Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor Chaehyun Il Promotes Various Youth-Led Policies

Published 05 Feb.2020 06:14(KST)

'Mujungryokjidae Yeongdeungpo' Surpasses 20,000 Users and 2,000 Members in 3 Months... Youth One-Stop Support Platform 'Seoul Youth Center-Yeongdeungpo' Scheduled to Open in July 2020... 2020 Youth Startup Support Project Recruiting Creative Talents with Up to 10 Million KRW per Team

'Mujungryeokjidae Yeongdeungpo' attracted a lot of attention from young people even before its opening by holding an 'Open Week' event featuring content creation lectures.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The demand for innovative youth policies that respond to prolonged economic recession and social structural changes such as the 4th Industrial Revolution is increasing day by day.

Accordingly, Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Chae Hyun-il) is promoting various youth-led policies based on the principle that "young people themselves know their problems best."

‘Mujungryeokjidae Yeongdeungpo,’ which opened on October 1 last year, consists of community spaces supporting youth activities and networking, a caf?, creative rooms, media rooms, and a shared kitchen. Within three months, it recorded a cumulative 20,269 visitors and 2,130 membership registrations.

During the four-day Open Week event held before the official opening, popular YouTube channel PDs gave lectures on YouTube production know-how, and Park Hyun-min, editor-in-chief of the magazine ‘Big Issue,’ gave content production lectures, attracting much interest from young people.

After the official opening, youth forums (a total of 3 sessions) discussing youth issues, exhibitions, education, social dining events (a total of 13 sessions) in cooperation with the local community, and hobby and education programs (a total of 12 sessions) were held.

A survey conducted in December last year showed that young people visited this place on average 2 to 3 times a week, and more than 95% of users were highly satisfied with the spacious and pleasant atmosphere.

Following ‘Mujungryeokjidae Yeongdeungpo,’ the Yeongdeungpo-gu online youth communication space ‘Youth Online Platform’ (https://www.ydp.go.kr/youth/index.do), which began operation in December last year, has 80 mentors active in alleviating the anxiety of young people who complain about low employment rates and difficulties in career choices, helping them enter society.

This year, the district will continue to support various arts and cultural performances such as movies, performances, and reading sessions centered on ‘Mujungryeokjidae Yeongdeungpo.’ In September, a participatory event called ‘Youth Week’ is planned, featuring booths related to youth housing and culture, performances by young artists, and seminars to solve local youth issues.

In addition, various projects focusing on establishing a social independence foundation for youth will be promoted in 2020. Among them, the Y-VS (Young-Venture Startup) support project for youth entrepreneurship stands out.

The Y-VS project is designed to provide various opportunities for young people aspiring to start a business to demonstrate their capabilities throughout the pre-startup stages. It includes △‘Makerthon’ (Making Marathon) to concretize startup ideas △entrepreneurship capacity-building education △continuous expert mentoring △prototype production support △practical crowdfunding education for fundraising, helping prospective young entrepreneurs to commercialize their businesses and pioneer market channels.

Furthermore, the district plans to conduct training for young woodworkers and youth cultural planners tailored to youth needs, as well as big data expert and one-person media training to support employment in the 4th Industrial Revolution fields.

Preparation is also underway for the opening of the youth one-stop support platform ‘Seoul Youth Center-Yeongdeungpo’ scheduled for July.

‘Seoul Youth Center-Yeongdeungpo’ will serve as a youth policy hub by providing △integrated information on youth support projects △health and life counseling tailored to youth needs △support programs for non-college-going and long-term unemployed youth △training courses for specialized youth support personnel called ‘Youth Managers,’ facilitating communication, exchange, and policy development desired by young people.

Mayor Chae Hyun-il of Yeongdeungpo-gu and young people of Yeongdeungpo-gu participating in the opening ceremony 'OPEN-UP' of the 'Zero Gravity Zone Yeongdeungpo'

Additionally, the district is promoting the ‘2020 Youth Entrepreneur Support Project’ to recruit 10 teams of young prospective (early-stage) entrepreneurs with creative ideas and growth potential. Applicants must be young prospective entrepreneurs under 39 years old residing in Seoul, with extra points given to those living or active in Yeongdeungpo-gu. Selected teams will receive up to 10 million KRW in startup support funds.

The recruitment fields are △IT and technology startups (broadcasting and telecommunications, app development, etc.) △knowledge startups (culture, content, etc.) △idea startups (crafts, design, etc.). Teams wishing to apply should prepare the required documents and visit or email the Social Economy Division (sumin3063@ydp.go.kr) between February 10 and 28.

For more details, contact the Social Economy Division at ☎2670-1666.

Chae Hyun-il, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, said, “I am very pleased with the high response to ‘Mujungryeokjidae Yeongdeungpo,’ a space where young people create a hopeful tomorrow with creative ideas,” adding, “We will link the newly established youth activity platform ‘Seoul Youth Center-Yeongdeungpo’ with the existing ‘Mujungryeokjidae Yeongdeungpo’ to expand the free activity stage for young people and strive to prepare youth-led policies to improve the quality of life that young people can feel.”