Guro-gu, Training Program for 'Citizen Advocates' Supporting Disabled Activities

Contributing to Social Participation and Rights Improvement of People with Disabilities by Sharing Daily Life Activities such as Hobbies and Leisure... Education Conducted in March-April... Regular Bi-Monthly Activities Linked with Welfare Center After Completion

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Guro-gu (Mayor Lee Sung) is conducting training for 'Citizen Advocates.'

On the 13th, Guro-gu announced that it will establish a 'Citizen Advocate' training program to improve awareness of disabilities and support the active social activities of people with disabilities.

A 'Citizen Advocate' is a person who becomes friends with people with disabilities, shares daily life with them, supports their choices and decisions, and takes the lead in improving elements of human rights violations. They work to enhance social participation and rights of people with disabilities, who often lack opportunities to form social relationships and are prone to discrimination.

The Citizen Advocate training will be held every Tuesday from March 3 to April 21 at Guro Lifelong Learning Center Building 2. The lectures will cover topics such as human rights sensitivity, understanding disabilities, the role and cases of rights advocacy activists, and will be conducted over eight sessions.

After completing the training course, participants will directly engage as Citizen Advocates.

In cooperation with the local St. Francisco Comprehensive Welfare Center for the Disabled, each advocate will be paired one-on-one with 20 women with disabilities. Matching will consider residence, age, and personality type to foster continuous and intimate relationships.

Thereafter, through regular meetings twice a month, they will share various daily activities such as leisure, hobbies, community exploration, and shopping. The activities will continue until November this year, and a final evaluation meeting will be held at the end of the year, including awards for outstanding teams, sharing impressions, and satisfaction surveys.

Those who wish to participate in the Citizen Advocate training and activities can apply from the 14th to the 28th by visiting the Education Support Division at the district office or through the Guro Lifelong Learning Center website (http://edu.guro.go.kr/lll/).

The number of recruits is 20, and any resident of Guro-gu can apply.

Participants will receive hobby-sharing activity expenses and volunteer hours will be recognized.

A Guro-gu official stated, “We expect that the Citizen Advocate activities will help create a society where everyone is guaranteed an equal and happy life,” and added, “We hope many residents who want to make sincere friends regardless of disability will show great interest and apply.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.