counseling and club activities.

The recruitment scale for students has increased fourfold from last year's 250 students to a total of 1,092 students.

Anyone aged 50 to 64 (born between 1958 and 1972) residing in Gyeonggi Province according to the resident registration can apply. Education is

completely free of charge, though some material costs and certification fees are paid.

Educational programs will be conducted in-person from August to November, and quarantine protocols including temperature checks and mask-wearing will be strictly enforced to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Educational programs and detailed schedules vary by each happiness campus, and applicants can check each university's website or current recruitment status and contact the relevant middle-aged happiness campus for inquiries.

Cho Tae-hoon, head of Gyeonggi Province's Elderly Welfare Division, said, "We are operating the middle-aged happiness campus to support the advancement and comprehensive assistance for people in their 50s and 60s," and added, "Considering the high educational demand of middle-aged individuals, we are reviewing additional happiness campuses for next year."