Seongbuk Youth Public Forum 'Exploration Meeting' Held

Seongbuk-gu Creates Seongbuk Youth Space and Operates Seongbuk Youth Policy Research Institute for Youth Activities and Policy Participation... Experts in Gender Equality, Youth Policy, Housing, Labor, Environment Invited to Address Core Youth Life Issues... Small Offline Lectures and Discussions Held, Online Release Planned

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) is conducting the Seongbuk Youth Public Forum "Exploration Meeting" to discover policy ideas through the free inquiry and discussion of young people.

The Seongbuk Youth Public Forum is a public discussion group with the slogan "Let's create new youth policies with friends in the neighborhood," aiming to solve issues in young people's lives through policies.

It is also a public-private governance network that has been operating for four years since 2017, currently involving about 100 young people actively participating.

In particular, it has received positive responses from young citizens interested in sharing new knowledge and opinions, as they can participate in a process of attending theory-centered lectures and discussions together.

The meetings started last July and are held once a month until December at the Seongbuk Youth Space in Wolgok-dong, covering topics reflecting youth interests such as gender equality, the Youth Basic Act, housing, labor, and environment. Experts from each field are invited, and the sessions are conducted through online or small-scale lectures followed by discussions. All sessions are publicly available on the YouTube channel.

In July, there was a lively lecture and discussion on "Together for Gender Equality" with three gender equality experts; in August, on the "Youth Basic Act" with the secretary-general of a youth organization; and in September, on the "Housing Lease Protection Act" with the head of a housing cooperative. In October, a discussion on "Labor" is scheduled, followed by small offline meetings in November and December on environment and youth policy, respectively.

The "Labor" session, held on the 26th at 7 p.m., will explore the basics of labor law that young people need to know under the title "Not just a feeling of being exploited, but truly finding my labor rights."

Labor rights counselor Lee Seul-ah from the Seongbuk-gu Labor Rights Center will serve as the instructor, covering key topics such as employment contracts, wages and minimum wage, annual leave, responses to unfair treatment, and industrial accidents, delivering essential labor law knowledge for young people. Especially, if participants have experienced unfair treatment at work or feel there are issues, they will have time to openly share and discuss solutions with fellow citizens.

On November 23, a meeting titled "Walking the Eco Road for Everyday Change" will be held regarding the environment. The December schedule, titled "Youth Imagination Becomes Reality," will be announced later.

The door to the Seongbuk Youth Public Forum "Exploration Meeting" is open to all young people. Applications and detailed information can be found on the Seongbuk Youth Policy Network Facebook page or by contacting the Seongbuk Youth Policy Network Operations Office.