⁕ Upcycling Sock Loop Club ⁕ 

Host: Serin (1 year and 4 months in Mangrove)
Location: Mangrove Sinseol
Meetings: 8 times
Participants: 3 to 6 people

Serin, who loves nature and the earth, and always thinks of ways to protect them in daily life, introduced 'Sock Loop Finger Knitting' as a precious hobby she learned at Mangrove. It was through Mangrove Social Club, MSC, that she first encountered this upcycling activity, creating useful items by recycling industrial waste sock loops and fabric scraps.

“Because I love nature and plants in general, and think about the earth, this activity felt like a tool in Mangrove where I could say, ‘Let’s cherish the earth together!’ I loved being able to share the valuable lessons learned in Mangrove with various members. It's the joy and reward that kept me going.”

Through 'MSC by members', they held meetings officially twice and unofficially multiple times through the free board, continuing a sustainable hobby by making bags, cushions, and tea coasters from inevitable fabric scraps left over from making socks. And in the process, they discovered sustainable relationships.

“Through this meeting, I also continued my relationship with Lilac, who was a participating artist in the Mangrove Artist Circle. At Lilac's request, I even held classes at her workshop 'Soul Bundle'. Connections made at Mangrove seem to expand in unexpected ways like this.

Even though it's a co-living house, we aim for a loose alliance, so it's hard to suddenly approach new people. You need a natural medium. Through the sock loop meetings, I met many good people. There were many moments of encouragement through small conversations. Mangrove seems to be a place where in a short time, you can turn complete strangers into your closest neighbors.”

⁕ Mangrove Futsal Club ⁕

Host: Kim Minsoo (3 months in Mangrove)
Location: Mangrove Sinseol
Meetings: 4 times
Participants: 6 people

During his leave of absence, Minsoo, who lives in Mangrove and meets diverse people, actively utilizes the free board in the Mangrove app. While working as a designer, he enjoys the interactions with neighbors that range from requests for help related to work to freely talking about design over beers, which is one of the great joys of Mangrove life.

The futsal, which he usually enjoyed alone, naturally made its way to the free board, gathering the current futsal meeting members. Since there aren't many fixed members yet, they occasionally use a futsal service to gather players like mercenaries to hold a match. Although not large enough to form competitive teams, the members gathered through the Mangrove Futsal Club all play as one team, adding meaning to sweating together on the field.

“After moving far from the neighborhood I originally lived in, it was hard to find friends whose schedules matched. Since we’re living in the same space in Mangrove, it’s much easier to gather. Besides just exercising, it creates opportunities to watch sports games together, share beers, and network.

Since everyone is a working professional, just sharing trivial things like what happened at their workplace or any recent concerns helps refresh their daily life. Conversations about which local restaurant is good are fun, only relatable among Mangrove neighbors.”

⁕ Saturday Movie Club ⁕  

Host: Sanho (9 months in Mangrove)
Location: Mangrove Sinseol
Meetings: 20 times
Participants: 10 people

Sanho, who left his job as a traditional medicine doctor, is growing a new identity in Mangrove by writing, practicing yoga, and meditating. When he wants to step outside his world, he finds solace in the Saturday meetings. The Movie Club, modestly started with neighbors met through community programs, has grown into a six-month, long-lasting gathering with 10 members.

In the Movie Club, key active members take turns being the host once a week. The host selects the movie for the week, handles the cinema room reservation, and suggests additional activities like meals, gatherings, and MSC around the movie viewing times.

“Since the host changes every week, we can watch a really diverse range of movies. Sometimes, I end up seeing films outside my preferred genres, which can be uncomfortable but mostly enjoyable. Mangrove seems like a place where people willing to expand their world despite some discomfort gather, which is why it’s possible.

One day, a host chose the movie <Whisper of the Heart> tailored for members. It was an animated film featuring a boy who plays the violin and a girl who writes, specifically chosen for the member who majored in violin and for me, the writer. After the movie, everyone was so moved that a member fetched a violin from their room, and we held a small concert on the 20th-floor rooftop. It became a beautiful memory for everyone.”

In reality, four out of ten members of the Movie Club are former members, now scattered abroad or in provincial areas. The founding members who left still actively participate in the chat and occasionally join gatherings, preserving the strong bonds.

⁕ Sinseol Dinner Gathering ⁕ 

Host: Kwon Minji (4 months in Mangrove)
Location: Mangrove Sinseol
Meetings: 4 times
Participants: 15 people

‘Everyone has to eat dinner’—the dinner gathering started from a simple thought. Minji, who has been continuing a lifestyle of only being able to have dinner at home due to frequent overtime, wanted to interact more with people and thus started the dinner gathering.

“Not everyone might enjoy reading books, and some may not be good at baking. The same goes for exercising. But everyone eats dinner. Thinking of something simple that anyone can participate in, 'dinner' came to mind.”

In an open chatroom with 15 members, communication flows freely. There are countless days when host Minji can't participate. On days when solo dining feels lonely, members freely knock on the chatroom door, and those available gather spontaneously for a meet-up. Some days it's dining out together, while other days it's bringing their own menus to the shared kitchen to become casual dinner mates.

“When we eat together, you become surprisingly comfortable sharing hardships and worries. Even between new acquaintances, or across nationalities, food seems to create instant closeness. Watching various people, like someone who majored in computer science but is currently working part-time at a café while studying to become a tattoo artist, or someone who loves languages and has taught and learned languages in countries like the US, China, and Korea, makes me feel a lot.

A meal time spent alone, looking lonely and glued to your phone, slowly transformed into quality time of getting to know each other through conversation. Recently, a small group that became close within the chat room even 'independently' formed a separate chat room. Isn’t it also a great goal to make a friend you connect with over a meal, Minji suggested.

⁕  Dongdaemun Plogging Club ⁕ 

Host: Lim Jieun (2 months in Mangrove)
Location: Mangrove Dongdaemun
Meetings: 2 times
Participants: 6 to 7 people

Jieun, who works as a marketer at the Sustainable Ethical Fashion Hub, a company that supports the strengthening and growth of sustainable fashion brands to build an ethical fashion ecosystem in Korea, brought the plogging experience from her company activities into her Mangrove life.

“To commemorate 'Mountain Day' on October 18th, we gathered under the purpose of 'protecting health and the environment together'. Starting from Mangrove Dongdaemun, we went through DDP, circled around Heunginjimun Park, and returned to Mangrove to separate and recycle together.”

To celebrate environmental days such as World Food Day, members shared vegan cookies and engaged in small talk about their daily interest in plogging. Even after her brief two-month stay at Mangrove ended, the memories with the meeting members remained strong, leading her to host an extra plogging gathering for Mangrove members even after leaving.

“Since it’s an activity that I’m interested in, it was much better doing it together than doing it alone. There’s also the desire to widely share the good purpose and meaning. There are so many cigarette butts on the street. As we pick up trash together for a while, we quickly become close. When I meet people who experienced their first MSC through plogging, I feel a strange sense of responsibility and pride. Without holding the meetings, such experiences wouldn't happen. It’s a moment where I resolve to occasionally initiate good things!”

Ultimately, to belong to a community is to embark on a journey together.

The fundamental elements that determine the quality of our lives are

the people we are close to and the conversations we have with them.

<You Are Invited>, Jon Levy

Written by | Shin Dabo-mi

Photos by | Serin, Sanho, Kwon Minji, Kim Minsoo, Lim Jieun