Heemang Makers: Partnering with Smilegate Foundation to Address Overlooked Social Issues 2024-12-13

On November 6, the “Heemang Maker Meetup Day” (hereafter “Meetup Day”) was held at Orange Planet in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul. The event was hosted by Smilegate Foundation to introduce the role of “Heemang Makers,” its social impact partners, to representatives from various organizations and encourage broader participation.

Heemang Makers are partners who collaborate with Smilegate Foundation to identify and address a wide range of social issues, equipped with the expertise and resources to implement real solutions. Currently, 99 organizations, including World Vision, ChildFund Korea, and the International Center for Children’s Rights, are active Heemang Makers.

The event welcomed CSR representatives from 24 organizations, including the Asan Nanum Foundation, Save the Children Korea, and Nanum Vitamin, representing a wide range of sectors.

Smilegate Foundation’s Collective Impact Strategy for Social Contribution

Smilegate Foundation is building a sustainable platform for solving social issues based on “Collective Impact”—a model of partnership through multi-stakeholder collaboration—with its Heemang Maker partners.

To support this, Smilegate Foundation facilitates organic collaboration among Heemang Makers, helping them leverage their individual expertise. It coordinates the collective strengths of partners from diverse fields to effectively tackle social issues.

What kinds of issues have Smilegate Foundation and its Heemang Makers addressed so far, and how have they solved them? During the Meetup Day, participants actively engaged in discussions about the role of Heemang Makers, strategies for addressing social problems, and how to get involved.

In the first session, themed “Smilegate Foundation’s Strategy for Addressing Social Issues,” Park Jae-hee, Team Lead at Smilegate Foundation, delivered a presentation. “The more complex a social issue is, the more important it becomes for local governments, institutions, and organizations with expertise and resources to collaborate systematically in order to find sustainable solutions,” Park emphasized.

As examples of successful collective impact efforts, Park introduced “Smile House” and the “2024 Youth Esports Festival” held in Daejeon this past August. The festival was a joint effort by Smilegate Foundation, Nexon Foundation, Daejeon Information & Culture Industry Promotion Agency, Korea Creative Content Agency, the Korea Community Child Center Association, and Big Picture Interactive, and others. “These projects aim to provide hope and inspiration to children facing systemic social challenges. They have been recognized as successful cases of cross-sector collaboration,” said Park. “Smilegate Foundation will continue to seek new partners for collaboration moving forward.”

So what qualities are needed to become a Heemang Maker? In the second session, titled “How to Work with Smilegate Foundation,” Kwon Yong-eun, Manager at Smilegate Foundation, explained: “A Heemang Maker must demonstrate sincerity and trustworthiness for future generations, transparency in executing initiatives, expertise based on an understanding of social blind spots, and the ability to achieve sustainability through local resource networks.” Kwon added, “We will continue to support collaboration among Heemang Makers, game users, and employees through content like ‘FUNding’—a donation campaign to support vulnerable groups—and ‘HEALing,’ a talent donation program.”’

Looking Forward to Collaborating with Even More Heemang Makers!

Participants resonated with the various case studies and creative problem-solving approaches shared by Smilegate Foundation staff, recognizing that collaboration can generate and amplify greater social impact. In the latter half of the event, attendees had opportunities to communicate freely, explore different social issues, and exchange actionable ideas for solving them.

밋업데이가 끝나고 참석자들은 행사장을 나서며 희망메이커와 밋업데이에 대한 긍정적인 소감을 전했다. 밋업데이에 참가했던 세이브더칠드런 코리아 주지원 매니저는 “희망스튜디오의 사회문제 해결에 대한 진정성과 방향성에 깊이 공감합니다”라며 “향후 사회 공헌 프로젝트에 희망메이커로 참여해 희망스튜디오와 함께 활동할 수 있기를 바란다”라고 기대를 내비쳤다.

As Meetup Day concluded, attendees expressed positive impressions of the event and the Heemang Maker initiative. Joo Ji-won, Manager at Save the Children Korea, shared, “I deeply resonate with Smilegate Foundation’s sincerity and direction in addressing social issues. I hope to join future social contribution projects as a Heemang Maker and work alongside Smilegate Foundation.”

Kwon Yeon-ju, Director at Smilegate Foundation, stated, “Smilegate Foundation strives to be a platform that empowers Heemang Makers to do meaningful work that creates real change in the world. We hope that many of today’s attendees will take an interest in becoming Heemang Makers and actively participate going forward.”

Smilegate Foundation’s Meetup Day brought together diverse organizations and institutions to explore the potential of spreading hope. We hope this event serves as a starting point for more prospective Heemang Makers from various fields to collaborate with Smilegate Foundation in the future.