Songpa-gu Camping Car Mobile Counseling Center 'Eureka' Tackles Issues of Out-of-School Youth

Mobile counseling center using camping cars creates a space for communication by meeting out-of-school youth and others

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seongsu) is launching a mobile counseling center using a camping car called ‘Eureka (Your dream Raising Car)’ to address the concerns of out-of-school youth.

‘Eureka,’ operated by Songpa-gu through the Hanbit Youth Alternative Center, visits youth who have left school for various reasons to provide counseling, education, and career and employment information, supporting their healthy growth.

The main projects include ▲Mobile Counseling Center Eureka ▲Eureka Emotional Camping ▲Eureka YUTUBE ▲Eureka Job Creation and Linkage.

The Mobile Counseling Center Eureka proactively reaches out to at-risk youth, offering customized counseling based on empathy. It also provides resilience and problem-solving enhancement education, operating 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, and plans to meet approximately 1,200 youth annually. For those requiring deeper counseling, connections to qualification exams or employment are provided to support independence.

Eureka Emotional Camping aims to offer physical and mental healing opportunities in nature, targeting fewer than 4 youth per session with 6 sessions annually. It is conducted in compliance with COVID-19 prevention guidelines and is expected to cultivate youth sensitivity by taking them away from the urban environment.

Eureka YUTUBE operates two projects. One involves recruiting expert mentors from various fields to conduct video mentoring interviews, while the other provides youth visiting Eureka the opportunity to create videos about their daily lives and experiences. Given the surge in youth interest in media platforms like YouTube and Instagram, more than 15 videos will be produced annually based on close youth interactions.

Through the Eureka Job Creation and Linkage project, practical knowledge necessary for employment and entrepreneurship is taught. Various courses have been prepared, including document transfer digitization, digital platform construction, global food and beverage and dining entrepreneurship, and online export transaction content production.

Notably, last year, five youth who completed the ‘Eureka’ education program and four young instructors were hired through the ‘Youth Digital Job Project’ hosted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

Mayor Park Seongsu stated, “This project is especially meaningful as it directly reaches out to youth facing difficulties to provide counseling and educational opportunities,” adding, “We will strengthen the program’s substance to support youth independence beyond one-time counseling and strive to achieve greater results.”

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