Gimhae City Launches Safety Net Construction Based on Survey Results of At-Risk Youth Conditions

Gimhae City, Gyeongnam held a research service result presentation for establishing support measures for at-risk youth.
[Image source=Gimhae City]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] Gimhae City, Gyeongnam announced the results of a research project on the actual conditions and support measures for at-risk youth on the 8th, aimed at establishing the direction of the youth safety net pilot project.

This study has been conducted since February by the Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation of Inje University to explore stable settlement plans for the youth safety net pilot project tailored to local circumstances.

The research was conducted through an online survey targeting a total of 774 youths from 4th grade elementary school to 3rd grade high school students, including out-of-school youths, covering personal, family, school, and community domains.

Analyzing differences by gender, school level, and region, male students responded more positively in areas such as life satisfaction, self-esteem, and community care, while female students responded more negatively in areas including community issues (youth harmful environments), stress, and teacher relationships.

Regarding differences by school level, younger students in elementary, middle, and high school, in that order, and youths attending school rather than out-of-school youths, responded more positively in personal and school resource areas.

In terms of regional differences, youths living in the Dong area showed more negative responses in the community issues domain compared to those living in the Jangyu area.

Most respondents indicated that existing youth support services were helpful, and they expressed a strong desire for more support in leisure cultural activities, tuition fees, transportation costs, and job experience in the future.

Based on these results, the city conducted a focus group interview (FGI) with 26 related practitioners centered on the Youth Safety Net Executive Committee, discussing the actual conditions of youth support in Gimhae and the effectiveness of policies.

Participants suggested various opinions, including identifying needs by problem areas of at-risk youth considering regional differences, developing customized services, and devising a multifaceted detection system for early identification of at-risk youth.

Inje University analyzed that to resolve local youth crisis issues, it is necessary to activate youth mental health and leisure activity support, clearly define the roles of the operating entities of the youth safety net pilot project, strengthen cooperation systems among related organizations, and develop and expand customized services for each stage of youth crisis.

Mayor Heo Seong-gon said, "Through in-depth analysis of local youth crisis issues, we will actively work on preventing and protecting youth from internet and smartphone addiction, suicide, self-harm, as well as multicultural and regional disparities in community youth problems."

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