Kakao Mobility is expanding eligibility for its free coding camp to include families of mobility workers. Junior Lab is a partner co-prosperity programme run by Kakao Mobility together with the Children and Future Foundation, a social welfare corporation.

Launched in 2023, the camp uses the capabilities of an IT technology company to provide educational benefits to taxi drivers' families. The fifth session ran for four days and three nights from Jan. 28 to 31 at Kakao AI Campus in Yongin, south of Seoul. Kakao Mobility said on Sunday it will expand recruitment from the sixth session to include families of mobility workers such as substitute drivers and quick delivery workers.

Kakao Mobility has completed the fifth session of Junior Lab, a free coding camp held for teenagers who are children or grandchildren of taxi drivers. The camp, attended by 30 participants, ran under the theme of "future smart mobility coding education". Students selected through advance recruitment took part in coding study, team creative activities and mentoring by working developers, regardless of whether they were signed up for Kakao T Taxi.

The curriculum was designed to reflect the trend of AI playing an expanding role. A newly introduced "AI drone route optimisation game" allowed students to learn how AI works by experiencing the process of setting an optimal route for a drone through coding. A robot wrestling contest using robot motion coding and a sensor-based line-tracer relay game were also held.

A mentoring concert with Kakao Mobility developers was also held. Under themes including "the future of developers 10 years from now that AI will change" and "the role of a server developer within Instagram's algorithm", students spent time exploring career paths with advice from people working in the field.

At the Junior Lab fair on the final day, students presented smart mobility ideas they planned and implemented to their families. A tower-style photo booth and a lettering board were set up at the graduation ceremony venue. The company provided all graduates with certificates along with Lego Spike Prime sets.

Kakao Mobility is carrying out social contribution activities for service partners, local communities and the environment through its social impact project called the 201 Campaign. It operates the Kakao Mobility Co-Prosperity Foundation, launched in February last year, Taxi Driver Medical Cost Relief Support to reduce taxi drivers' medical expense burdens, and Road Heroes, which discovers and awards good deeds by mobility industry workers.

Kakao Mobility CEO Kyung-sun Ryu (류긍선) said the aim is to help students who will be key players in the AI era discover their dreams and potential through diverse experiences, going beyond simple donation activities. He said Junior Lab has received strong responses from taxi drivers' families and the company will work to expand programme support to broaden co-prosperity.