Gangseo-gu Resident Autonomy Committee and Dong Resident Center: Great Partners... Jongno-gu Calls for Resident Participation Budget Proposal Projects

[Seoul District News] Gangseo-gu Holds Public-Private Cooperation Workshop with Residents' Autonomy Committee Residents' Autonomy Committee and Community Service Center Discuss Solutions to Village Issues... Enriched 'Nowon Lifelong Citizen University'... Jongno-gu Supports All Areas Related to Residents' Lives Including 'Jobs,' 'Welfare,' 'Transportation,' 'Culture,' and 'Environment'... Gangbuk-gu Expands Care SOS Center Operation... Mapo-gu Produces Diary for Families of Dementia Patients

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Roh Hyun-song) will hold a 'Public-Private Cooperation Workshop' where the Residents' Autonomy Committee and the Dong Community Service Center collaborate to ensure the successful establishment of resident autonomy.

Previously, the district launched Residents' Autonomy Committees in 5 neighborhoods in 2019 and expanded to 15 additional neighborhoods last year, establishing committees in all 20 neighborhoods.

The purpose of this workshop is to build a cooperative system between the private sector and the Dong Community Service Center to successfully implement this year's resident autonomy activity support projects, creating a collaborative structure through mutual role sharing.

The workshop will be held over two days, on the 17th and 18th, at the Gomdallae Culture and Welfare Center, with about 180 participants including executives of the Residents' Autonomy Committees from all 20 neighborhoods and heads of the community service centers. It will be conducted in four sessions with 45 participants each.

The lecture will be delivered by Oh Young-sik, CEO of the community consulting firm 'Umtuda,' who will explain in an easy and detailed manner the utilization of excellent cases from other local governments, the roles of the Residents' Autonomy Committee members, and the Dong Community Service Center.

The workshop topics include ▲ Understanding execution projects by neighborhood (by division) ▲ Detailing project execution such as promotion and establishing annual plans ▲ Principles of public-private cooperation and work consultation according to roles of each party.

During the workshop, participants will listen to excellent cases of public-private cooperation from other local governments and engage in in-depth discussions on schedules, operation methods, and tasks according to roles for the resident autonomy activity support projects by neighborhood.

After the workshop, the district plans to receive detailed execution plans for division-specific projects from the Dong Residents' Autonomy Committees by May and provide support accordingly.

Mayor Roh Hyun-song said, "The Residents' Autonomy Committee is a resident representative organization that identifies and solves village problems on its own," adding, "The administration will actively cooperate as a partner supporting the activities of the Residents' Autonomy Committee to solve village problems one by one."

The Residents' Autonomy Committees will establish autonomy plans by neighborhood and finalize next year's autonomy projects through a residents' general meeting scheduled for August.

Kwangwoon University Robot Coding Class

Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) operates the '2022 Nowon Lifelong Citizen University,' where residents can experience 66 diverse programs at local universities.

The district has been operating the 'Nowon Lifelong Citizen University' since last year to promote lifelong learning among residents by utilizing the excellent infrastructure of local universities and providing specialized programs unique to each school.

This year, all seven local universities (Kwangwoon University, Sahmyook University, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul Women's University, Korea Military Academy, Induk University, and Korea Bible University) are participating.

Registration starts in March and runs through November, with a total of 66 programs and 218 courses offered. Notably, new courses reflecting residents' demands based on last year's participant satisfaction surveys have been newly established, raising expectations.

The university-specific programs are as follows.

▲ Expansion of 4th Industrial Revolution fields and addition of certification courses

Kwangwoon University will operate programs focused on future science and technology education for youth and adults. Courses include lectures and practical sessions on artificial intelligence, coding, metaverse, augmented reality (AR), and this year, a coffee barista certification course will also be offered.

▲ Provision of lifestyle healing programs and specialized children's courses

Sahmyook University offers lifestyle sports programs for children through adults, including swimming, tennis, squash, specialized children's soccer classes, line dance, and health programs. This year, new lifestyle healing programs such as healing garden planner and herbal flower tea sommelier are introduced.

▲ Unique programs such as craft beer brewing and art therapy art psychology counseling

Seoul National University of Science and Technology has prepared various unique programs. In addition to the popular 'Craft Beer Brewing' course from last year, courses like 'Introductory Golf,' 'Art Therapy Art Psychology Counseling (Certification Course),' and emotional speech skill enhancement are notable.

▲ Operation of short-term dormitory programs

Seoul Women's University is the only one among the seven universities to operate short-term dormitory courses. The Free Life School, conducted in 1-night 2-day and 2-night 3-day formats for all ages regardless of gender, offers not only liberal arts lectures but also various experiential learning such as horticulture and crafts.

▲ Enjoy horseback riding, traditional Korean archery, and Korea Military Academy museum experiences

The Korea Military Academy has prepared programs showcasing its traditions and history, including horseback riding, traditional Korean archery, and tours of the Korea Military Academy Museum. This year, drone classes will also be offered for youth and adults.

▲ Guide to employment and entrepreneurship

Induk University focuses on providing programs supporting employment and entrepreneurship. Courses such as beauty hair, nail care, skincare, one-person YouTube creator, and senior model are eye-catching.

▲ Programs for educationally marginalized groups such as people with disabilities and their families

Korea Bible University has opened physical support programs for people with disabilities and counseling courses for parents of children with disabilities. The COVID-19 recovery healing series including home bakery and healing calligraphy, as well as special lectures by invited experts for the general public, have been expanded, raising great expectations.

Programs are open to all Nowon-gu residents, and tuition fees vary by course (free to 40,000 KRW). For registration schedules and details by course, refer to the Nowon Lifelong Education Portal or each university's website.

Last year, despite the COVID-19 situation, the Nowon Lifelong Citizen University attracted high interest with 2,500 participants attending 189 courses.

The district plans to establish a cooperative system through performance sharing meetings this year to prevent overlapping programs among schools and to resolve operational disparities.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, "The excellent instructors and professors from local universities provide differentiated programs, resulting in very high satisfaction among participating residents," adding, "We will continue to do our best to build Nowon as a 'Lifelong Learning City.'"

Jongno-gu is calling for proposals for the '2022 Jongno-gu Resident Participatory Budget Proposal Projects' until the 31st of this month to prepare the 2023 budget.

The resident participatory budgeting system is a system that enhances transparency and democracy in budget management by involving residents in the proposal, review, and selection processes during budget formulation. It is meaningful in that it reflects project ideas that residents genuinely want and that suit local characteristics in policies.

Accordingly, Jongno-gu plans to select resident participatory budget projects using a total budget of 1.2 billion KRW this year, aiming to realize fiscal democracy through resident participation.

The projects are divided into 'district-wide participation type,' which solves and improves issues across the entire district (not limited to specific neighborhoods), and 'local participation type,' which addresses inconveniences in the 17 neighborhoods. Proposals can cover all areas related to residents' lives, including ▲ women ▲ economy and jobs ▲ welfare ▲ transportation ▲ culture ▲ environment ▲ tourism and sports ▲ urban safety ▲ housing ▲ parks, etc. However, general projects exceeding 200 million KRW, event projects exceeding 100 million KRW, projects requested on the premise of supporting specific organizations, and projects requiring several years for completion such as construction or manufacturing are excluded.

After receiving proposals, the district will review them through relevant departments to classify eligible and ineligible projects. For eligible projects, site inspections and verification procedures will be conducted before submitting them to the general assembly. Subsequently, resident e-voting and general assembly voting will be held, and the finally selected projects will be included in the 2023 Jongno-gu Resident Participatory Budget.

Eligibility for proposals includes residents of Jongno-gu, workers, students, and organizations located in the area. Those wishing to participate can access the Resident Participatory Budget Proposal page on the Jongno-gu website or submit an application via email to the person in charge. Applications can also be submitted by visiting or mailing to the Autonomous Administration Division or the relevant Dong Community Service Center. In this case, the application form downloaded from the district office website must be used.

Although the concentrated proposal period is set until March 31, the district also accepts applications at any time. For more details, inquiries can be made to the Resident Cooperation Team.

An official from the district said, "Last year, 34 projects totaling 1.19 billion KRW were included in the resident participatory budget," adding, "This year, we will continue to discover good policies that enhance individual satisfaction and happiness so that residents can feel the budget's impact."

Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Park Kyum-soo) will expand the operation of the 'Care SOS Center' by installing it in 13 Dong Community Service Centers starting this year.

The 'Care SOS Center' is a project that provides customized care to individuals in need during sudden crisis situations such as illness or accidents.

The district has been providing care services to residents since August 2020, but in response to the increasing emergency situations and welfare demands amid the recent spread of COVID-19, it announced that it will provide more thorough care services including follow-up management starting this year.

First, to solve residents' problems nearby, the 'Care SOS Center' has been expanded to 13 Dong Community Service Centers.

The services provided include ▲ temporary home care and assistance with daily living ▲ short-term facility admission such as protective facilities and nursing institutions ▲ accompaniment support for outings ▲ residential convenience services such as cleaning, laundry, and disinfection ▲ meal delivery to maintain dietary life, totaling five care services.

The service targets are middle-aged and older adults aged 50 and above who have difficulty moving independently or living independently alone, or who have no family to provide care, including seniors and persons with disabilities.

Basic livelihood security recipients, legally designated low-income groups, and residents with median income below 85% can receive services up to an annual limit of 1.6 million KRW per person.

Those wishing to use care services can inquire at the nearest Dong Community Service Center or the Dasan Call Center.

The district is currently providing care services in cooperation with 29 private organizations and provided a total of 2,080 services to 963 people last year.

Mayor Park Kyum-soo of Gangbuk-gu said, "The Care SOS Center is now operated at the community service centers, allowing us to hear residents' voices more closely," adding, "We will strive to create a seamless welfare system through systematic follow-up management after care services."

According to the Central Dementia Center, in 2021, the population aged 65 in Mapo-gu was 52,374, of which 5,549 were dementia patients, meaning one in ten elderly people has dementia. Calculating dementia patient families as four-person households, the population related to dementia patients exceeds 20,000, and the number of dementia patients is gradually increasing.

Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) has produced a 'Family Diary' to help dementia caregiving families overcome physical, mental, and economic stress.

The diary, produced by the Mapo-gu Dementia Safety Center (hereafter the Center), is designed to provide easy access to key information related to dementia and practical use in daily life, consisting of five sections.

The first page features the 'Areumdri Diary,' allowing families to record information collected while participating in family-tailored services provided by the Center.

The 'Mapo-gu Dementia Safety Center Service Guide' section allows users to check dementia-related services offered in Mapo-gu, and the 'Understanding Dementia' section explains dementia in an easy-to-understand way based on the care dictionary published by the Central Dementia Center.

Additionally, the 'Areumdri Caregiver's Journal' section enables caregivers to review their schedules and organize their emotions, while the 'Areumdri Patient's Journal' helps check the patient's activity areas to address any deficiencies.

The district also supports 'family-tailored services' for dementia families through the Center.

Main services include 'Family Classes' educating specialized knowledge about dementia, 'Self-help Groups' for sharing caregiving information among families, and 'Healing Programs' to reduce caregiving burdens.

Moreover, the 'Hope Messenger' project, which provides customized services through home visits, played a significant role in Mapo-gu being selected as an excellent district in Seoul's dementia management project evaluation last year.

The 'family-tailored services' are free for families registered at the Center, and the 'Family Diary' will be distributed to caregivers currently using the services.

Located on the 3rd floor of Yeomni Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, the Mapo-gu Dementia Safety Center offers various services from early dementia screening to treatment cost support.

Detailed usage information can be found on the Mapo-gu Dementia Safety Center website.

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