Gwangju Youth Counseling and Welfare Center Receives Prime Minister's Institutional Commendation

Recognition of Support Achievements for At-Risk Youth and Social Safety Nets

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] The Gwangju Metropolitan City Youth Counseling and Welfare Center received the Prime Minister's Institutional Commendation on the 26th at the Seoul Post Tower, where the 18th Korea Youth Expo was held.

This commendation is a government award given to institutions recognized for their contributions to youth development and protection in 2022, in celebration of Youth Month in May. The center was honored for its achievements in supporting at-risk youth and the youth social safety net.

The center, a specialized youth counseling institution, was established in 1990 as the first of its kind nationwide and has been operating for 33 years.

It played a significant role in expanding the Youth Counseling and Welfare Centers to 239 locations.

For these contributions, it has received the Minister of Culture and Tourism Commendation three times, ranked first nationwide in satisfaction evaluations for the Youth Companion Service, received the Minister of Gender Equality and Family Commendation seven times, the Minister of Education Commendation once, as well as over 20 awards including from the Korea Youth Counseling and Welfare Institute Director and the Gwangju Metropolitan City Superintendent of Education.

Additionally, it operated pilot projects such as the Youth Companion, Internet Smartphone Healing Camp, and Out-of-School Youth Support Project, setting an example for operating institutions.

In particular, it established a youth safety net involving the local community, preparing an emergency response system for crisis situations and cases such as disasters occurring locally, the spread of COVID-19, school violence, abuse, self-harm, and suicide, thereby supporting youth.

Moreover, through discovering and linking various local community resources, it built a social safety net supporting at-risk youth with psychological counseling, academic and educational support, medical and welfare support, and cultural and emotional support. Even during the COVID-19 situation, it conducted video counseling, non-face-to-face group counseling, and online parent education, receiving great responses from youth and parents.

Gwak Hyunmi, Director of the Women's and Family Bureau of the city, said, “It is thanks to the passion and efforts of 58 youth counselors that we achieved the honor of receiving this major award. It is even more meaningful as it is the result of 33 years of efforts for the recovery and growth of local youth, and we will continue to actively support youth counseling and welfare services.”

The Youth Counseling and Welfare Center, commissioned and operated by Gwangju City, runs the ‘Help Call! Youth Hotline 1388’ 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, providing counseling and support services in various fields including youth academic and career issues, parent-child relationships, school violence, runaway youth, internet and smartphone overdependence, and delinquency.