In an era where the climate crisis continues to worsen, the younger generation who will lead us in the future are more concerned about the environment than ever before. However, as the saying goes, we can only see what we already know. In order to protect the environment of tomorrow, we must first understand the environment of today.

This is why Hyundai Motor Group started the ‘Happy Move the Green’ program, which selects university students from diverse fields of study to be nurtured into the eco-friendly green leaders of the future.

‘Happy Move the Green’ is rooted in Hyundai Motor Group’s signature CSR activity, ‘Happy Move: Global Youth Volunteer Group.’ Aimed at nurturing future global leaders, ‘Happy Move’ offered opportunities for South Korean university students to volunteer overseas and gained steady popularity from its launch in 2008 until the start of the global pandemic, with the cumulative number of participants exceeding 10,000.

However, to reflect the new global landscape and changing needs of university students, the initiative was reborn as ‘Happy Move the Green.’

‘Happy Move the Green’ has evolved to better suit the present age as it fosters the leaders of the future, while maintaining the strengths and legacy of the original ‘Happy Move.’ It preserves the concepts of globality and volunteering together, but the program was designed to allow more self-directed participation, with a focus on the theme of ‘environment.’

After a pilot run in 2022, the ‘Happy Move the Green’ program was newly launched in 2024. Over approximately three months, 100 South Korean university students from a wide range of backgrounds and 20 employee mentors that work in sustainability-related fields came together to contemplate and interact with the environment of today.

The participants first took part in a 3-night, 4-day training camp in early July. They attended lectures on key environmental issues and engaged in eco-friendly activities such as restoring playgrounds, creating eco-ponds, and exploring biodiversity at some of Hyundai Motor Group’s representative CSR sites, including Yeouido Saetgang Ecological Park and Miho River & Mir Forest in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province.

During the three-month period of the program, the participants were given the important task of creating new ideas for the company’s environmental CSR activities based on the insights they gained both domestically and internationally. The participants fiercely debated different aspects of the two projects they directly took part in (improving the Yeouido Saetgang Ecological Park and conserving biodiversity at Miho River & Mir Forest in Jincheon) and held a highly anticipated presentation of their ideas at the graduation ceremony.

A participant from the grand prize-winning third team, Choi Kibbeum, shared, “Through this program, I learned Hyundai Motor Group carries out a number of CSR activities to help the environment, and I feel that I have grown both personally and professionally through collaboration with my team members.”

‘Happy Move the Green’ not only offered participants the chance to take part in a variety of activities on the theme of the environment, but also provided in-depth mentoring through employee mentors, who provided advice on everything from idea planning to personal reflections. As a result, most of the participants reported increased knowledge and interest in the environment and experienced personal growth, and the program achieved a high level of participant satisfaction. Participating employee mentors also shared that they felt they had grown along with the students, enhancing their pride and sense of belonging.

In the face of the growing importance of nurturing the talented eco-friendly individuals of the future, ‘Happy Move the Green’ is leaving green footprints of hope among young people.