[Seoul District News] Gangnam-gu Equips Age-Specific Play Facilities Including Rotating Rides and Role-Play Zones, Deploys 6 Safety Childcare Teachers... Dobong-gu Opens Public Indoor Playground 'Orbongnaeribong' on B1 of Dobong-gu Office on 22nd... Seocho-gu Provides Sharing Instruments and Education Support for Youth... Jungnang-gu Hosts Animation Cello Festival ‘Disney VS Ghibli’ Performance... Recruiting for ‘1st Yangcheon-gu Youth Participatory Budget Group’... Eunpyeong-gu Seeks 250 Participants for Youth Challenge Support Project... Yeongdeungpo-gu Recruiting Social Venture Teams
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangnam-gu (District Mayor Jung Soon-gyun) opened its third public indoor playground in Irwon-dong on the 23rd, following the Dogok-dong Mimi Week Clean Playground (2019) and Segok Children's Indoor Playground (2021).
The Irwon Children's Indoor Playground covers an area of 693㎡ and consists of play facilities such as a rotating playground and role-playing zone, as well as rest and community spaces for parents.
The playground is intended for preschool children accompanied by guardians, and customized play equipment suitable for different developmental stages has been installed to differentiate it from existing indoor playgrounds. It operates three times daily for two hours each session, and six staff members, including certified childcare teachers, are assigned for safety management. The usage fee is 1,000 KRW per person, and reservations can be made through the Gangnam-gu Office website.
Jung Soon-gyun, Mayor of Gangnam-gu, stated, “Based on a survey conducted last year during the 7th term of the civil administration, Gangnam-gu plans to expand the number of public indoor playgrounds to seven by 2026 to meet the top demand of residents for expanding play and experience spaces for infants and toddlers.” He added, “We hope that the Irwon-dong indoor playground, the third in Gangnam-gu following Dogok-dong and Segok-dong, will become a safe and beneficial play space for children in the Gaepo, Irwon, and Suseo areas.”
He also said, “We will continue to expand play spaces where children can happily run and play, completing Gangnam as a child-friendly childcare city.”
Dobong-gu (District Mayor Lee Dong-jin) opened its second public indoor playground, 'Oreubong Naeribong,' on the 22nd in the basement level 1 of Dobong-gu Office (656 Madeul-ro, Dobong-gu).
At the opening ceremony held on the same day, Lee Dong-jin, Dobong-gu Mayor, members of the Dobong-gu Council, and the Dobong-gu Public Indoor Playground Public-Private Promotion Committee attended, with ribbon-cutting and rounds conducted.
The Oreubong Naeribong indoor playground is located on the basement level 1 of the district office for easy access by residents, built as a two-story structure with a total floor area of 231.07㎡. Inside, there are nine 'physical play spaces' that support healthy growth of children and four 'digital play spaces' that foster creativity.
The 'physical play spaces' include ▲Stone Bridge Challenge ▲Wobbly Net Bridge ▲Spinning Slide ▲Ttukttakttuk Dobong Village (block play) ▲Spinning Squirrel Tunnel ▲Dobongsan Vertical Maze ▲Winding Bush Bong ▲Spinning Slide ▲Log Stepping Stones.
The 'digital play spaces' consist of ▲Doraki Sports Play ▲Digital Sketchbook ▲Digital Bell Ringing ▲Dorumi Hot Air Balloon. Notably, the digital play spaces feature interactive play equipment using motion recognition sensors to enhance children's agility and spatial awareness.
The playground is for children aged 3 to 8 accompanied by guardians and operates three times a day from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM every Tuesday to Saturday (excluding holidays). Reservations must be made in advance through the Dobong-gu Office website, and usage is free of charge.
Meanwhile, Oreubong Naeribong is the second public indoor playground in Dobong-gu, following the first 'Forest Cruise Ddudu' (located at 38 Haedeung-ro 4-gil, Dobong-gu, inside Choaansan Ecological Park), established in 2020. 'Forest Cruise Ddudu' also operates three times daily from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM every Tuesday to Saturday (excluding holidays), with prior reservation required via the district website.
Lee Dong-jin, Mayor of Dobong-gu, said, “We have introduced the public indoor playground at the district office following the Forest Cruise to allow children to play safely with their parents without restrictions from fine dust. We hope residents will visit the nearby district office and enjoy a pleasant time without having to travel far.” Dobong-gu Education Support Division, Education Planning Team
Seocho-gu is promoting the ‘2022 Seocho Music Dream Tree Instrument Sharing Project,’ which collects unused or broken musical instruments, repairs and tunes them, and then provides them to culturally marginalized youth, supporting their music education.
This project has been promoted by the district since 2020 to lower the barrier to learning classical instruments and provide opportunities for artistic activities to youth interested in classical music but lacking chances to learn instruments.
First, the district collects unused instruments from households until April 16. The target instruments are string instruments (violin, viola, cello, etc.), and applications can be made online or by phone at the Seoripul Youth Art Center.
The donated instruments are repaired and maintained by master craftsmen at instrument workshops in Seoripul Instrument Street (Seocho Music Culture District). All instruments will be disinfected around July for COVID-19 prevention before being delivered to culturally marginalized youth.
After receiving the instruments, the youth will receive instrument lessons from members of the Seocho Symphony Orchestra for four months from August to November. The district plans to hold the Seocho Music Dream Tree concert to provide an opportunity for the youth to showcase their practiced skills.
Over the past two years, the district has collected a total of 108 instruments and delivered them to 100 culturally marginalized youth in the region, receiving great support from youth and parents.
Last year, a participant named Jang Amu-gae (14, resident of Seocho-dong) said, “I was glad to receive a violin that I had only felt distant from before and to learn systematically from experts. I also enjoyed playing ensemble with others, so I looked forward to the lessons.”
A district official said, “This project combines citizens’ ‘sharing’ by donating instruments, ‘talent donation’ by craftsmen and performers in the classical instrument street, and the ‘culturally vulnerable youth’ who benefit, establishing a model of cultural and artistic public service.”
Additionally, the district plans to collaborate with young artists with developmental disabilities affiliated with the Seocho-gu Hanuri Information Culture Center to transform instruments that are difficult to repair into artworks and hold a traveling instrument exhibition. The exhibition schedule starts at the Banpo Library in May-June, followed by Yangjae Library in July-August, and Naegok Library from September to November.
Cheon Jeong-wook, Acting Mayor of Seocho-gu, said, “We will continue to make efforts to provide youth, the future leaders, with diverse opportunities to experience classical instruments and instill a musical DNA.”
Jungnang-gu (District Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi) announced that it will hold the 'Animation Cello Festival,' a family-friendly event to enjoy together for the new semester, on March 25 at the Jungnang-gu Office auditorium, hosted by the Jungnang Cultural Foundation.
Under the theme ‘Disney vs Ghibli,’ this performance will add the excitement of spring and feature cellist Jang Woo-ri leading a group of 10 Arts cellists, percussionist Kim Seung-su, oboist Kang Da-hae, and trumpeter Choi Moon-gyu, delivering a high-quality stage.
The first part begins with beloved Disney classics from various generations, guiding the audience through familiar animation music worlds, including OSTs from ‘The Lion King,’ ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ ‘The Little Mermaid,’ and the globally popular ‘Frozen 2’ with ‘Into the Unknown.’
The second part features Ghibli music known for its lyrical and warm emotions, including OSTs from ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service,’ ‘Spirited Away,’ and ‘Princess Mononoke,’ culminating with ‘Merry-Go-Round of Life’ from ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ as the finale.
This performance is especially notable for being played in a cello ensemble version, rarely accessible, inviting the audience into a warmer and more emotional world of childhood innocence.
The concert is free, and viewing is available only to those who make advance reservations through the Jungnang-gu Office or Jungnang Cultural Foundation websites.
Ryu Kyung-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, said, “We hope this Animation Cello Festival will soothe tired hearts and provide a happy time for the whole family during the spring days.”
Yangcheon-gu (District Mayor Kim Soo-young) is recruiting youth to participate in the 1st Yangcheon-gu Youth Participatory Budget Committee until April 8.
The Youth Participatory Budget Committee is a body where youth participate in the budget formulation process of Yangcheon-gu by directly proposing, reviewing, and selecting necessary policies. It was planned to expand youth budget participation rights. To this end, the district enacted the ordinance on the formation and operation of the Yangcheon-gu Youth Participatory Budget Committee last year.
Applicants must be youth aged 9 to 24 who reside in Yangcheon-gu or attend school, use, or work at child and youth institutions (organizations) or workplaces in the area (up to 20 people).
Appointed committee members will participate for one year from May this year to April 2023 in activities such as selecting directions and scopes of youth participatory budget projects, holding discussions and meetings to gather youth opinions, and participating in subcommittees of the Yangcheon-gu Resident Participatory Budget Deliberation Committee.
Applications are accepted until April 8. Interested youth can download the application form from the district office website’s public notice board, fill it out, and submit it via email to the person in charge. The district will announce the final selection results on April 15 on the website and notify applicants individually.
For more details about the 1st Yangcheon-gu Youth Participatory Budget Committee recruitment, contact the Planning and Budget Division.
Kim Soo-young, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, said, “We will actively support the Youth Participatory Budget Committee activities so that the voices of our youth, the future of the region, can be reflected in next year’s Yangcheon-gu budget,” and added, “We encourage many interested youth in Yangcheon-gu to apply.”
Eunpyeong-gu (District Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) will recruit 250 youth residents of Eunpyeong-gu to participate in the ‘2022 Youth Challenge Support Project’ starting April 4.
Eligible participants are unemployed youth aged 18 to 34 residing in Eunpyeong-gu who have given up job seeking and have no history of employment, education, or vocational training participation for six months.
The ‘Youth Challenge Support Project’ proactively identifies youth who have given up job seeking and supports their entry into the labor market through various employment support programs. Participating youth will receive mentoring education including intensive counseling, interview support, and expert consultations over 40 hours in four weeks.
Additionally, youth who complete the program will receive a 200,000 KRW incentive, and support linked to the National Employment Support System such as individual employment activity plans (IAP), Worknet job registration, and vocational training will be provided. Employment promotion subsidies will also be available upon employment.
Those wishing to participate can apply online via the Youth Challenge Support Project website or in person at the Seoul Youth Center Eunpyeong Orang. Final candidates will be selected after up to two weeks of qualification screening.
A district official said, “Eunpyeong Orang was selected as the best institution in the ‘2021 Youth Challenge Support Project Ministry of Employment and Labor Performance Evaluation,’ and this year we are fully prepared to provide even better programs for youth. We look forward to many interested youth participating.”
For more information, contact the Seoul Youth Center Eunpyeong Orang.
Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Chae Hyun-il) is seeking to discover ‘Local Problem-Solving Social Venture Teams’ to solve regional issues with residents’ creative and innovative ideas and realize social economy in daily life.
The main goal is to foster social venture teams centered on residents who know the region best, promote regional development, and support them to grow into excellent social economy entities that generate profits and realize social value, thereby establishing a sustainable social enterprise ecosystem.
The ‘Local Problem-Solving Social Venture Teams’ are teams of two or more residents or those whose main activity base is Yeongdeungpo-gu, who have startup ideas to solve local problems and a continuous willingness to engage.
The district enables social venture teams to experience social economy through the problem-solving process and helps them become self-reliant social enterprises through various support.
Support includes ▲startup funds such as business model development costs ▲continuous mentoring during the startup process including homeroom mentoring and specialized mentoring in management and business items ▲social economy education ▲linkage with local communities and private resources.
Additionally, a startup support institution (Antenna Co., Ltd.) equipped with infrastructure to nurture social entrepreneurs provides continuous and professional startup incubating services. From April, the district will systematically support the entire startup process of social venture teams for nine months.
Applicants must not have started a business or must be within three years of startup as of the application deadline. If the same startup idea has received cash startup support from public institutions’ startup support projects and the support period overlaps with other projects, the application may be excluded.
Teams wishing to participate should submit required documents including application form, business plan, and budget composition table by email by April 3.
The district will select five teams after document and face-to-face evaluations with the startup support institution, comprehensively assessing social mission, social entrepreneur qualities, and startup items.
For more details, check the Yeongdeungpo-gu Office website under ‘Our District News’ or contact Antenna Co., Ltd. or the district’s Social Economy Division.
Chae Hyun-il, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, said, “We hope that residents’ startup ideas combined with systematic support from administration and startup support institutions will be a stepping stone to becoming successful social entrepreneurs. We ask for the interest and participation of residents who will solve local issues with innovative ideas and help make Yeongdeungpo a better place to live.”
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