Mayor Lee Yong-seop: "Realizing Dreams and Hopes through Youth-Customized Policy Development"

Visit to the Youth Job Experience Specialized Facility 'SalmDi'

On the afternoon of the 4th, Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, visited the Dong-gu Youth Life Design Center to encourage teenagers experiencing job training at the youth workshop. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] On the 4th, Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, visited the Youth Life Design Center (‘SalmDi’), a specialized facility for youth job experience, held a roundtable meeting with youth and youth instructors, and listened to their difficulties.

This roundtable meeting was organized as part of the ‘Special Week for Youth and Adolescents to Overcome COVID-19,’ which has been operating since the 3rd, to identify the difficulties faced by youth due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic on site and to prepare support measures.

Opened in November 2016 on Jungang-ro, Dong-gu, the Life Design Center is a specialized youth job experience facility that supports balanced growth for youth through various experiential activities such as creative career activities, life creative activities, job experiences, and youth capacity-building activities.

Mayor Lee toured the ecological architecture and vegetable garden in the outdoor space, followed by the basement first-floor woodworking workshop, first-floor cafes Crikindi and Everyone’s Kitchen, second-floor open bookstore and other community spaces, and the fourth-floor figure production studio. Afterwards, he held a roundtable meeting with 24 people including youth experiencing job training at the youth workshop and youth instructors to exchange opinions.

At the meeting, youth and others proposed ▲expansion of youth workshops ▲establishment of an advanced internship program for out-of-school youth ▲expansion of customized support for late youth (ages 19?24) ▲and expansion of youth policies such as club activities.

Mayor Lee said, “Despite the difficulties in activities due to COVID-19, it was impressive to see youth engaging in healthy participatory activities and expressing their dreams and talents through peer communities,” adding, “Gwangju City will develop customized policies so that youth can grow in a balanced way through various experiential activities and actively support youth to realize their dreams and hopes.”

Gwangju City plans to actively review the proposed expansion of youth workshops and also promote the establishment of an advanced internship program by adding it to the job competency enhancement program.

In addition, a late youth self-reliance capacity-building project will be implemented to ensure there are no blind spots in support.

Mayor Lee Yong-seop is scheduled to visit a crisis youth support facility on the 6th as the third step of the ‘Special Week for Youth and Adolescents to Overcome COVID-19’ to listen to their difficulties.

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