Providing residents with opportunities to unwind and explore new hobbies through tailored programs

The Dasan-dong Community Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, is garnering enthusiastic participation from residents with its customized one-day art classes. Designed based on a survey of local preferences, the classes cover a variety of creative and physical activities, including drawing, beadwork, and ukulele playing. The center’s efforts to respond to resident feedback are helping to improve community life.

[Korean Today] One-day class art class © Reporter Seung-ju Ji

The Dasan-dong Community Center in Jung-gu, Seoul has recently established itself as a cultural center for local residents through a one-day class under the theme of “A Little Break for Me.” Located on Hanyangdoseong Road, the center has now become a vibrant space for residents seeking leisure and artistic expression.

The success of these programs is in line with recent surveys of residents’ needs. The surveys showed a strong interest in arts and physical education, especially painting and musical instrument classes. In response, the community center introduced a variety of customized classes, including two-session formats.

The August 20 class, “Adding Pictures to Fabric,” was a huge hit. Participants decorated umbrellas with floral patterns instead of traditional paper, which was met with great satisfaction from 10 attendees. One middle-aged participant said, “I was excited to pick up a paintbrush again after such a long time, and it made me feel at ease.”

There will be an apron drawing session on September 5th and a beadwork workshop titled “Starting a Style” on September 10th. The beadwork class is easy enough for beginners to learn and create practical and stylish accessories.

The highlight of September 26-27 is the Easy Ukulele Lesson. Designed for beginners, this class teaches basic chords and simple playing, and instruments are provided for those who do not own one.

Registration for this September’s classes will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis starting Monday the 26th. The participation fee for the ‘Paste Pictures on Fabric’ class is 10,000 won, and for other classes it is 5,000 won.

Kim Jeong-hee, the head of Dasan-dong, emphasized the community center’s ongoing efforts to improve the quality of life of residents through responsive programming. “We will continue to reflect the opinions of residents to inject vitality into their daily lives and improve their overall well-being,” said Kim.

In addition, Dasan-dong Community Center plans to hold a special winter one-day class at the end of the year to further enrich the cultural life of residents.