[Interview] Ryoo Kyung-gi, Jungnang District Mayor: "We Will Make Every Effort to Create a 'Happy Jungnang for Youth'"

Promoting the 'Youth Stepping Stone Project' Linking Support for At-Risk Youth and Private Organizations... Providing Meal Support, Career Counseling, Internship Connections, and Cultural Experiences for Out-of-School Youth... Establishing Youth-Only Spaces 'Dingadong' in Sinnae-dong, Myeonmok-dong, Muk-dong, and Mangu-dong... Operating 'Jungnang Youth Film School' Where Youth Produce Films and Local Residents Enjoy Together... Fostering Youth Dreams and Hopes at Jungnang Education Control Tower 'Bang Jeong-hwan Education Support Center,' the Largest in the Autonomous District

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “We will steadily implement educational policies to establish systems that allow the youth, who are the future and growth engine of Jungnang, to grow up more safely and healthily, fostering their character and creativity.”

Ryu Kyung-gi, Mayor of Jungnang District, said in an interview with this publication that various policies and programs are being promoted so that all local youth can happily nurture and realize their dreams.

First, the ‘Youth Stepping Stone Project’ stands out. This project connects socially and economically disadvantaged youth with social organizations or individuals wishing to provide support, helping the healthy growth of youth. It receives donations from private organizations to support low-income youth in crisis with living expenses, medical examination and treatment costs, medication fees, academic-related expenses, skill acquisition, and counseling. Although the district already supports youth in crisis with a budget of 17 million KRW from the Youth Special Support Project, the public-private cooperative Stepping Stone Project was launched to discover and assist youth in welfare blind spots excluded due to limited budget and criteria.

There is also a project supporting out-of-school youth. Youth participating in the Jungnang District Out-of-School Youth Support Center’s Dream Program receive meal support of 8,000 KRW per meal. Additionally, the program helps with self-reliance through learning support for qualification exams, career counseling, career experience, internship connections, and also aids social skills improvement through various cultural experiences and camp activities.

The youth community space ‘Dingadong,’ where youth can freely rest and communicate with friends in a safe environment, opened sequentially in Sinnae-dong last year and Myeonmok-dong this year. Created in response to requests from residents and youth for a youth-only space, it is significant that the ‘Youth Space Creation Group,’ composed of youth, local residents, and experts, proposed and co-designed the necessary space. Dingadong is currently being established in Muk-dong and Mangwoo-dong as well, with plans to expand so more youth can enjoy it.

Various projects that allow youth to fully express their dreams and talents are also underway. The ‘Jungnang Youth Film School’ operates for youth aspiring to create films, where 20 youth learned planning, story development, filming, editing, and mixing from mentor film directors and produced short films themselves. In November, the Jungnang Youth Film Festival was held, where four films created by the youth were screened and shared with 240 local residents.

The Bang Jeong-hwan Education Support Center, boasting the largest scale among Seoul’s autonomous districts, faithfully serves as a control tower linking schools, families, and local communities in education. Career and job experience programs, 4th industrial revolution programs such as robotics, 3D printing, and drone classes, and MBTI-based learning strategy coaching have high satisfaction among youth. From November 29 to December 22, a transition program for graduating high school seniors was held, offering makeup and styling methods, speech and oratory skills, and labor contract writing to support the growth of incoming freshmen. The center plans to continue offering useful programs not only for career and academic consulting but also for youth taking their first steps into society.

Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi stated, “As the proverb says, it takes a whole village to raise a child. For children’s bodies and minds to grow healthily, not only parental love but also the great interest and care of neighbors and the local community are necessary,” adding, “We will continue to maximize and carefully oversee youth welfare and educational policies to create a happy Jungnang for youth.”

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