You may have heard that the trefoil stands for “happiness”. On July 11, Paju Learning Center was filled with the laughter and smiles of HMC staff and students, blooming like a trefoil. They were attending the “2015 Looking for Three-Leafed Clover” event, a mentoring camp for university students. The day was particularly special because the HMC staff members paid a visit to meet with the university mentors. Let’s see some of the scenes captured from this precious meeting.

Since 2005, HMC has been operating a program that supports children who have lost their parents in unfortunate accidents. HMC had previously helped such teenagers by donating products and money and assisting them in realizing their dreams and wishes. However, the company started to consider how these young people could be assisted in more fundamental ways. The company, then, came up with the project, in an effort to help bereaved children in a more substantial and generous manner. This is a program where the company connects university student mentors with bereaved children to help them search for and realize their future dreams. HMC, in the end, established a powerful and effective strategy for those children who need “happiness” rather than “luck”.

HMC’s MENSA Meets University Mentors

A total of 80 university mentors partook in this “Looking for Three-Leafed Clover” session. The size of this year’s event was two times greater than the one held in 2014. The project is developing and growing to become more effective in helping and assisting bereaved children. The university mentors, who will accompany and assist bereaved children as they search for their dreams , were able to partake in this significant after undergoing a rigorous preparation process. As they might feel somewhat daunted in taking on their roles as “mentors”, HMC prepared a 2 day and 3 night long mentor training camp to help these university student mentors to competently and confidently carry out their tasks and responsibilities. At the stadium, the university student mentors gathered to share their stories. The university students chatted cheerfully about their impressions of the first day, which included an ice breaking session, where they interacted with each other to become comfortable and relaxed, as well as a session to help them overcome their fears and learn about motivation. So, what will come next for all the university student mentors who have come a step closer to genuine mentoring?

The guests that these students were waiting for were HMC’s MENSA. MENSA refers to people who will act as guides for the university student mentors and help them when they are experiencing difficulties and who will give them the support and inspiration to partake in and complete the “Looking for Three-Leafed Clover” program. The HMC staff members who are interested in helping bereaved children to find their dreams have willingly taken on the role of “MENSA”. They decided to listen closely to the university student mentors’ dreams, hopes and worries and to give them some of advice and cheer them up. The university student mentors were getting ready to meet them after a brief orientation session.

At last, HMC MENSA arrived at the stadium. As the MENSA entered the stadium, greeting the mentors brightly, the university student mentors gave them a round of warm applause. This was their first meeting, but they have much in common in that they have willingly and generously agreed to partake together in this meaningful program. That’s why they seemed to be so delighted to meet each other. Exchanging smiles, it seemed that they were already familiar with each other.

HMC Staff “MENSA” Approaches to Mentors

As soon as the staff MENSA and university student mentors of the same group greeted each other, the MC came to the stage. They engaged in a fun activity to break the ice between the new group members. The first mission was to create creative and original nicknames for each MENSA. In order to do this, one should find out about the personal traits of a person. Each MENSA member approached the university student mentors in a friendly manner and engaged them by giving a short but impressive introduction about themselves. The stadium was filled with laughter when each group announced the different nicknames. Creative nicknames they came up with included “EXO Baekhyun”, “Moses”, “Squirrel” and “Bright”.