Why is Gwanak-gu investing 13 billion KRW to build the 7-story 'Gwanak Youth Center' in the 'Youth City'?

Creation of 'Gwanak Youth Center' as a Comprehensive Activity Hub for Youth, 13 Billion KRW Invested, New Building from Basement 1 to 7th Floor... Addressing Practical Issues of Youth Such as Unemployment and Housing Problems

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) is recognized as the number one youth city in the nation, with a youth population ratio reaching 40.6%, making it a city known for its young population.

Since the launch of the 7th local government administration, Gwanak-gu has established the Youth Policy Division, the only department in Seoul dedicated exclusively to youth affairs, and is implementing specialized youth policies unique to Gwanak.

First, the focus is on creating spaces where free and dynamic youth activities and youth exchanges communicating with the local community can take place.

The comprehensive youth activity hub, ‘Gwanak Youth Center’ (perspective view. 1759 Nambusunhwan-ro), is being constructed with a total project cost of 13 billion KRW. It spans from basement level 1 to the 7th floor above ground, with a total floor area of 1,533.39㎡. Construction began in January this year, and completion is targeted by the end of this year.

The center aims to become a hub for youth facing various social issues such as career breaks, employment difficulties, and housing, by providing comprehensive youth policies including employment, jobs, welfare, psychological counseling, and community support.

In 2019, the district already established ‘Sillim-dong Three Room’ (91 Sillim-ro, 3rd floor), a youth cultural activity space, offering ▲1:1 comprehensive life counseling program ‘Sangdam Orang’ ▲linkage programs connecting participants and experts for psychological and career counseling ▲programs supporting the formation of youth social networks. These have been adapted to the COVID-19 era with various non-face-to-face online programs, receiving great responses.

Additionally, over 8,900 members of the Sillim-dong Three Room membership receive youth policy and support information via text messages.

The district is also working to solve practical problems faced by youth, the future leaders, such as youth unemployment and housing. Various programs are underway to enhance youth employment and job skills, including ▲Seoul City-Gwanak-gu Job Cafe employment support program ▲Gwanak Youth Job Bootcamp ▲Big Data analysis expert training course ▲AI/VR interview experience center operation ▲locally driven youth job projects.

Support is also provided for youth’s future planning and self-directed lives through programs like ▲Youth Online Finance UP ▲Youth Online Housing Education.

Furthermore, to prevent social isolation among single-person youth households, the district promotes ▲Youth Social Dining, ▲Youth Self-Identity School to assist career exploration and self-understanding, and ▲Youth Club Activity Support Contest to back youth cultural activities, supporting stable and happy lives for young people in various ways.

Moreover, to gather diverse youth opinions and implement highly impactful policies, the district operates the public-private joint ‘Gwanak-gu Youth Policy Committee,’ composed of four subcommittees covering employment, housing, culture & welfare, and social participation, reviewing youth policies from multiple perspectives.

From September 10 to 12, the district plans to hold the ‘3rd Gwanak Youth Festival,’ which promotes youth social participation and intergenerational exchange, and the ‘Youth Employment Concert’ for those preparing for employment in the second half of the year, both in an untact (contactless) format to reach youth exhausted by COVID-19.

In particular, facing the worsening employment shock due to COVID-19, the district has provided the first round of employment incentives of 500,000 KRW per person from May to June to about 12,000 unemployed youth who applied. A second round of support is planned for those who did not receive the first payment in the second half of the year.

Mayor Park Jun-hee stated, “We will continue to listen to the voices of youth and persistently implement policies that resonate with them, doing our best to build ‘Gwanak, the city where youth achieve their dreams.’”

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