The Nexon Foundation has officially inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Seoul National University's Center for Future Education Innovation to launch 'HelloMate', a volunteering programme for university students powered by the free block-coding platform, 'HelloMaple'.

This collaboration aims to bridge the digital education divide in local communities, roping in major universities across Seoul. The Nexon Foundation has formalised partnerships with the Center for Future Education Innovation at Seoul National University, the Artificial Intelligence Innovation Convergence University Project Group at Sungkyunkwan University, and the Global Social Innovation Group at Hanyang University.

The HelloMate programme is set to run from September 2025 to January 2026, featuring around 70 university student mentors from three participating institutions who will guide roughly 300 young mentees. These mentors will use HelloMaple to craft bespoke coding worlds, then head out to local children's centres and primary schools to deliver over 20 hours of coding instruction.

Through this initiative, the Nexon Foundation is providing a suite of support, including visits to the Nexon headquarters, mentorship sessions with company employees, educational content competitions, and official certification for volunteer service hours.

Beyond just managing the volunteer work, Seoul National University will be diving into research to measure the effectiveness of the initiative, specifically focusing on how the HelloMaple platform and the HelloMate programme influence digital literacy and computational thinking skills.

Mi-jeong Kong, Director at the Nexon Foundation, noted, "HelloMate is a brilliant collision of university students' passion and our free coding platform, HelloMaple, offering fresh learning opportunities for kids in our community. We remain committed to actively tackling the digital education gap."

Cheol-il Lim, Director of the Center for Future Education Innovation at Seoul National University, added, "It is truly meaningful to witness the talents of university students contributing to the growth of our local youth. We hope this partnership broadens educational horizons and provides practical support for the next generation as they prepare for the future."

HelloMaple is a free block-coding platform built upon the MapleStory IP, designed specifically to help users grasp the fundamental principles of coding.