Gyeonggi-do Expands 'Youth Spaces'

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province is expanding the 'Gyeonggi Youth Space Creation' project, one of the key youth policy pledges of Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung.

The Gyeonggi Youth Space Creation project provides customized spaces where young people in the province can freely use, communicate, and prepare for employment and entrepreneurship.

Along with convenience facilities such as study rooms, creative and relaxation spaces, seminar rooms, and cafes, various services are offered including employment and entrepreneurship counseling, special employment lectures, job mentoring, psychological counseling, financial counseling, and cultural events.

Changes this year include ▲pilot operation of programs for single-person youth households ▲creation of new youth spaces within cities and counties ▲additional support for program operation costs for youth spaces currently operated by existing cities and counties.

The province will first pilot a shared goods and social dining program for single-person youth households this year. Additional programs will be developed later based on usage performance and suggestions from young people.

New youth spaces will also be created within cities and counties. From January 8, the province conducted a demand survey for cities and counties within the province for one month and selected Hwaseong, Uijeongbu, and Pocheon as institutions to promote new space creation projects.

Each city will receive up to 150 million KRW for space creation costs and up to 100 million KRW for program operation costs.

Additionally, to revitalize youth spaces currently operated by existing cities and counties, additional program operation costs will be supported. This year, five locations including Suwon, Siheung, Osan, Uiwang, and Paju were selected as support target institutions. Each city will receive up to 50 million KRW.

Kim Kyung-hwan, head of the Youth Welfare Policy Division of the province, said, "Gyeonggi Youth Space will be a communication platform where local youth voluntarily participate, exchange information, and create new youth policies," adding, "We will continue to expand the youth space project so that Gyeonggi youth can establish it as a facility to prepare for the future."

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