Seoul City Trains 96 Public Activists through 'New Deal Jobs'... Dispatched to 50 Organizations

'Citizen Society Didiljari 100 Project' Officially Launches Public Interest Activist Training

'Didiljari Project' Offline Statutory Mandatory Training Scene

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 28th that 96 public interest activists recruited through the '2020 Public Interest Activity Promotion Project - Citizen Society Didiljari 100 Project,' which has been implemented since last September, have been dispatched to 50 public interest activity organizations and are currently active.

The Didiljari Project, part of the Seoul-type New Deal Job Project, was planned to foster public interest activities. It provides manpower to public interest activity organizations without labor cost burdens, while supporting public interest activists to gain practical experience through work and receive professional instructor training.

Among the 76 public interest activists whose employment has been confirmed so far, 5 have taken on roles in directly operating and managing the Didiljari Project at the implementing agency (private subsidy operator) 'Social Balance.'

Kim Si-nae (30), who manages public interest activity organizations, said, "Through participating in the project, I realized that public interest activity organizations are substituting for areas that the government cannot care for," adding, "There are many areas for improvement such as manpower shortages in public interest activity organizations, and I hope this becomes an opportunity to strengthen their self-sustainability through labor cost support."

With the COVID-19 pandemic making face-to-face meetings impossible, the process of connecting public interest activity organizations and public interest activists has also become important. This is because the capabilities of public interest activists desired by the organizations must be met, and the job preferences of the activists must also be considered.

Yoon Jin-su (32), who manages project participants, said, "Many of the applicants were elderly and experienced difficulties using non-face-to-face applications, but they all had a strong willingness to learn," adding, "Although the process from recruitment to dispatch was challenging to complete within three weeks due to delays caused by COVID-19, when I see public interest activists expressing their gratitude, I feel a sense of responsibility and mission."