Strengthening Expertise and Expanding Support... Seoul City’s 'Cheongnyeon Insaeng Seolgye School' to Start in August

Introduction of professional programs used by leading global companies and universities, including the US Gallup Strengths Assessment Tool
Conducted face-to-face at 9 youth spaces across Seoul, including Seoul Youth Center Orang

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul's 'Youth Life Design School,' which provides young people with opportunities for autonomous self-exploration and career planning, announced on the 20th that it has completed new preparations to support young people's "most authentic growth" and is recruiting 200 participants for the first round.

Marking the fifth year of the project, Seoul City sought changes considering the rapidly changing socio-economic trends such as COVID-19 and the altered realities of youth. The support scale has been expanded about twofold, and professionalism and accessibility have been significantly enhanced.

First, the program's professionalism was strengthened by introducing credible programs. Renowned educational programs and instructors used by leading global companies and universities, such as the Gallup Strengths Assessment from the U.S. Gallup company and Dale Carnegie courses, were introduced to greatly enhance expertise. Additionally, programs are held at youth spaces located throughout Seoul to increase accessibility for young people. While all programs were conducted online last year due to COVID-19, from this year, nine Seoul youth spaces including Seoul Youth Center Orang and Mujungryeokjidae will be utilized.

To enable more young people to discover their strengths and explore career paths, the support scale has been doubled from 560 people last year to 1,000 this year. In this first recruitment, 200 young people aged 19 to 39 living in Seoul will be selected.

This year's Youth Life Design School August program will run for four weeks starting August 8. Participants can choose one of three courses: the 'Life Course,' which helps find personal strengths and restore self-esteem; the 'Career Course,' a specialized program for early-career workers; and the 'Leadership Course' for middle managers.

The 'Life Course' is a process to discover one's unique interests and strengths that were not clearly known before and to restore self-esteem independently. It consists of strength coaching and workshop programs aimed at proactive career exploration. The 'Life Course' uses the Gallup Strengths Assessment from the U.S. Gallup company. Alongside professional coaches, it includes ?strength discovery workshops ?one-on-one strength analysis coaching ?the ‘Career & Leadership Courses’ involve group activities where office workers share ways to work healthily and live well. The ‘Career Course’ is designed for early-career workers, while the ‘Leadership Course’ targets middle managers.

All courses are free of charge, and applications can be submitted on the Youth Life Design School’s dedicated webpage from the 20th until next month’s 1st. Half of the participants will be prioritized from youth who have excelled in volunteering or come from households with income below 100% of the median income. This is intended to provide more opportunities to young people who have voluntarily served society or had relatively fewer chances for self-exploration.

Kim Cheol-hee, head of Seoul City’s Future Youth Planning Team, said, “This year’s Youth Life Design School has been radically improved to strengthen program professionalism, enhance policy accessibility, and expand participation scale by analyzing the achievements and challenges of previous projects.” He added, “Through the transformed Youth Life Design School, we hope young people discover their unique strengths, regain confidence, and confirm their potential to design a better future.”

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