'I am the Young Mayor of Seoul' 356 Ideas Poured Out... 30 Teams in the Final Race

Accompanying the Vulnerable, Strengthening Future Competencies, Everyday Experience Themes... 3.8 Times More Submissions Than Last Year
30 Finalist Teams Selected... The Full-Scale Race to Become the 'Youth Seoul Mayor' Begins

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 1st the results of the application for the Seoul Youth Policy Contest "I am the Youth Mayor of Seoul," which is being promoted to diversify policy participation channels for young people and reflect their perspectives in city administration.

This contest was conducted in a new format where young people, who are more familiar with videos than text, proposed policy ideas from a youth perspective in short videos within 59 seconds, called 'short-form.' By utilizing short-form videos familiar to young people, it allowed them to easily and enjoyably present their creative ideas.

Among the participants, about 54% were aged 19 to 29, with those in their twenties accounting for more than half. Additionally, the highest participation rate was among office workers at 41.6%, and about 31.2% of participants were university (graduate) students, meaning one out of every three participants was a university (graduate) student.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government selected and announced 30 teams advancing to the finals through short-form video screening. The 30 teams advancing to the next stage become candidates for the 'Youth Mayor of Seoul' and enter the full-fledged race to select outstanding ideas.

Before the main competition, an orientation was held on the 30th of last month for the 30 teams advancing to the finals. The orientation included guidance on the upcoming final competition format and a special lecture on 'How to Write a Policy Proposal' to help concretize the proposed ideas. In addition, a mentoring session by Yoo Yong-jae, Seoul's Youth Honorary Mayor, was held on the theme of 'Strategies for Better Policy Proposals.'

The 30 teams advancing to the finals will participate in an incubation program from the 6th to the 17th to strengthen their policy proposals and develop them to an executable level in preparation for the first round of the finals (PT round). Each team advancing to the finals will also receive a research grant of 500,000 won to use during preparation for the PT (presentation) round.

The final competition will proceed in the order of the 'PT (presentation) round' on the 20th, where proposals are presented, followed by the 'debate round,' where three teams discuss by topic, and the 'final round,' where the proposed policies are showcased to citizens. The final winning team, announced at the final round held on September 16, will receive a prize of 10 million won and a certificate, as well as the opportunity to participate as a 'Special Advisor for Seoul Youth Policy,' reviewing and advising on Seoul's youth policies. The team leader of the final winning team will be recommended as Seoul's Youth Honorary Mayor.

Kim Cheol-hee, head of the Seoul Future Youth Planning Group, said, "We expect this to be an opportunity for young people to become agents of social problem-solving through the process of realizing social issues felt by youth into policies reflecting their perspectives."

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