[Seoul District News] Sending Peace Wishes to Ukraine through Letters and Expressing Unspoken Feelings to Neighbors... Mapo-gu Offers 52 Free Programs Including Music and Yoga, Plus 10 Learning Practice Projects... Gwanak-gu Runs ‘2022 Youth Gardening Class’... Geumcheon-gu Conducts ‘Youth-Related Agencies Joint Outreach Geumcheon Check-in!’
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Dobong-gu (Mayor Lee Dong-jin) held an awards ceremony on the 11th at the Seoninbong Hall of the district office for the 'National Letter Writing Contest' commemorating the opening of the Letter Literature Museum, hosted by Dobong-gu and organized by the Dobong Cultural Center.
The ceremony included a judging review by Son Soon-ja, Chairperson of the Seoul Branch of the Korea Letter Family Association, congratulatory speeches by Lee Dong-jin, Mayor of Dobong-gu, and Kim Hyun-dae, CEO of Hankyoreh, followed by commemorative photos with the awardees.
The National Letter Writing Contest was based on a business agreement between Dobong-gu and Hankyoreh, themed around 'Family Month' and 'Peace for Ukraine,' with submissions accepted from May 16 to May 23 for a total of eight days.
A total of 888 works were submitted nationwide. After judging, 47 winners were selected: 4 Grand Prize winners (Dobong-gu Mayor's Award, Hankyoreh CEO's Award), 4 Excellence Awards, 8 Merit Awards, 25 Encouragement Awards, 3 Special Awards (Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Award), and 3 Peace Prayer Awards (Ukrainian Ambassador's Award). Judging and awards were conducted across categories including lower elementary, upper elementary, middle and high school, university/general, and overall divisions.
The Grand Prize winners by category were ▲ Oh Yoon-chae, 3rd grade, Donggok Elementary School (lower elementary division) ▲ Lee Hye-rin, 4th grade, Sacheon Elementary School (upper elementary division) ▲ Kim Min-kyung, 3rd grade, Hapcheon Girls' Middle School (middle and high school division) ▲ Yang Bok-hee (university/general division), totaling four winners.
Lee Dong-jin, Mayor of Dobong-gu, said, “During the National Letter Writing Contest held in May for Family Month, many letters conveying messages of peace to Ukraine or heartfelt sentiments that had not been expressed before were submitted. I hope this somewhat slower form of letter writing provided an opportunity to reflect on those around us and the meaning of life. Congratulations to all the awardees.”
Meanwhile, the Dobong-gu Letter Literature Museum, opened on March 14 and located within the Dobong-gu Community Center, is an exhibition space where visitors can experience 'analog sensibility' and the 'value of slowness.' Here, letters left by historical figures of Dobong-gu such as democratization activist Kim Geun-tae, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Gain Kim Byung-ro, and cultural heritage collector Gansong Jeon Hyeong-pil, as well as epistolary literature and art works including 'The Sorrows of Young Werther,' can be viewed.
Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) is recruiting students for the ‘2022 Neighborhood Learning Centers Within One Step’ program in collaboration with Seoul City.
The Neighborhood Learning Center project transforms idle spaces within the community into learning spaces to support customized lifelong learning for local residents. As a neighborhood-level project, it offers the advantage that anyone can easily attend desired classes nearby.
This year, the district newly designated two centers: Hapjeong Neighborhood Learning Center (Hapjeong-dong, Mapo-gu Lifelong Learning Center) and Dasi Learning Neighborhood Learning Center (Seogyo-dong, Dasi Learning Institute), making a total of 10 centers offering 52 programs and 10 learning practice projects.
Various programs have been prepared targeting diverse groups including career-interrupted women, middle-aged and older adults, youth, and young adults, covering areas such as music, digital education, crafts, yoga, family communication, and local problem-solving.
Detailed program information can be found on the Mapo-gu Lifelong Learning Portal under the notices section for each Neighborhood Learning Center.
All courses are free of charge, and applications can be made by phone to each respective Neighborhood Learning Center. For further details, inquiries can be made to the centers or the Lifelong Education Team of the Mapo-gu Education Support Division.
A district official said, “Neighborhood Learning Centers are learning centers where face-to-face education, which was difficult during COVID-19, can be received nearby. We will prepare various courses so that anyone, regardless of age, can take the programs they want.”
How about finding curiosity about nature and life through touching flowers and cultivating plants, and seeking change and vitality in life tired from the long COVID-19 pandemic?
Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) will operate the '2022 Youth Horticulture Class' during the upcoming summer vacation, providing an opportunity for youth to satisfy their curiosity and enjoy time with peers.
The Youth Horticulture Class is part of the after-school education support project, where youth create horticultural works using flowers and plants on Saturdays or during vacations when they do not attend school.
Targeting local youth aged 10 to 13 (grades 3 to 6 in elementary school), from July 2 to 30, every Saturday, under the guidance of professional instructors, participants will create various horticultural works such as flower baskets, recycled material pots, wreaths, and centerpieces.
Since its inception in 2013, the program has been highly praised for allowing youth to engage in nature-based activities, learning respect for life, consideration for others, and a sense of accomplishment through completing works.
Last year, classes were held online due to COVID-19, but this year, face-to-face classes are planned. The lectures will be conducted by a certified florist with many years of experience at the practice site located in Haengun-dong (Violes Flower Cafe, 1-minute walk from Nakseongdae Station Exit 5).
Each course consists of five sessions, with morning classes starting at 10 a.m. and afternoon classes at 2 p.m., each lasting two hours.
The material fee is 10,000 KRW, and socially disadvantaged youth can participate free of charge. Students wishing to participate can apply through the Gwanak-gu Office website by 6 p.m. on June 21. Certificates of completion will be awarded to students who complete the course.
For more detailed information about the education, inquiries can be made to the Education Support Division of the district.
Park Jun-hee, Mayor of Gwanak-gu, said, “I hope this program, where youth can touch flowers and plants and create horticultural works, will provide healing to youth exhausted by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. We will continue to develop and support various after-school education programs to provide opportunities for career exploration and self-development for students dreaming of the future.”
Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) conducted the ‘Youth-related Agencies Joint Outreach Geumcheon Check-in!’ on the afternoon of the 9th, focusing on youth-dense areas around Geumbit Park.
Outreach refers to a project that provides counseling services by visiting places where youth can be found.
This joint outreach was organized by the ‘Geumcheon-gu Out-of-School Youth Network,’ centered on the Geumcheon-gu Youth Counseling Welfare Center and Youth Support Center, to discover out-of-school youth and youth in crisis in the area and provide various youth services.
Six organizations participated: the District Office’s Child and Youth Division, Geumcheon Police Station’s Women and Youth Division, Geumcheon-gu Youth Counseling Welfare Center and Youth Support Center (Dream), Seoul Metropolitan Youth Mobile Shelter (Northeast District), Bethel Holy Family Counseling Center, and Geumcheon Education Welfare Center.
Activities included patrol outreach visiting youth directly, a street campaign to prevent youth violence, a four-panel comic on sexual violence prevention concerns, and creating support fences to prevent cyber violence, operating five booths in total.
About 150 youth participated, enhancing their capacity to prevent various crisis issues such as school violence, cyber violence, and sexual violence, and raising awareness of youth protection and welfare services within the community.
Yoo Sung-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, “We will continue outreach efforts to ensure out-of-school and youth in crisis are not left in blind spots. We will spare no effort in supporting out-of-school youth so they can have dreams and confidently plan their lives.”
Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) is recruiting young club members to participate in the ‘Youth Club Planning Support Project.’
The ‘Youth Club Planning Support Project’ (hereafter ‘Cheongdonggi’) is a program that supports club activities such as providing activity spaces and instructor fees at the Seoul Youth Center Eunpyeong Orang.
Selected as part of the 2022 Seoul Youth Policy Governance Activation Project, the 5th Eunpyeong Youth Network proposed this project to increase youth participation in the local community through direct planning and operation of clubs.
Applicants must be youth aged 19 to 39 and can apply by accessing the QR code on the information poster by June 24.
Through a public contest held in April, clubs by field and group leaders were selected, and in May, education on club planning and operation was conducted.
The clubs participating in ‘Cheongdonggi’ include 12 groups: ▲ Dance (Dance Burakri) ▲ Less Popular Sports (SPORTS COLUMBUS) ▲ Yoga (MINE Yoga) ▲ Volunteer (Naeyeobong - Volunteer Group Opening Tomorrow) ▲ Other Instrumental Music (Giyeon) ▲ Film Production (Deia X Makina) ▲ Knitting (Euncheong Tteubam - Eunpyeong Youth’s Hot Knitting Night) ▲ Play Reading (Idalhee - Play of the Month) ▲ Pet Community (Petmily: Strange Family) ▲ Reading (Story Hunter) ▲ Soccer (Eunpyeong Silver Bullet FC) ▲ Band (Black Coffee). These clubs will be actively engaged mainly in the Eunpyeong area until the end of the year. A club fair combined with a performance sharing event is planned at year-end.
For more details, inquiries can be made to Eunpyeong Orang.
An Eunpyeong-gu official said, “We expect many groups with active communication and exchange through Cheongdonggi to bring healthy energy to the local community. We will continue to listen carefully to what youth need and incorporate it into youth support policies.”
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