Geumcheon-gu Holds '100-Person Resident Roundtable Discussion' to Create Child-Friendly City

[Seoul District News] Geumcheon-gu to Hold Roundtable on UNICEF's 6 Rights Areas with 70 Students and 30 Guardians on August 2 at 2 PM as Basis for Child-Friendly City Strategy... Yongsan-gu Operates 2022 Children's Ecological Education... Dongjak-gu's Sadang Integrated Neighborhood Care Center Opens on 11th... Gangbuk-gu Opens Attic 'Bbalraegol Youth Space Morak'... Gwanak-gu's 'Children's Startup Incubating Education'... Yangcheon-gu Runs 'Jinhak Compass' for Youth... Gang

Resident Discussion Meeting Held in August 2018

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) will hold a '100-Person Roundtable Discussion with Resident Participation' at 2 p.m. on August 2nd in the main auditorium of Geumcheon-gu Office to create a child-friendly city where children are happy and respected.

The roundtable discussion will be conducted in six areas necessary for creating a child-friendly city: ▲Play and Leisure ▲Participation and Civic Awareness ▲Safety and Protection ▲Health and Social Services ▲Educational Environment ▲Residential Environment.

In particular, based on the results of the child-friendly city survey conducted last December, topics requiring improvement in each area will be derived in the form of 'Experience + Solutions' and discussed intensively.

Participants will be recruited on a first-come, first-served basis until July 26. The target participants are 100 people in total: 70 children from 1st grade elementary to 3rd grade high school who are registered residents of Geumcheon-gu or attending schools in Geumcheon-gu, and 30 guardians and child facility personnel.

Residents wishing to participate can download the application form from the announcement section on the Geumcheon-gu Office website and apply via email, fax, or by visiting the Child and Youth Division at the district office. The final selection results for the roundtable discussion will be individually notified on July 27.

The opinions collected at the discussion will be reviewed by the Geumcheon-gu Child-Friendly City Promotion Committee and used to establish the four-year promotion plan and select strategic projects for the child-friendly city.

Yoo Sung-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, "We will do our best to reflect the proposals from the roundtable discussion into policies so that Geumcheon-gu can become a child-friendly city," and added, "We ask for active participation in the resident participation roundtable discussion."

On the 22nd of last month, children at Seobinggo Daycare Center were decorating their faces with plants from the vegetable garden.

Yongsan-gu (Mayor Park Hee-young) is operating 'Nature, Let's Play! Garden Playground,' a tailored education program designed to help children understand carbon neutrality practices at their level.

This project aims to help children born and raised in the city understand coexistence with living things such as plants and insects in nature and eco-friendly farming without chemical fertilizers or pesticides through observing garden creatures.

The district planned a total of 32 sessions over four months (June, July, September, October), held every Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., targeting 6-7-year-old children in local daycare centers, with about 14 children per session.

The main activities include ▲Creature Observation ▲Garden Sports Day ▲Craft Activities. Creature observation takes place in the garden and pond within Yongsan Family Park. Garden Sports Day includes physical activities using natural play materials such as water carrying on lotus leaves, seed throwing, and crop rock-paper-scissors. Craft activities vary monthly according to the garden environment, including sprout growing and handkerchief dyeing.

The first class started on June 15, and last month, only three sessions were held due to rain, with about 40 children from Haenurim, Saekkum, and Seobinggo daycare centers participating.

Education sessions canceled due to heavy rain and typhoons in June and July will be prioritized in September, and canceled sessions in September and October will be rescheduled by extending the operation period until November to complete all 32 sessions smoothly.

A district official said, "Outdoor garden experiences will help children feel how to coexist with living creatures."

The district promoted 'Children's Ecological Education' to local daycare centers using the integrated childcare information system. Recruitment for July education was completed on July 3, and recruitment for September and October education will be conducted in August. Professional instructors and education operations are in collaboration with the Seoul Metropolitan Central Park Greenery Office.

Mayor Park Hee-young said, "Eco-friendly children's education, which had been conducted online due to COVID-19, is now held on-site after two years," and added, "Based on satisfaction with the education operation, we will present even more substantial children's ecological education in the future."

Dongjak-gu (Mayor Park Il-ha) will open the after-school elementary student care facility 'Sadang Integrated Our Neighborhood Care Center' (photo·Sadang-ro 20na-gil 25, 1st floor) on the 11th of this month.

'Our Neighborhood Care Center' is a public care space designed to eliminate blind spots in after-school care for elementary students, providing a safe and enjoyable place to spend time after school or between academy and returning home.

The newly opened 'Sadang Integrated Our Neighborhood Care Center' is a medium-sized facility of 259㎡, consisting of ▲Dynamic play space ▲Creative experience activity room ▲Audiovisual education room ▲Attic-style resting space. Unlike general care centers, it strengthens gap care by offering ▲free meals ▲weekday night and Saturday operations.

In particular, the integrated center director acts as a local care coordinator, adjusting and linking community care resources to complement general and hub care centers.

Care teachers reside at the center, guiding children with homework and reading activities, and support children to plan and realize activities they want through child-led PBL (Project-based learning).

Additionally, any elementary student needing care can freely rest, play, and participate in various programs such as cooking activities and board games.

The center's operating hours are ▲Weekdays during the semester from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. (inquiries required for Saturday use) ▲During vacations from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The fees are ▲Regular care 50,000 KRW per month ▲Temporary care 2,500 KRW per day.

Applications can be made through the Our Neighborhood Care Portal site, and inquiries about usage can be directed to the center.

Kim In-sook, Director of the Child and Youth Division, said, "With the establishment of a care center in Sadang area operating on weekday nights and Saturdays, we can fill care blind spots more thoroughly," and added, "We plan to expand care centers evenly by region considering elementary care demand."

Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Soon-hee) will start operating 'Bbalraegol Youth Space Morak,' created as part of the urban regeneration revitalization project in Suyu 1-dong, from the 9th.

Suyu 1-dong has been continuously promoting urban regeneration projects since 2016, and following the opening of 'Bbalraegol Living Culture Workshop' in January, 'Morak,' a space for youth, will open on the 9th.

'Morak,' a space for youth, means 'an attic where everyone enjoys gathering.' It is located at 130-5 Insu-bong-ro, Gangbuk-gu (Suyu-dong), and was built with a total floor area of 494.24㎡ spanning from basement level 1 to 5th floor.

The basement floor 1 houses a youth band practice room, the 1st floor a youth caf?, and the 2nd floor the Our Neighborhood Care Center. The 3rd floor is for youth club rooms, the 4th floor a shared kitchen, and the 5th floor offices and meeting spaces for the youth planning group.

Morak plans to run various programs such as ▲Self-directed youth activity support ▲Youth programs ▲Youth activity support supporters to promote learning and leisure activities for local youth.

The opening ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on the 9th, followed by a youth festival from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Festival participants can enjoy free music performances and food, and experience play programs such as tarot reading, part-time job counseling, board games, and woodworking.

A Morak official stated that the space will be operated through a public contribution method, with part of the net profit returned to the local community.

Lee Soon-hee, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, said, "Morak will become a safe and convenient youth care hub, resolving the lack of cultural and convenience facilities in the area," and added, "We will continue to create more spaces for youth and strive to revitalize the local community."

Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) is operating 'Children's Entrepreneurship Incubating Education' for children's entrepreneurship experience and career development.

'Children's Entrepreneurship Incubating Education' is a comprehensive educational program created through collaboration between the district and local young entrepreneurs to discover children's potential and develop creative capabilities.

The curriculum consists of 'Vision Special Lectures' with experts, 'History Special Lectures' by Seoul National University professors, and 'Entrepreneurship Education' by young entrepreneurs. It covers entrepreneurship classes such as setting business goals, item discovery, financial management, production and sales, and marketing. Entrepreneurs act as mentors to help children create and sell their own entrepreneurial products.

The education will be held 12 times from July 26 to September 17, targeting 20 elementary school students in grades 4 to 6, at the Gwanak-gu Lifelong Learning Center.

Applications can be submitted by downloading the application form from the education portal on the Gwanak-gu Office website and emailing it to the person in charge by July 20. For inquiries, contact the Lifelong Learning Team of the Education Support Division at Gwanak-gu Office.

Mayor Park Jun-hee said, "I hope this education will realize children's potential through the experiences of young people," and added, "We will take the lead in lifelong learning with various sectors in Gwanak to help children grow into excellent human resources in the region."

Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Lee Ki-jae) will recruit youth participants for the career planning counseling program 'Jinhak Compass' starting from the 11th.

'Jinhak Compass' is a program provided by the Yangcheon Career and Job Experience Support Center during the summer vacation, a critical period for career design. It offers extensive admission information through entrance exam consulting and counseling to help establish effective career plans.

The recruitment target is 24 high school students residing in Yangcheon-gu, and the program will run for three days from August 9 to 11 during summer vacation.

Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis through the integrated reservation portal on the district office website from July 11, and counseling is free of charge.

The operation method involves selected students inputting their school records and grades into an online entrance exam consulting program, which collects analysis data such as converted scores by target university, study direction, admission goals, and lacking subjects to assist in establishing acceptance strategies.

Based on this, in-depth 1:1 counseling with professional admission counselors experienced in entrance exam guidance will be provided, offering student-tailored career and admission directions reflecting current trends such as early and regular admission cross-application.

For detailed information about 'Jinhak Compass,' contact the Yangcheon Career and Job Experience Support Center.

Mayor Lee Ki-jae said, "I hope our youth, who face difficulties in establishing career plans due to complex and diverse entrance exam systems, will benefit from 'Jinhak Compass' to design careers suited to their aptitudes and talents."

Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Soo-hee) announced that it will hold the '2023 One-Stop Career and Admission Fair' both online and offline at 2 p.m. on July 8 at the Gangdong Art Center.

The district prepared the career and admission fair to provide practical help to examinees and parents in determining the 2023 admission direction amid vast information on college entrance strategies and rapidly changing educational environments.

Due to COVID-19, the fair was held online for the past two years, but this year it will be operated simultaneously online and offline to provide richer information to examinees and parents.

The '2023 College Entrance Strategy Briefing' held at the Gangdong Art Center Grand Theater will be led by Park Kwon-woo, author of the college entrance strategy bible 'Eat Watermelon and Go to College' and a top expert in the admission field.

Pre-registered participants can watch the live lecture in real-time through the integrated education portal 'Gangdong Miraeon.'

This fair will solve questions about education from middle school to high school students in one place, including the '2023 College Entrance Strategy Briefing,' and simultaneously provide 1:1 customized counseling related to university, admission, and majors.

Customized 1:1 career and admission counseling will be held in Studio #1 and the lobby, including ▲University counseling by admissions officers from 14 major universities ▲College entrance counseling by teachers from the Seoul Admission Guidance Association ▲High school entrance counseling by school type (general high school, specialized high school, autonomous private high school, specialized vocational high school) ▲Major counseling with university student mentors from over 20 departments.

Mayor Lee Soo-hee said, "I hope the 2023 Career and Admission Fair will be a meaningful opportunity that becomes an important foundation for examinees' futures," and added, "The district will continue to do its best to nurture future talents in Gangdong in line with the great transformation of education."