Seoul City Provides Visiting Youth Counseling Service... 177 Youth Companions Support

Discovering and Connecting Community Youth Collaborative Resources for Integrated Services... Completely Free
Consultations Available for Various Concerns Including Depression from COVID-19, Learning Anxiety, and Family Conflicts

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 24th that it will provide one-on-one outreach counseling services for at-risk youth in collaboration with Youth Companions (YC) operating at youth counseling and welfare centers in Seoul. Currently, depending on the social distancing level due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the service can also be switched to video counseling, phone counseling, or chat counseling.

The 177 Youth Companions in Seoul are experts qualified and experienced in youth counseling who discover and connect community youth cooperation resources for at-risk youth and form continuous relationships with youth to help them overcome crises and grow healthily.

The Youth Companion program has been operating since 2005 based on Article 12 of the Youth Welfare Support Act. The number of Youth Companions has gradually increased from 168 in 2019 to 175 in 2020 and 177 in 2021. Last year, 4533 youths received 292,148 support services, resolving over 95% of their issues.

The Youth Companion program is open to any youth aged 9 to 24 residing in Seoul. Youth can receive counseling for various issues they experience, such as depression caused by COVID-19, worries about friendships, anxiety about studies, and family conflicts. The service is completely free of charge.

Applications can be made by directly calling one of the 25 youth counseling and welfare centers in Seoul, though there may be some waiting time depending on the center’s circumstances. Additionally, services may switch to non-face-to-face depending on the COVID-19 social distancing level. For further information about the Youth Companion program, contact the Seoul Youth Counseling and Welfare Center.

Ko Seok-young, Director of Youth Policy at Seoul City, said, “Since this is a time when youth are vulnerable to risky situations or neglect due to COVID-19, I hope the Youth Companion program will be actively utilized to care for their mental health.” He added, “We will support youth, who are experiencing various problems and concerns, to receive expert help and grow into healthy members of society.”