Gwangsan District Council of Gwangju Successfully Concludes 'Summer Vacation Children's Mock Council'

The Gwangsan District Council of Gwangju held the '2023 Summer Vacation Children's Mock Council' over two days, from the 27th to the 28th.

The Gwangsan District Council has been operating the 'Children's Mock Council' program to promote the role and functions of local councils and provide opportunities to experience the decision-making process, thereby fostering the capabilities of responsible democratic citizens. The program was suspended after its last session in February 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but was resumed after about four years.

A total of 35 elementary school students from the district were recruited through a prior application process to participate in this 'Children's Mock Council.' Over two days and two sessions, participants toured the council building and experienced the mock council activities.

During the mock council experience, students learned the basic theories and terminology of council operations and took on roles such as chairperson, council members, secretary-general, and chief of the procedural team. They vividly experienced the entire decision-making process of a plenary session, including agenda submission, proposal explanation, Q&A, and voting.

Additionally, through a 2-minute free speech, students presented their opinions and solutions on topics of interest.

The participating students shared their thoughts, saying, "This experience helped us understand what the council is and what district council members do, which was a great experience. The most enjoyable part was listening to friends' thoughts and discussing a single topic."

Chairman Kim Tae-wan stated, "I hope this was a meaningful time to learn the proper culture of debate, which is the foundation of democracy, and mature civic consciousness. I look forward to the students, who are the future leaders, to pursue their dreams and grow into wonderful democratic citizens."

Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Jo Ilsang bless4ya@asiae.co.kr

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