Seoul City Recruits 'Our Neighborhood Pet Guardians' for Children

For 5th to 6th Grade Elementary School Classes

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 22nd that it will recruit 250 students from 12 classes, one class each from 5th to 6th grade elementary schools, to participate as ‘Our Neighborhood Pet Guardians’ for three days from the 23rd to the 25th, so that children can learn proper attitudes and behaviors toward animals and respect for life from an early age.

Once selected as an ‘Our Neighborhood Pet Guardians’ class, a professional instructor will visit by mid-September to conduct animal protection education during the second semester of 2023, teaching a proper pet culture based on respect for life.

The education consists of two 80-minute sessions. The first session covers topics related to animal protection and respect for life, such as ▲ the relationship between animals and humans ▲ the dangers of animal abuse ▲ wild animals around us. The second session focuses on pet care, including ▲ characteristics and habits of pets ▲ proper pet etiquette.

Children who complete the education will be awarded a certificate of completion as ‘Our Neighborhood Pet Guardians’ to instill a sense of belonging and responsibility. During the second semester (September to December), the children will carry out guardian activities together with the professional instructor assigned to their class.

At the end of the year, the Our Neighborhood Pet Guardians will gather for a performance report meeting. They will watch videos of their guardian activities so far and award outstanding schools. Additionally, excellent videos from the ‘Pet Love UCC’ contest will be showcased, and children who produced these videos will also be awarded.

Yoo Young-bong, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Green City Leisure Bureau, said, “Children have a strong interest in animals and high sensitivity, so animal protection education is highly effective in helping them understand and immediately practice it.” He added, “Cultivating a heart that respects life from an early age fosters healthy character and emotions, serving as a good foundation for forming a mature pet culture in the future.”

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