Youth Foundation Hosts the '2024 Cheongnyeon Sofa Forum'

[Photos from the Youth Foundation's '2024 Youth Sofa Forum' Round Table Session]

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The Youth Foundation (hereinafter referred to as the Foundation) announced that on Monday, November 11, it successfully held the <2024 Youth Sofa Forum> with youth support organization workers at the Nine Tree Premier Yongsan Locus Harmonies Hall.

The Youth Foundation has been striving to provide multifaceted support projects and establish highly effective youth policies for the recovery and independence of young people vulnerable due to structural issues in our society, such as isolated and reclusive youth, youth with borderline intelligence, youth caring for family members, and youth preparing for independence. This forum was planned to share the experiences accumulated by the Foundation so far, while bringing together private and public youth support organizations to share field cases and concerns and discuss the development of youth policies together. True to the name , the forum was made more meaningful by the participation of 120 workers from about 50 organizations supporting youth based on their expertise in various fields such as central government, public institutions, non-profit organizations, youth centers, and private companies.

The forum was held under the theme “Any youth! It’s okay to live in your own way and pace,” and consisted of three sessions: ▲ a ‘Keynote Speech’ reviewing youth understanding and the functions of youth policies, ▲ a ‘Round Table’ sharing concerns and cases from the youth support field, and ▲ a ‘Special Lecture for Practitioners Supporting Vulnerable Youth.’ Before the official start, participants watched the ‘Youth Independence Report’ aired on YTN Documentary 24 last October. The video, which contained the lives and stories of vulnerable youth participating in the Foundation’s programs, provided an opportunity to understand the difficulties currently faced by youth themselves.

The ‘Keynote Speech’ began with author Jang Jae-yeol’s story titled “An Author Who Has Met Youth.” He calmly conveyed the stories of youth who experienced isolation and reclusion, warned against prejudices and stigmas about youth, and delivered the message, “Let’s not define youth in a specific way.” Following this, Park Joo-hee, Secretary General of the Youth Foundation, gave a speech titled “Our Society Responds to Vulnerable Youth,” stating, “The role of youth policy is to place stepping stones suited to each situation so that vulnerable youth can stand at the starting line of independence,” which resonated with the audience.

The ‘Round Table’ was moderated by Professor Choi Young-jun of Yonsei University, who researched the social costs of youth isolation, and included three youth support organization workers who vividly conveyed voices from the field. The panelists shared their experiences, including positive cases achieved through effort and intervention, cases that unfortunately did not succeed despite various efforts, efforts and linkage cases of local communities and public-private resources, and ways to change society and systems for better youth support. Based on these, they also exchanged practical advice.

In the ‘Special Lecture for Practitioners Supporting Vulnerable Youth,’ Professor Kim Araemi of Seoul Women’s University presented methods such as surveys and focus group interviews (FGI), ways to discover and approach target individuals, and resource linkage plans. Dr. Lee So-hee of the National Medical Center gave a lecture on topics such as stress management for workers and self-care. Amid various changes in social environments, they proposed several ways to support newly vulnerable youth, highlighting the need to discuss continuous interest and measures through multifaceted perspectives and approaches.

[Youth Sofa Forum Poster]

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Finally, attendees exchanged warm pledges as ‘precious partners of youth’ by writing encouraging messages to youth in their own handwriting, such as “We will walk together with youth” and “It’s okay not to be okay. We always support you.” A youth support organization worker, Mr. A, said, “This gathering, united by the common denominator of youth, is a precious time, and it is reassuring and joyful to realize there are many colleagues working together,” adding, “We want to continue to think together so that youth can settle well in society.”

Park Joo-hee, Secretary General of the Youth Foundation, stated, “Through this Youth Sofa Forum, many private and public institutions accompanying youth gathered to understand the youth living today together and to explore what efforts our society should make. It was a valuable time,” and added, “Going forward, the Foundation will continue to cooperate with various youth support organizations to create a youth support ecosystem where youth can grow stably.”

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