Dongjak-gu Promotes 'Youth Participation Activity Activation Model Project'... Details?

Selected as Final Project in Ministry of Gender Equality and Family's Youth Participation Activation Contest with 39 Million KRW Funding... Efforts to Promote Youth Practical Participation through Agenda Discovery, Policy Forums and Voting, and Policy Proposal Meetings

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Dongjak-gu (Mayor Changwoo Lee) announced on the 7th that it was finally selected in the ‘Youth Participation Activity Activation Project’ contest hosted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on the 2nd.

This contest was prepared to enhance the capacity for youth to grow as democratic citizens by taking an interest in local issues as the main agents of policy, discovering and implementing policy agendas on their own.

Following the selection, the district will invest a total project cost of 39 million KRW from May to November to promote the ‘Dongjak-gu Youth Participation Activity Activation Model Project.’

The main contents of the project include ▲forming the ‘Dongjak-gu Youth Policy Participation Mentor Group D+’ in connection with six experts in youth participation and policy fields ▲operating policy workshops for ‘Dongjak-gu Youth Participation Activity Education’ ▲holding ‘Policy Festivals and Policy Forums’ in which all youth can participate.

Additionally, ▲sharing local community problem cases and discovering agendas through mentor group matching and coaching ▲conducting ‘Policy Voting’ that any Dongjak-gu youth can participate in both online and offline ▲carrying out ‘Implementation Activities’ for the decided policy agendas.

By promoting this project, the district aims to provide an experience of democratic participation processes where any youth in Dongjak-gu, not just a limited few, can participate and exercise decision-making power, thereby establishing youth autonomy and ultimately realizing participatory democracy by youth.

First, within this month, the district will plan and discuss project guidance and promotion with the Dongjak-gu Youth Council, schools, and related organizations, as well as ways to utilize local resources of the Dongjak-gu Youth Council, and recruit youth participants together with the Boramae Youth Center.

Furthermore, starting early next month with the orientation ‘Welcome, Is This Your First Time in Dongjak-gu?’ for youth participation activities and the ‘Donggeurami Policy Workshop,’ the schedule includes ▲June: agenda discovery ▲September to October: ‘Time to Change Dongjak-gu’ policy forum and voting open to all Dongjak-gu youth ▲November: ‘Say Dongjak, Play Dongjak’ mobile Dongjak-gu youth policy proposal meeting.

Jooil Park, Director of the Child and Youth Division, said, “With this contest selection, we will promote a Dongjak-gu-specific youth participation activity activation project reflecting regional characteristics to guarantee substantive participation rather than formal participation in youth policy,” and added, “We will continue to listen to the voices of youth and promote various projects to enhance their rights.”