Suncheon-si, Jigeum Youth Hosts Successful 'Miri Youth Classroom' Program

Published 06 Nov.2023 15:25(KST)

Communication between Jigeum Youth (ages 18-45) and Miri Youth (ages 15-17)

The ‘Miri Cheongnyeon Classroom,’ where today’s youth meet the youth of the future, is gaining attention from middle and high school students in the Suncheon area.

On the 3rd, Suncheon City in Jeollanam-do held the second ‘Miri Cheongnyeon Classroom’ at Namsan Middle School, targeting 240 students, with participation from the 1845 Youth Talent Pool active in the region.

[Photo by Suncheon City]

On this day, the Miri Cheongnyeon Classroom was a program where current youth meet adolescent future youth, communicate, and serve as mentors to help them grow positively and healthily into young adults. This was the second session following the one held at Sinhung Middle School in August.

The main programs included eight themes: ▲Barista ▲Performance Planning ▲Personal Color ▲No Plastic ▲Ceramics Class ▲Making Hwajeon (Korean traditional flower-shaped rice cakes) ▲Horticultural Therapy ▲Fragrance Making, with youth registered in the 1845 Youth Talent Pool matched to lead each session.

In particular, the program was designed based on themes preferred by the future youth in advance, allowing them to participate in experiential programs and communicate with current youth, fostering generational understanding and drawing strong curiosity and interest from the future youth.

K, a student at Namsan Middle School who participated in the program, said, “It was a great time because local older brothers and sisters acted as instructors, creating a relaxed atmosphere where I could feel the real-world aspects of my areas of interest.”

Also, H (32), who participated as a mentor, shared, “It was a meaningful time as it provided an opportunity to promote our city’s youth policies and contribute to the local community. I engaged in the program aiming to communicate at the children’s level and build rapport.”

Na Ok-hyun, head of the Youth Policy Division of Suncheon City, said, “The Miri Cheongnyeon Classroom is a project that connects generations to foster empathy and understanding between them. We hope that adolescents will grow into healthy youth in the community by designing their future here based on diverse experiences.”

The city plans to expand the program next year into on-site experience and local exploration programs, reflecting the preferences of the future youth based on the analysis of preferences from the two pilot operations.