With its global corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs, Samsung Electronics empowers, engages and stimulates the imaginations of the young people striving to become the problem solvers of tomorrow. Samsung Solve for Tomorrow provides education opportunities and solutions implementation based on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC), meanwhile, helps design and nurture innovation capabilities in young people by training them in core information & communications technology (ICT) skills.

The programs have expanded to 33 countries around the world and have included 2.1 million talented participants so far. Today, the Samsung Newsroom is taking a closer look at these different global initiatives to see how Samsung Electronics is fulfilling its corporate social responsibilities across the world and to celebrate the young people participating in International Youth Day.

▲ Together for Tomorrow! Enabling People is Samsung Electronics’ vision for empowering tomorrow’s thinkers and leaders.

Malaysia: Innovating Plastic Alternatives for a Healthier Ocean

In Malaysia, three students learned how ocean pollution from plastic waste threatens the lives of coastal and marine species. They conducted a study to develop plastic alternatives using one of the most easily accessible materials in a country with a long coastline: seaweed. After joining Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, the students learned that STEM is a critical tool in approaching problems and realizing their solutions to them. Building on what they learned throughout the program, they are continuing their study on reducing marine pollution with the hope of contributing to a sustainable future.

Germany: Cutting-Edge Technology Paving the Way for Tomorrow’s Start-ups

Nada Seada, who participated in Samsung Solve for Tomorrow in Germany, designed a new gadget called Ingrid which gives older people more opportunities to connect with others and each other. Exacerbated by the pandemic Loneliness and social isolation are serious problems for our aging society. Ingrid was devised by upcycling an old VR device.

“Samsung Solve for Tomorrow helped me to grow my ideas from seed to fruit and provided me with opportunities to get valuable feedback from mentors and friends,” said Nada.

Katharina Porenta Elisabeth Scholz developed something called an EP-Checkup, which facilitates communication between healthcare professionals and the families of patients. Katharina’s invention was motivated by an experience she had when her grandfather was hospitalized with heart disease. She recalled the anxious hours she spent waiting for updates on his condition. Drawing on this nervousness — and hoping other people might be able to avoid it in the future — was what inspired her efforts.

“I participated in bootcamps, coaching sessions and seminars, and was lucky enough to learn cutting-edge technologies from expert mentors. Now I want to make my own start-up,” she said.

Peru: Innovating for the Benefit of Communities in Different Regions

In Peru, the top Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2021 prize went to a team that developed an insulated thermal box that could heat water using solar energy. The thermal box heats water then keeps it warm, which is useful in the cool regions where the yearly average temperature ranges from 5 to 15°C. The young innovators’ hope was that the box might be produced by combining traditional Peruvian organic methods with modern scientific approaches and that their invention might serve regions all over Peru.

Brazil: New Methodologies for the Purification of Water

The Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology, located in the northeastern area of Brazil, is an excellent model of how STEM-based approaches can prove invaluable in public education. A team from this institution committed itself to developing a water purifying system using solar radiation and, thanks to both the social utility and the sheer originality of the idea, the team won second prize at the 8^th Brazil Samsung Solve for Tomorrow.

“STEM is a very effective way to explore technologies that students are not given as much exposure to in the conventional education system,” said Mr. Raymond Lima Júnior, the team’s coach and chemistry teacher. “The program has the capacity to bring positive changes to public institutional education by showing the communities it is involved with the important values it holds.”

Canada: Environmental Innovation Unlocked Through Unexpected Materials

Students from Mount Allison University won the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow challenge hosted by Samsung Canada. The team tried to address the orange peel waste problem in their university’s local area. Over the course of Project Enviroot, as they called it, the students developed an environmentally-conscious, non-toxic alternative adhesive product made using orange peels dried in Samsung ovens. The adhesive alternative is now widely used in soft boards across the campus.

“It was such a meaningful opportunity to interact with other student environmentalists and community activists,” the young environmental enthusiasts said.

Indonesia: Harnessing Technology To Help the Visually Impaired

The SIC held in Indonesia was not exclusive to students majoring in STEM.

“I am not a programming major, so SIC was a great challenge for me,” said a student who learned how to develop independent IT solutions at SIC.

This student developed something they called Eyeroom solutions. This technology — implemented through theories picked up during the bootcamp – enables the elderly and the visually impaired to distinguish between their prescription drugs.

“I learned so many things from my mentors and friends at SIC. I studied things that I had never encountered before and now my dream is to someday develop solutions to achieve a better future.”

Armenia: Climbing the Programming Ladder

SIC Armenia delivered lectures to students from all around Armenia at United World College (UWC) Dilijan, one of 18 such colleges worldwide. The SIC program included lessons in ICT skills and capacity building classes for students searching for jobs.

“After taking classes at SIC, I am determined to begin my career in the programming sector,” said Narek, an undergraduate student who participated in the program. “I hope I will be able to contribute to the future of our country by designing drone software or artificial intelligence negotiation systems for the industry. SIC is an excellent opportunity for both improving your technical ability and sampling a variety of new classes and practices.”

Korea: Samsung Smart Schools Helping Dreams Come True

A school of only 50 students in Chungyang, Korea, makes up for its small size in its digital capabilities: Samsung Smart School is an active tool for the school in providing digital classrooms. Teachers and parents of Chungsong Elementary School have long been thinking of ways to maximize the potential of the children and minimize the educational gap between urban and rural districts. Together they found the answer to this important yet complex question with Samsung Smart School.

“I got interested in rockets and how they work when I happened to see them in action on my tablet PC,” said Myung-Gu Kang, a 6^th grader from Chungsong Elementary School. “Now I am interested in other areas of science too and I study these other subjects diligently,” Myung-Gu explained that he can search for information using the tablet PC any time he runs into a question, and that the bigger display size of Samsung Flip makes study more fun and enjoyable than ever.

India: Samsung Smart Schools Closing the Gap in Marginalized Communities

Since January this year, Samsung India has been supporting 10 schools with Samsung Smart School, which provides state-of-the-art educational environments utilizing digital devices and technologies. Aarohi Kumari, a student from one of these 10 schools — Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya — dreams of becoming a doctor. Aarohi’s father makes living as a driver in Varanasi.

“My background gives me no advantages over the other students, but my father always gives me hope,” Aarohi said. “Samsung Smart School let me experience digital education and helped my studying of my favorite subject become more enjoyable. I hope to qualify as a doctor in the future and make my father proud.”

“I was delighted to see scenes of young people unleashing their full potential through this cutting-edge educational environment,” said Shilaja Pathania, who is in charge of Samsung India’s CSR activities. “We intend to create more educational opportunities for young people who have been marginalized in education and care, so that they can acquire knowledge and cultivate the skills they need to become the next generation of leaders.”

▲ Samsung Electronics regional offices are spreading their efforts in CSR to young people around the world.

Samsung Electronics’ Together for Tomorrow! Enabling People vision is committed to providing education to young people around the world to empower the leaders of tomorrow. More stories on Samsung Electronics’ CSR efforts are available at Samsung Electronics’ CSR webpage (csr.samsung.com).

#1

Who among us has not experienced the frustration of trying to book tickets home ahead of a busy holiday weekend? While some book online from the comfort of their homes, others – many of them elderly – will line up at the break of dawn to reserve tickets in-person at major train and bus stations.

#2

Picture this: Person A recently went to a restaurant, but ended up leaving without ordering anything. Person A uses a wheelchair, and the controls on the restaurant’s self-order kiosk were slightly out of reach. As the staff seemed busy, Person A felt shy about asking for assistance, and chose to visit another restaurant instead.

While at first glance, the two stories above may seem unrelated, they both exemplify the dark side of technology in the digital era. Things like telecommuting, distance learning, autonomous driving, and AI job interviews are proof positive that digital technologies are becoming increasingly prevalent in both business and society. Unfortunately, digitalization is also creating issues.

To help address those issues, digital technology leaders must accept an important new mission: taking on corporate digital responsibility (CDR). In a nutshell, CDR involves developing products and technologies in a manner that protects users’ rights, and taking steps to enable more people to experience the benefits of digital technologies. The pandemic has prompted more sectors to utilize digital technologies, which has led to increasing pressure on businesses to engage in CDR. As a leader in cutting-edge technologies, what is Samsung Electronics doing to become more digitally responsible? Here are several ‘quests’ that Samsung has undertaken with regard to digital responsibility.

QUEST #1 | Consider Users’ Rights When Developing Products

The more useful a product is, the wider the gap between users and non-users becomes. Samsung strives for accessibility in its products, enhancing them with technologies that make it easy for all users, regardless of age, gender, or disability, to utilize them.

Take Samsung’s TVs, for example. The TVs’ Voice Guide function provides an audio guide for TV settings, combining channel and volume controls with tools to help you schedule a viewing, view current and scheduled program information, and browse the internet. When viewing content with sign language, Samsung’s proprietary AI algorithm automatically recognizes the sign language area and can enlarge it by up to 200 percent.

Samsung mobile devices have also introduced a variety of convenient accessibility features. This includes a function that allows those with hearing difficulties to pair a compatible hearing aid to their device via low-power Bluetooth, as well as a fixed-key feature for users with physical disabilities. In addition, Samsung’s Family Hub refrigerator caters to users in wheelchairs with functions that make it possible to move the top of the screen to an easier-to-reach position, adjust the height of the main controls, and launch the menu by tapping anywhere on the screen.

Digital advancements can be incredible, but they can cut both ways. Yes, they tend to make life more comfortable, but they can also create social issues like ‘smombies’¹ and ‘nomophobia’.² From a product design standpoint, helping users enjoy healthy digital lifestyles is a key part of being digitally responsible. Samsung has therefore committed to developing digital well-being tools that are based on five digital well-being values: Digital Detox, Balance, Guard, Wellness, and Safety. For example, Samsung’s App Timer feature (which falls under the Balance category) can help users reduce the amount of time they spend on applications by setting time limits. Focus Mode (Digital Detox) allows users to pause or silence notifications from selected apps temporarily, while the Samsung Kids service (Guard) helps create a safe environment for children to explore, play and develop good digital habits.

Safety is crucial when it comes to smartphones, as we tend to fill them with a wide range of important information, including everything from bank account numbers, contacts and photos. Samsung’s Find My Mobile feature was created to protect that valuable information in the event that you lose your phone. Once activated, it tracks the location of the lost phone, tells the user where it is, and offers them the choice to delete their personal data, including messages and photos, or upload it to Samsung Cloud. The Samsung Knox platform offers defense-grade mobile security, while the smartphones’ Secure Wi-Fi feature allows you to safely browse the internet on public wireless connections without worrying about your personal information being compromised.

QUEST #2 | Share the Benefits of Digital Technology with More People

“I saved two lives that were almost lost.”

“The technology is really useful for finding hidden sparks and embers and putting them out.”

The quotes above are from firefighters who utilized a product of Samsung’s in-house incubation program, C-Lab (Creative Lab), to help protect their community. The product they’re describing is a thermal observation device that uses thermal imaging cameras to help firefighters detect fires’ ignition points and identify and rescue others. It’s just one of many C-Lab innovations that reflect Samsung’s commitments to (1) developing products and services that address social issues, and (2) sharing those technologies with communities that need them.

Lives’Talk, a wearable device for tracking nomadic livestock, is another example of a community-enriching C-Lab innovation. The technology was created to make it easier for nomadic communities in Kazakhstan to find and retrieve their livestock. Once attached to livestock, the device’s GPS transmitter-receiver tracks the animals’ locations in real time. A total of 700 Lives’Talk devices were donated in all, helping farmers in these communities become more self-reliant.

Samsung is also advancing digital education programs that equip young minds with the tools they need to become leaders in creating a better world. The Samsung Smart School initiative provides smart devices and solutions to students in areas with little access to IT equipment, reducing the digital divide while supporting students’ creativity. The Samsung Dream Class program, meanwhile, offers middle school students living in areas with lower access to high-quality education an opportunity to take part in enriching classes covering subjects like math and coding. The Samsung Innovation Campus program offers youth entering the job market for the first time hands-on training in skills that technology-related jobs require, including fields like AI, IoT and data analysis. Together, these initiatives are representative of Samsung’s ongoing efforts to promote digital responsibility worldwide.

QUEST #3 | Uphold the Principles of CDR When Developing New Technologies

Often, when developing AI technology, the ethical beliefs of the people behind the technology will inform the ethics of the AI itself. Having recognized the importance of emphasizing social and ethical responsibility in technology development, Samsung established a set of AI ethics principles to put into practice. The company also established guidelines for employees to raise awareness of AI ethics within its workforce.

Samsung has gone to great lengths to foster an ecosystem of open innovation. Not only has the company introduced more than 130 open source projects, but it also hosts its annual Samsung Open Source Conference (SOSCON) to offer experts a forum to share and discuss new developments.

RESULT | Samsung Ranks in Top Ten of WBA’s 2020 Digital Inclusion Benchmark

Samsung’s consistent, multifaceted efforts to be digitally responsible have earned a ranking in the top ten of the World Benchmarking Alliance’s (WBA) Digital Inclusion Benchmark. Notably, Samsung is the only Korean company to rank in the top ten, and ranks third in Asia and fourth among companies in the hardware sector.

The WBA represents an alliance forged among approximately 176 global, regional and local organizations to shape the private sector’s contributions to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The WBA examines companies with a focus on seven key categories, including human rights, the environment, and digital inclusion. The WBA launched its very first Digital Inclusion Benchmark this year, which evaluated companies’ progress in improving access to technology, enhancing digital skills, fostering trustworthy use, and innovating both openly and ethically.

Samsung was noted for being one of the few companies that had established AI ethics principles. The company’s C-Lab program was singled out for its social contributions, while Samsung’s devotion to the expansion of the open-source ecosystem also earned a positive review. The Samsung Kids feature, which encourages children to have healthy smartphone habits, also received a high rating, as did the company’s various social contribution programs, in particular those that are helping communities close the digital divide.

As a company that develops products and technologies that enhance users’ lives, Samsung is committed to promoting digital responsibility. Going forward, the company will continue to explore ways to make it easier for people to access and utilize a wide range of convenient and meaningful digital technologies.

¹ A ‘smartphone zombie’; one who is constantly staring at his/her smartphone

² A term that describes the fear of being without a mobile device

Kusum, a Nepalese student, recites a poem she wrote to her friends about overcoming difficulties and pursuing your dreams. She says her experience at the Samsung Employee Volunteer Program-run design school opened up paths that she “had never dreamed of”

The Journey to Better Educational Opportunities

‘People’ have always been central to Samsung’s philosophy. Alongside the priority that is ‘people’, nurturing talent and harnessing innovation and collaboration to build a better world are other values that Samsung holds dear.

Samsung understands the importance of economic development for emerging nations. However, it also knows that once a country starts benefitting from that development, it is important to ensure that as many people as possible benefit from the new opportunities that are generated as a result.

Since the 1990s, Samsung has been investing in programs to support children from low income families through the Samsung Welfare Foundation. This foundation supports youths – the leaders of tomorrow – while establishing an environment in which women can continue to work, safe in the knowledge that their children are being taken care of. It has facilitated access to quality education for children, and provided young people in need of financial support with self-reliance funds to allow them to focus on their education.

Samsung, which promotes organizational public welfare programs through the Samsung Welfare Foundation and Samsung Life Public Welfare Foundation, created an organization dedicated to Corporate Citizenship in October 1994 to help it invest more in CSR activities. Since then, Samsung has implemented a range of programs to promote social welfare in domestic and international communities, and brought social welfare experts onboard to help streamline its efforts. In 2007, Samsung established ‘Happy Together’ as the objective statement for its CSR activities, with ‘hope’, ‘harmony’ and ‘humanity’ as the main keywords for its vision. It proceeded to launch a number of activities to instill hope in young people, such as its financial support program for children, study room program, and scholarship program.

Visual Identities of some of Samsung’s CSR initiatives: ‘Light of Love, Sharing Star’ (1995) and ‘Together for Tomorrow! Enabling People’ (2019)

Based on its enthusiasm for social responsibility, Samsung has devoted itself to nurturing the technology leaders of tomorrow by sponsoring apprenticeship contests both domestically and internationally. In 2012, Samsung launched its Dream Class program, an extracurricular academic program for middle school students, and in the process demonstrated its will to focus more on youth education.

Samsung has also been launching educational programs around the world that take the diverse range of environments seen in different communities into account. For example, Samsung supported Vietnamese schools by replacing their old desks and chairs and provided Thai, Indian, Filipino and other Southeast Asian youths the opportunity to experience advanced digital technology via the ‘Samsung Digital Hope’ program. The company has also nurtured potential track and field athletes in Kenya through the ‘Dream Tree’ project.

Realizing Potential – From Elementary Students to Job Seekers

In February 2019, Samsung announced its new CSR vision, ‘Together for Tomorrow! Enabling People’, the goal of which is to empower future generations to achieve their full potential, pioneer positive social change and build a better world for all. Samsung understands that it has a responsibility to foster the development of the future leaders who will help their communities overcome the challenges brought about in the rapidly changing 21st century.

To build a future where all young people can realize their full potential, regardless of their circumstances, Samsung launched its Corporate Citizenship website and took action on its goals by shifting its Corporate Citizenship focus towards domestic and overseas youth education programs. Let’s look at how Samsung’s Corporate Citizenship activities are aiming to provide youth with the chances to receive quality education and benefit from new experiences.

Participants in the 2019 US Samsung Solve for Tomorrow program (Above). The Samsung Solve for Tomorrow US online program for 2020 (Below)

Watching your own original idea being realized is a priceless experience. Thus, ‘Samsung Solve for Tomorrow’, a creativity contest in which young people come up with their own creative solutions to address real life issues, allows young people to do just this. This program aims to enhance the problem-solving abilities of youths to induce positive social transformation.

The ‘Samsung Innovation Campus’ program offers training to young people seeking employment. Based on the success of the previously run ‘Samsung Tech Institute’ initiative, Innovation Campus was launched in October 2019 to provide young people with opportunities to learn about core technologies and help them advance into high-potential industries via global ICT training programs. Domestic programs that play a similar role exist in select markets as well.

Seema, who got a job as an engineer after attending the Samsung Technical School, has become a beacon of hope for others in India, where many women still do not receive an education

‘Samsung Smart School’ is a series of initiatives that utilize Samsung devices and content to provide quality digital education to students around the world with insufficient educational prospects and poor information accessibility. As of the end of 2019, more than 3.8 million students have benefited from the program.

By harnessing a wide range of channels and means, Samsung is constantly providing precious learning opportunities to the young people of the world through its diverse array of Corporate Citizenship programs.

Together for Tomorrow! Enabling People

The future will only be bright as long as the young people of today are equipped to lead us into it. Thus, Samsung dreams of a future in which the youth of the world are empowered to build a better world where we can all thrive together.

Today, on United Nations International Youth Day, let’s all reflect on the reasons for this day and unite under Samsung’s vision of ‘Together for Tomorrow!’

I was at this year’s Forum as the presenter for the segment introducing “Samsung Smart School”, one of the representative social contribution programs of Samsung Electronics. I spoke about my experience in working to narrow the gap of digital education through the Samsung Smart School program. I was very proud to be sharing all the work Samsung Smart School has done over the past seven years with education experts from all over the Asia-Pacific region.

I was honored to speak on behalf of the Samsung Smart School program during the Forum

Introducing Samsung Smart Schools’ Innovation Strategies

Enhancing education with technology, as it develops, could very well be the future of equal opportunity schooling. An example of such a confluence of education and technology is education that harnesses virtual reality (VR) and augmented (AR) reality to relieve space-time constraints and create classrooms that do not require students to always focus on the front, instead able to easily complete exercises using digital devices. Samsung Smart School, begun in 2012, similarly aims for such a convergence of technology and education.

Slide from Yoon’s presentation that highlights the meaning of and opportunities in Smart School

During the APEC Future Education Forum, the audience was particularly interested to hear about two of our latest cases of innovation in education from over the past year. Firstly, I spoke of how Samsung Smart School has opened its doors not only to students in isolated island and mountain regions, but also to young students in hospitals, students in multicultural schools made up of a variety of language education levels and students in institutions that support children with developmental disabilities. This program won the support of many education experts on the basis that we also develop tailored education solutions for students, understanding that there can be no ‘one size fits all’ approach because each student has their own particular needs.

The second case I introduced to Forum participants was our distinct new approach to how educators can apply for the Smart School. Over the past year, Samsung Smart School broke with the conventional application process of ‘contest -> evaluation -> acceptance’ and instead has made the process more thorough with a ‘contest -> evaluation -> “Hackathon” -> online “like” vote -> acceptance’ framework. The “Hackathon” element of this application allows teachers, engineers and designers to cooperate in getting to grips with the Samsung Smart School offering and unearth particular deficiencies in their own systems – going beyond just device and equipment support. The ‘online “like” vote’ element garnered educator and public support, providing motivation and drive to applicants in continuing their schooling innovation projects.

Introducing the 2018 Samsung Smart School programs to the audience

At the APEC Education Forum, we also outlined the blueprint for the future of Samsung Smart School. Centered around three keywords of ‘ownership’, ‘connection’ and ‘individualization’, I informed the audience of current projects that are currently in a development phase, such as the running of various job experience programs for students at Gunnae Elementary School in the South Korean border village of Paju, Gyeonggi-do.

Best Practice for Students with Intellectual Disabilities

Our segment also featured a presentation from guest speaker Sang-cheol Oh, a teacher from Suwon Seokwang School in Gyeonggi-do, Korea who received Samsung Electronics’ ‘Future Teacher’ award in February of this year. Suwon Seokwang School is a school for students with intellectual disabilities which was selected for the Samsung Smart School program last year and has subsequently been supported with advanced classrooms equipped with electronic boards, tablets, PCs, VR and other devices. After working closely with Samsung Smart School for a year, Mr. Oh told the Forum’s participants about particular needs of teaching intellectually challenged students, as well as the changes that occurred in his school following the partnership with Samsung Smart School.

Teacher Sang-cheol Oh addresses the Forum

Mr. Oh’s presentation demonstrated to the audience the difficulties specific to special education. “Special education has not often been an area of attention from the wider educational circles,” he noted. “But now it is receiving more focus thanks to the processes of changing education for these children put in place by Samsung Smart School technologies. I hope Samsung Smart School can spread to more of the world so that children with developmental disabilities everywhere can experience its benefits.”

Local ensemble performances, along with other student participation programs, took place during the Forum

Creating Unity Through Education

Aside from our Samsung Smart School presentation, 16 education experts in total made presentations on the future of education at this year’s Forum. Chief Jong-hee Park of UNESCO Asia Pacific Regional Program, ICT in Education, gave a presentation on Digital Civil Education Requirements for the Age of SDG4². His main takeaway was how important it is for students to move beyond learning just how to use digital technologies and towards actively developing their creativities and capabilities with them – this particularly resonated with me and the work we do with Samsung Smart School.

Chief Jong-hee Park during her presentation on Digital Civil Education Requirements for the Age of SDG4

This year’s APEC Future Education Forum concluded with the hopeful message of working towards a harmonious tomorrow through education. It was an especially meaningful event for me as I was able to meet many experts who are striving to innovate their own education practices, such as Secretary Leonor Briones from the Department of Education of the Republic of The Philippines who is known as “the role model of Filipino Teachers”. I was impressed that the event was not about just introducing speakers but also encouraged people to mingle in the spirit of “making better education”.

I had the pleasure of speaking with representatives from Our Lady of Fatima University including Dr. Elmer Midaigo (far right)

Samsung Smart School has now been introduced to a range of global education leaders. Many of the experts I spoke to were enthusiastic about the possibilities the program has to offer; “Samsung Smart School is a program that teaches a lesson worth learning to other institutions and countries as it offers significant impact on students, teachers and society alike,” noted Dr. Luksmon Smansin from the Office of Higher Education Commission, Thailand Ministry of Education.

ICT Assistant Secretary Thomas Podarua of the Ministry of Education, Papua New Guinea gave a great comment. He said “Samsung Smart School is the best solution for regions with limitations,” noted ICT Assistant Secretary Thomas Podarua of the Ministry of Education, Papua New Guinea. “Students of such regions will be able to become parts of the global village through the program.”

Olga Hernandez Limon, consultant, Mexican Ministry of Education also enthused: “Samsung Smart School could help improving the overall course of education. If Mexico can implement Samsung Smart School, the program would receive active support.”

This year’s forum saw 250 education experts from 14 countries of the Asia-Pacific region come together

It would appear my presentation and the innovation put forward by the Samsung Smart School program over the last seven years was received well by those at the Forum. We at the Samsung Smart School team will continue to do our utmost to improve education for children of all backgrounds, no matter where they may be in the world.

*Written by Jihyun Yoon, Corporate Social Contribution Office, Samsung Electronics; translated and edited by Samsung Newsroom

¹APEC stands for the ‘Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’, an inter-governmental forum that promotes economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region

²This stands for ‘SDGs in the Fourth Industrial Revolution’. SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) are a collection of the most important global goals set by the United Nations for 2016 to 2030, after the end of MDGs from 2000 to 2015. It constitutes 17 major goals and 169 targets

Summary

• Seongjin Cho, Engineer, Application Processor Group, Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics, has mastered a life balance that allows ample time for work, family and volunteering
• Dedicating at least one day a week to volunteer activities with children and teenagers, Cho’s hobby has seen him travel internationally in his commitment to helping others over the past two years
• Not only does this hobby provide support to young people looking to learn more about information technology, but has granted Cho empathy and understanding in both his professional and personal lives
  

Samsung Electronics’ citizenship activities take all shapes and sizes, but one thing at the heart of all the volunteer activities undertaken by over 2,000 teams worldwide is talent sharing. The success of such activities is therefore tied to the personalities, sincerity and commitment of participating employees – but above all, empathy is key.

Many of Samsung Electronics’ employees’ volunteer activities take place outside of work hours, meaning that those involved have to manage a careful balance of work, family and volunteering. One such individual to have mastered this balance is an engineer in the Mobile Communications Business, Seongjin Cho, whose dedication to giving back to society speaks for itself: “my hobby is volunteering.”

Samsung employees volunteer at the Samsung Junior Software Cup (left) and Samsung Smart School (right)

Finding Time to Help

Since joining Samsung just over three and a half years ago, Cho has been kept very busy during working hours. He is responsible for defining and verifying specifications of smartphone applications (APs) for models to be released three years down the line. “I have to think a few years ahead,” notes Cho. “I have to understand the latest trends of competitors and, as a data engineer, I am always digging through data and trying to find how to create more competitive products.”

His weekends are kept just as busy as well – Sundays are reserved for spending family time with his wife and beloved six-year-old daughter, and as of the past two years, Saturdays have become his self-professed ‘Volunteer Day’ – a commitment that he takes very seriously.

Cho’s volunteer efforts focus on educational services for children and teenagers – a cause he has thrown himself into because of his own experience. “I was a troubled kid until I stumbled upon my mentor,” admits Cho. “The influence he provided me with moved me in the right direction. I realized I wanted to convey the miracle of mentoring to other children who might need my help.”

Worldwide Volunteer

Having realized his aim in his volunteer activities, Cho began taking part in an education volunteer program for high school students near his office. Two years later and Cho now takes part in longer-term programs that see him working with mentees over extended periods of time, preferring these to one-off activities. His commitment to the cause has even taken him abroad – earlier this year, he served as Volunteer Team Leader for the Samsung Global Startup Acceleration Program in India.

His favorite programs to work on across his dedicated ‘Volunteer Days’ are those such as the Samsung Junior Software Cup and Samsung Smart School where he is able to assist beneficiaries thanks to his capabilities as a data engineer. “Last year, I delivered lectures on software for children via video livestream on social media. I had so much fun with it!” enthuses Cho.

Taking part in these programs connecting him with children from all manner of backgrounds via technology has granted Cho a unique understanding of his beneficiaries. “This year, I have been volunteering at an elementary school. I listen to what the students want and work together with them to help address their issues. It’s all very rewarding.”

Deeper Connections

Cho notes that the time he spends throwing himself into volunteer activities pays off not just for his beneficiary groups, but for his professional one, too. “I learn so much while communicating with all manner of people during volunteer activities. Talking with them has enabled me to look beyond my comfort zone,” he notes.  “Without my volunteer experience, I would have had a harder time understanding my team members and communicating with them.”

The personal growth granted to him as an individual by his tireless dedication to helping others has not gone unnoticed by Cho. “This undertaking has changed me so much from my past self, who possessed practically zero degrees of empathy,” jokes Cho. “During my volunteer work, I often meet other professionals from different fields. I have gained insight about my job that means I can look at things from a wide range of perspectives.”

While such an involved hobby might be thought to take its toll on Cho’s family life, he cites his wife as his “greatest support” for his volunteer work. He credits the time spent with his wife in which they share their goals and resolutions together as fostering this; “we rarely argue because we fully understand each other and share our schedules in advance.”

Cho with his wife and his daughter; along with his volunteering, Cho is sure to put away time each week to spend with his family

The next step in Cho’s volunteering journey is to study Social Welfare at an online university. “I am already here in the volunteering field,” muses Cho. “Like hiking, reading, or watching a movie is to others, this is my hobby.” And his goal for this esteemed hobby? “I hope to get to a place where I am sharing insights with someone as my mentor did for me, and then they go on to do wonders for someone else.” What an achievement that would be.

• Colombian and Polish elementary students connected in an interactive, multicultural activity using Samsung Smart School solutions
• The initiative was planned by Samsung Electronics’ employees in Colombia and Poland to offer an opportunity to broaden learning horizons in the wake of a global sporting event

Olsztyn, Poland and Bogotá, Colombia are nearly 10,000 kilometers apart. When the school day begins in Colombia, it’s time for students in Poland to go home. But on June 7, a class of elementary school students from each city adjusted their schedules to meet with their counterparts from the other side of the world. Using Samsung’s Smart School solutions, the children connected to share a classroom that fused technology into education.

Students from the San Francisco de Asis Educational Institution (Colombia) and Olsztyn elementary school (Poland) introduce each other using Samsung Smart School solutions

Capitalizing on Opportunities to Share Learning Experiences

As a preamble to one of the most popular sports events worldwide, employees from Samsung Electronics Colombia and Samsung Electronics Poland got a hold of each other and agreed to take this opportunity to broaden the horizon of their Smart School initiatives. Soon, they were able to gather elementary school students from the San Francisco de Asis Educational Institution (Colombia) and their peers from the Olsztyn Elementary School (Poland) to take part in a unique multicultural experience.

Each team of students wore T-shirts in national colors

“The goal of Smart School is to transform education through the use of technology,” said Cesar Muñoz, Senior Manager of Corporate Citizenship at Samsung Electronics Colombia. “At this moment there is much attention with the sports event that is happening and kids find it interesting to connect with their peers from Poland. With this, we demonstrate them that technology opens up all kinds of possibilities and that there are no barriers.”

There had been much interest in each other’s country as Colombia and Poland were set to play each other in an upcoming sports event

Learning about Each Other’s Country

Class began with the greetings and introductions from each side, followed by a virtual tour of the Smart School classrooms and shows of some cultural performances – one of the Colombian students performed a traditional dance to the music played on the harp by her teacher; Polish children shared a song of their own.

“Let’s talk about our countries!” Students from Poland line up to present their drawings

They then proceeded to learn about each other’s country including where they are, what their customs are and also a little bit about Nicolaus Copernicus, the famous Polish astronomer. At the end of the class, students from each side of the Atlantic had even learned a number of words from each other’s language like ‘friendship’ (amistad, Spanish) and ‘goodbye’ (do widzenia, Polish). With tablets and virtual quiz tools, the children were given a chance to check their knowledge on Colombia and Poland.

A Colombian student prepares to perform before her Polish friends across the Atlantic

Expanding the Horizon of Learning

Maria Paula Castillo, a student at the San Francisco de Asis School, shared her excitement saying: “We were very excited to get to know the children of Poland. I had never had the opportunity to talk to someone from another country.”

Colombian elementary school students were excited to meet their Polish peers

“Meetings like this expand horizons, showing that we are similar despite our differences,” said Jolanta Okuniewska, a 2016 finalist of the Global Teacher Prize and leader of the Smart School in Olsztyn, Poland. “They stimulate students’ curiosity in cognitive terms, giving them an example of how important it is to know foreign languages and showing them that anything is possible. I am very happy that my students were able to go on this fascinating journey to Colombia.”

Additional Images

Performance for peers in Colombia – dancing and singing break every barrier

“We were very excited to get to know the children of Poland,” said one of the students at the San Francisco de Asis Educational Institution

With tablets and virtual quiz tools, the children were given a chance to check their knowledge on Colombia and Poland

Among them is a group of students at the 13^th Primary School attended by both local Greek children as well as approximately 30 refugee boys and girls. Through the students’ creation of an app, they are learning to better engage with one another, despite language barriers.

Breaking Barriers Through Technology

Since 2015, immigration influx towards European countries, especially arrivals of refugees by sea to the borders of Greece, was increased dramatically mainly due to the ongoing Syrian Civil War. There were more than 856,000 arrivals by sea in Greece, an almost fivefold increase to the same period of 2014^*. An estimated 8% of the arrivals applied for asylum in Greece, with others hoping to find asylum in Northern European countries. Refugees’ children go to public schools and try to learn the Greek language.

Knowing that these children might feel isolated in a place where they cannot speak the local language, the students of the 13^th Primary School of Serres decided to keep their refugee classmates in mind when it came time to create their project for a coding competition hosted by Samsung Electronics Hellas and the British Council.

Using the tools of their school’s Smart Classroom, the students incorporated Kurdish and Arabic translation features to ”Help Friend”, an app that they developed to help assess students’ emotions and improve communication between students and educators. In doing so, the children aimed to promote inclusivity among the student body, and help non-Greek students feel closer and more connected to their classmates.

For their efforts, the participating students were awarded first place in the competition. But more importantly, they were empowered by being able to use their imagination and creativity to make positive contributions to their school and address issues that they had directly encountered.

Nurturing the Minds of Today’s Youth for a Better Tomorrow

Working with local governments, members of academic community and non-profit organizations around the globe, Samsung has established numerous programs – like the Smart Classrooms and the Coding Competition in Greece – designed to equip the world’s youth with the knowledge and skills they need to advance personally and professionally.

From establishing Digital classrooms in rural communities to engaging students in hands-on STEAM learning, Samsung hopes to enable every member of the global community to reach their full potential and take the initiative to pioneer innovations that will help solve the social issues of today and tomorrow.

To learn more about the students of the 13^th Primary School of Serres and their efforts to create a more inclusive school environment through technology, watch the video below.

So far, the initiative has supported over 3,000 schools that have allowed well over 1.4 million bright young minds to learn in more fun and interactive environments. As is the case with Samsung’s Tech Institutes and other education-enriching initiatives, the ultimate goal of the Smart School program is to level the playing field to help students in these communities thrive in the digital era.

Accessible Education for All

According to the 2016 UN Sustainable Development Goals report, some 124 million children and teenagers worldwide were unable to receive a proper education due to financial costs and lack of accessibility in 2013, the latest year for which data are available. Because education is a major determinant of one’s quality of life, not to mention the general well-being of a community, Samsung has made an effort to improve access to education through its Smart School initiatives.

For example, Samsung’s African Regional Head Office has jointly operated solar-powered internet schools throughout Africa in cooperation with the Korea Education & Research Information Service (KERIS) under the Korean Ministry of Education since 2011. Equipped with Samsung’s tablets, PCs,  and other devices, the schools motivate students through captivating lessons taught by local, KERIS-trained teachers. Similarly, Smart School’s Engineering Academy in Nairobi provides tailored curriculum for those pursuing careers in engineering.

Today, 78 Smart Schools are operated in 10 African nations including Ghana, Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya.

Meanwhile, in Taiwan, an estimated 500 children are diagnosed with cancer and hospitalized for months of arduous treatment. Because such medical difficulties often make it impossible for them to attend school with their peers, in January, Samsung Electronics Taiwan (SET) partnered with Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital to open the very first hospital-based Smart School.

Designed to create a motivating learning environment, the Smart School features TVs and tablets pre-installed with educational apps that allow children to learn in fun and engaging ways. In this way, hospitalized children are able to regain a sense of normalcy without falling behind in their studies.

Empowering Young Women Through Digital Education

Despite the fact that many countries throughout the world have worked to close gender gaps in education and labor force participation, many gender differences still persist. Women, for example, are less likely to enter the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – areas collectively known as STEM.

Recognizing this, Samsung established the Smart School’s Female Academy Program in Ghana. Here, women attend a series of training sessions facilitated by knowledgeable field experts. Through their education, the female participants are equipped with the tools they need to pursue STEM fields.

Likewise, Samsung’s North American Regional Head Office, in collaboration with Discovery Education, an NGO dedicated to coding education, offers an extra-curricular program to fourth and fifth grade girls. Offering a wide range of hands-on computer programming and electronic training activities, emPOWER Tomorrow helps girls develop an interest in science, technology, and coding. Furthermore, they are given the opportunity to meet with Samsung’s female scientists and engineers to explore future career options.

Enriching the Learning Experience

Perhaps no other learning tool is more effective than technology. With classroom technology, educators can get more students engaged, improve collaboration, and most importantly make learning fun.

For instance, when Samsung launched its Digital Classroom program to address digital skills gaps in the UK in 2013, it outfitted a total of 15 digital classrooms with a complete suite of educational tools including tablets, laptops, and an interactive whiteboard. Samsung’s research findings that were announced last September underlined the great strides that the students made in developing digital skills, and showed that, overall, those who took part demonstrated much greater confidence and teamwork.

Meanwhile, in Bulgaria earlier this year, Samsung Bulgaria and Junior Achievement Bulgaria partnered with the State Archives to digitize some 22,000 valuable historical documents as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the country’s national heritage. The three-way partnership resulted in the nation’s first fully digitized lessons in history, literature and the arts, which will allow students in Smart Schools and in classrooms across the country to study and experience new facets of their country’s rich history.

Across the world, Samsung Electronics Taiwan established yet another first-of-its-kind Smart School – one that allowed students at three different schools in various corners of the country to simultaneously tour Taiwan’s Museum of Contemporary Art. In the ‘co-learning connected course,’ one school served as host, livestreaming a tour of the museum using Samsung’s Gear 360 and Galaxy S8, while the others followed along remotely from their classrooms. After the tour, the schools competed against one another in a fun pop quiz utilizing Samsung tablets.

By establishing more Smart Schools in different corners of the world, Samsung aspires to arm the next generation with the tools they’ll need to better connect with one another, quench their thirst for knowledge, and ultimately conquer the challenges of tomorrow.

This exchange is just one of many thanks to the Samsung Smart School program which is successfully invigorating and improving education for the most disadvantaged of students by helping to bridge the IT accessibility gap in classrooms.

A Team Effort to Provide Opportunity for the Next Generation

Since 2012, Samsung Electronics has set up over 2,461 Smart School initiatives that offer students and teachers an engaging and collaborative environment in which to nurture the talent of tomorrow. In Portugal, the Samsung Smart School program has quickly launched to 13 smart classrooms including eight in schools or institutes and five in pediatric hospitals. Vidigueira Elementary School, which participated in the video conferencing class, was one of seven Smart Schools introduced in 2014.

The school is located in Alentejo, one of the most underprivileged regions in Portugal. For Vidigueira students, the opportunity to connect with fellow students a world away was a meaningful, eye-opening experience. Before the first video conference, one student, Rodrigo even confessed, “I am very nervous, because we have never spoken to anyone from a different country before.”

Students at the Vidigueira Elementary School anticipating saying hello to fellow Korean classmates a world away

At the Daeyanam Elementary School, located in the remote southern port city of Gunsan, where digital education tools are limited, the students shared the same nervous excitement, practicing English in preparation for their initial introductions.

In Alentejo, Portugal, the program, run in close partnership with the Gulbenkian Foundation and the University of Évora, has seen tremendous success rates in a region normally plagued by high dropouts. In fact, across the Alentejo region’s seven smart classrooms, the program has achieved a 100 percent success rate with all students advancing to the next grade. At Daeyanam Elementary in Korea, which faces constant challenges involving small school enrollment sizes, introduction of the program last year helped increase the number of students from six to 26.

Great Fun and Learning through Technology

After a few checks, and technology tools, including video conferencing and tablets, turned on at the Vidigueira and Daeyanam elementary schools, the class kicked off with the students greeting each other enthusiastically. The Gear 360 virtual reality camera was also used to capture the day’s fun.

The session was a time to learn new words like ‘hello’ (annyeong-haseyo, Korean) / (Olá, Portuguese) and ‘thank you’ (gamsahamnida, Korean) / (obrigado, Portuguese), as well as other Portuguese and Korean traditions. The students also spent time discussing how they are going to spend their summer vacations in their respective countries.

Students at the Vidigueira School listening to an introduction by a Korean student as captured by the Gear 360 virtual reality camera

Korean student, Eunchan Jeong, who led the Taekwondo session, said, “I really enjoyed making friends in Portugal and hope to have more opportunities like that in the future.”

Korean students at the Daeyanam Elementary School wearing taekwondo uniforms while waving hello to students in Portugal

Teachers at both schools, who led preparation for the video conference class, also spoke highly of the session and praised the effectiveness of the Smart School program, overall. Fátima Ralha, the project coordinator at Vidigueira, said, “As the project has evolved, the tablets have proven to be a fundamental resource for the students, helping translate to the 100% success rate.”

Daeyanam teacher, Eunkyung Jeong, said the introduction of Samsung Smart School has made the learning experience more interesting and creative for students and teachers alike, “encouraging the students to be more proactive and enabling teachers to provide feedback instantly.”

As the session came to a close, students and teachers on both sides of the video conference expressed how much they had enjoyed the experience, and their excitement for more high-tech opportunities to come.

Samsung Electronics won two “Corporate Charity Leaders” awards, the eighth annual charity programs competition, for the company’s social and educational activities. The Awarding Ceremony took place at Helikon Opera, Moscow, on November 25th, 2015.

Two of the company’s projects were awarded. The Yasnaya Polyana Literary Award, co-founded by Samsung Electronics and the Leo Tolstoy Memorial Estate, won in the nomination “The Best Program Aimed at Supporting Modern Art and Culture”. A diploma for the second place in the nomination “The Best Program Contributing to the Development of Education in the Russian Federation” was given to the additional education project on IT and programming basics “SAMSUNG SMART SCHOOL.”

The annual All-Russia Corporate Charity Leaders research is a joint project of the Donors Forum, the PwC international audit and consulting firm network and the Vedomosti newspaper, which aim to support, develop and promote corporate charity ideas. The project goal is to identify the best examples of corporate charity programs and to spread the information about corporate charity in the business environment and society in general. The project consists of two parts: the corporate charity study, according to the results of which the ranking is performed, and the charity programs competition. The competition awards are given in six nominations; in total, 65 companies have participated in the competition in 2015.

“We are very happy to be highly assessed by the judges of the contest – this once again confirms that our projects have made a noticeable contribution to the development of culture and education in Russia by supporting literary talents and helping gifted students to discover their knack for technology. Samsung is a socially responsible company, and we are happy to develop our projects that benefit people. This year, we have already accepted new participants in the “SAMSUNG SMART SCHOOL” program, increased the Yasnaya Polyana award prize fund and introduced new nominations awarding the best work of a foreign author and the book chosen by the readers,” said Sergey Pevnev, Corporate Relations Department Director at Samsung Electronics CIS HQ.

The annual All-Russia Yasnaya Polyana Literary Award, founded in 2003 by the Leo Tolstoy Memorial Estate and Samsung Electronics, is one of the most prestigious and well-known literary awards in Russia. The award supports the classic Russian literature traditions. The award jury, headed by Vladimir Tolstoy (the writer’s great-great-grandson), includes well-known Russian writers, literary critics and public characters. The award is given for the best traditional form fiction work in the following nominations: “Modern Classics,” “21st Century,” “Childhood, Boyhood and Youth.” In 2015, the award was given for the first time in the “Foreign Literature” nomination, as well as in Samsung’s special nomination “Readers’ Choice.” In 2015, the total prize fund has grown substantially and is now seven million rubles.

The “SAMSUNG SMART SCHOOL” additional education program aims at helping to educate future engineering and technical personnel, assisting in occupational guidance for high school students and increasing their interest in IT innovations, which is consistent with the relevant task to develop Russian education. The program is implemented with the help of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science and regional education management units since 2014. It is designed for five years and training of over 5,000 students in more than 20 Russian regions. Within the academic year 2014 / 2015, over 1,000 high school students were educated according to the program and received advanced knowledge of IT basics as well as independent mobile app development skills on the Android platform.