Yeongdeungpo Architecture School Youth United as Problem Solvers for Local Housing Environment Improvement

Yeongdeungpo Youth Architecture School Graduates Establish Youth Company 'Ttukttak Suri Cooperative' and Begin Full-Scale Activities

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Young people from Yeongdeungpo Architecture School have united as problem solvers for improving the local residential environment.

Yeongdeungpo District Office (District Mayor Chaehyun Il) announced that the youth company “Ttukttak Suri Cooperative,” formed by graduates of the Yeongdeungpo Youth Architecture School, has completed its registration and begun full-scale activities.

The Yeongdeungpo Youth Architecture School (hereafter Architecture School) is a specialized education institution established in 2018 as the first of its kind in a Seoul autonomous district, aimed at providing technical education in architecture and creating a stable foundation for young people’s livelihoods through employment and entrepreneurship linkage.

Since the establishment of the Architecture School, the district has conducted various technical training, practical exercises, and entrepreneurship education to nurture young talent in the architectural field and create jobs.

This year, especially through a city-district upward and cooperative job creation project, the district promoted the “Our Neighborhood Residential Improvement Management Company Model Establishment” project. Going beyond basic home repair construction training, the district provided full support for youth to organize and establish a youth company independently, leading to the birth of the “Ttukttak Suri Cooperative.”

The “Ttukttak Suri Cooperative” was founded by young people who completed both basic and advanced home repair courses at the Architecture School and shared the goal of solving various local housing-related issues together.

From drafting the cooperative establishment registration documents to building a business model and commercialization, through intensive consulting from the Architecture School, the cooperative completed its registration and business license in September and began activities in various residential environment improvement projects such as the senior-friendly home repair project at Yeongdeungpo Senior Welfare Center.

In particular, the youth are taking a leading role in the district’s home repair support projects for vulnerable groups. Their demand-tailored construction, considering housing types, mobility methods, and spatial suitability for vulnerable residents, has already earned high praise from the local community.

The “Ttukttak Suri Cooperative” plans not only to provide reasonable home repair and interior construction services to various social classes in the area but also to actively engage in social contribution activities through local networks. Based on these experiences, the cooperative aims to create stable jobs centered on youth and establish a foundation for their self-reliance.

Going forward, the district and the Architecture School intend to build a sustainable, community-led residential improvement management professional platform model by fostering and supporting youth companies like the “Ttukttak Suri Cooperative.”

They plan to expand business areas from home repair to comprehensive home care fields such as disinfection, pest control, and home organization, as well as eco-friendly re/upcycling fields like used furniture reform, supporting youth to grow independently across diverse sectors.

Chaehyun Il, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District, stated, “I hope the ‘Ttukttak Suri Cooperative’ will continue virtuous cycle activities that enhance the capabilities of young people aspiring to become architectural experts and improve the local residential environment, becoming a new success model for youth companies. We will do our best to discover and activate various support policies so that young people can realize their dreams and grow as key drivers of regional development.”