[Seoul District News] Seongdong-gu Youth Support Center Opens Youth Shared Space ‘Cheonggonggong’... Seodaemun-gu Builds Non-Face-to-Face Counseling System Using Video and Text to Meet Growing Demand, Comprising Six Spaces Including Annaesup, Sangsupsup, Ganguisup, Moimsup, Kkumdeulim, and Healing Sup... Dongdaemun-gu Begins Full-Scale Production of ‘Bokji Nurinet’ Created by Public and Private Sectors... Dongjak-gu Holds Admission Information and Customized Strategy Consulting with Current Teachers from University Admission Guidance Team for 2023 Early Admission... Yongsan-gu, 2022 Summer Vacation Prog...
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) opened a shared space for youth called ‘Cheonggonggong’ at the Seongdong-gu Youth Support Center on the 7th of this month.
‘Cheonggonggong’ is a shared space for single-person youth households. It features a spacious cooking counter where food can be prepared and a dining table where multiple people can share meals, creating a shared kitchen. Additionally, laptops are provided at each wall desk for free use.
Since it is a comfortable space where anyone can come to relax and chat, substantial programs for youth are also operated.
Programs such as ‘Eco-friendly Food Farmer Experience’ and ‘Developing My Own Recipe’ are promoted, where young chefs participate in food experience activities and challenge themselves to make healthy food together. In September this year, a ‘Single-Person Household Sharing Festival’ planned and participated in by youth will also be held.
The district transformed an empty space within the Seongdong-gu Youth Support Center (located in Haengdang-dong) into a place where youth can enjoy together through the Seoul City ‘Youth Single-Person Household Sharing Project.’
As the number of single-person households continues to increase (Seongdong-gu single-person household status: 58,352 people (43.37% of total), as of the end of March 2022), the number of youth single-person households has also increased, and efforts have been made to form their social networks and support various lifestyles.
Furthermore, by operating a youth single-person household sharing network, the district is expanding living infrastructure for youth single-person households, actively supporting their settlement in the area, operating public forums related to youth single-person households to discuss various measures for building their social safety nets, and plans to develop the shared space into a youth haven where youth share and enjoy a better life.
Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “We have prepared a shared space to support and encourage the younger generation,” adding, “As the number of youth single-person households increases, social networks and community connectivity become more important, so we will continue to spare no support for youth welfare.”
Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Seong-heon), through the Seodaemun-gu Youth Counseling Welfare Center (Center Director Han Gwi-young), which it operates on consignment, opened the nation’s first metaverse counseling space for youth and residents called ‘Seodaemun Dream Forest’ on the 11th.
The center created this in collaboration with ‘Gamseong Playground,’ a metaverse construction company, in response to the increasing demand for non-face-to-face counseling using video and text.
‘Seodaemun Dream Forest’ is designed with the concept of forest and beach to provide rest for youth and local residents tired of daily life.
The space consists of six areas: ▲‘Guide Forest’ containing information on how to use the metaverse and the Youth Counseling Welfare Center ▲‘Counseling Forest’ for 1:1 counseling and psychological testing ▲‘Lecture Forest’ for large-scale lectures ▲‘Meeting Forest’ for various small group meetings ▲‘Dream Dream’ for out-of-school youth ▲‘Healing Forest,’ designed with a travel concept that even plays the sound of waves.
Through this, it provides emotional counseling tailored to visitors’ tendencies and situations, as well as services for stress relief and healing.
Anyone can access it anytime and anywhere by clicking the metaverse icon on the center’s homepage. However, for 1:1 counseling, a prior appointment with a counselor is required.
An opening event is also planned. From the 11th to the 27th of this month, visitors who leave their name and a verification photo in ‘Seodaemun Dream Forest’ will be entered into a draw to receive various prizes such as water park tickets.
Lee Seong-heon, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, said, “Many youth inside and outside of school who are accustomed to chatting are expected to receive counseling more comfortably in a virtual space and gain useful information.”
Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) held a planning meeting on the 6th with 23 private welfare institution officials to produce a promotional video as the Dongdaemun-gu Welfare Information Sharing Platform, known as ‘Nurinette,’ officially enters production.
‘Nurinette’ is a welfare information sharing platform built to provide residents with welfare policies operated by the district as well as welfare systems and programs run by private welfare facilities, led by the Dongdaemun-gu Community Social Security Council (Public Chairpersons Lee Pil-hyung, Kim Beom-seop), a public-private cooperation organization.
The Dongdaemun-gu Community Social Security Council participated in the Seoul City Citizen Participation Budget last year to build ‘Nurinette.’ The project was finalized in December last year, and in June this year, a platform construction service provider was selected through a proposal evaluation committee, bringing the platform closer to operation. The welfare information sharing platform ‘Nurinette’ is scheduled to start service in October.
‘Nurinette’ will be built as a content management system (CMS) that allows private welfare institutions to update welfare services, programs, and events anytime and anywhere with administrator rights. It will also provide an environment for producing newsletters to share welfare information, news, and events, and regularly deliver information to residents who want it via KakaoTalk or email.
Along with this, promotional videos introducing facility information, programs, and welfare resources of various welfare service providers ranging from large comprehensive welfare centers to small-scale welfare facilities will be posted.
To this end, a demand survey was conducted in June for institutions wishing to produce and post introduction videos. On the 6th, 23 private welfare institution officials gathered to introduce their institutions’ characteristics and services and programs offered, followed by an idea meeting for effective promotional video production. Diverse and fresh ideas such as inserting sign language or voice narration and using drones for aerial photography were proposed, raising expectations for the completed videos.
Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, said, “Thanks to the many good ideas from the officials who gathered to produce promotional videos for each institution, effective promotional videos that allow a comprehensive understanding of Dongdaemun-gu welfare services will be produced,” adding, “We will do our best to ensure the smooth production and operation of ‘Welfare Nurinette.’”
Dongjak-gu (Mayor Park Il-ha) will hold ‘2023 Academic Year Early Admission Customized 1:1 College Entrance Consulting.’
The district will provide free 1:1 consulting for about 120 college entrance examinees and parents, offering admission information to help design early admission strategies for each student before the September early application period.
To encourage participation, consulting days are scheduled on weekdays and weekends: ▲August 19 at 6 p.m. ▲August 20 at 10 a.m., held at the 5th-floor auditorium of Dongjak-gu Office with about 10 current teachers from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education’s College Admission Guidance Team.
This year, with eased quarantine guidelines, participants can choose between face-to-face and non-face-to-face (video) counseling. Based on school records and counseling basic data, customized counseling about 40 minutes long will be conducted covering ▲early admission by school ▲strategies for applying to desired universities.
Prior to this, participants will be recruited on a first-come, first-served basis via the Dongjak-gu Office website from August 18 to 29. If the number of applicants exceeds capacity, waiting numbers will be assigned, and final selection results will be individually notified on August 5. For more details, contact the Education Policy Division.
Jung Jong-rok, head of the Education Policy Division, said, “We will strive to provide admission strategies tailored to changes in college entrance exams for students worried about their future,” adding, “We hope many examinees and parents participate.”
Yongsan-gu (Mayor Park Hee-young) will open summer vacation programs linked with local facilities to help elementary, middle, and high school students in the area spend their summer vacation meaningfully in 2022.
The programs include ▲Creative Science Camp ▲Yongam Base English Experience Center Summer Special Lectures ▲Educational Film Reading with the Village.
The Creative Science Camp is themed on aerospace, the future stage for children, and proceeds through understanding scientific principles, experiments, discussions, and presentations. Online registration for elementary students in grades 4 to 6 residing in Yongsan-gu started on July 5 and was filled within two days with 50 spots on a first-come, first-served basis.
The classes will be held from August 1 to 5, from 9:30 a.m. for three hours, at the Yongsan Art Hall Cultural Lecture Room and Lifelong Learning Center Lecture Room. A professional instructor from Ewha Womans University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation will teach. Tuition is free; material costs are 60,000 KRW.
The summer special lectures at the Yongam Base English Experience Center (39 Noksapyeong-daero 60-gil) will be held for 120 elementary students in grades 1 to 6 residing in the district. The first session (6 classes) runs from July 25 to 29 in the center’s classrooms, and the second session (6 classes) from August 1 to 5 will be conducted as real-time interactive remote classes.
Each class has a capacity of 10 students, with beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Tuition is 20,000 KRW. Registration is from July 11 to 13, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., on a first-come, first-served basis via the Seoul Yongam Elementary School website under English Experience Center notices.
‘Educational Film Reading with the Village’ is part of the Yongsan Innovation Education District project, where participants watch films while enjoying free snacks and then listen to expert commentary.
It consists of ▲Elementary Film Reading ▲Middle and High School Film Reading and Career Lectures ▲Conversations with Educational Film Directors. Registration is by phone to the National Film Education Research Association from July 9 until full.
Elementary Film Reading is held at the theater inside the Yongsan Dream Tree Complex for 150 elementary students in the area. It runs on August 8, 9, 16, and 19 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., screening films such as The Garden of Insects (2021), Gorilla Star (2020), and Sune vs Sune (2018).
Middle and High School Film Reading is held at Yongsan CGV Theater 18 for 126 middle and high school students in the area on August 11 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., screening King Richard (2022).
For 30 teachers and parents, conversations with directors Kang Ji-hyo and Go Han-beol will be held on August 26 and September 2 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at SseuroNet (255 Hangang-daero).
Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “We prepared programs so that students can have various experiences during summer vacation,” adding, “I hope all participating students will remember this vacation as the most rewarding and enjoyable.”
Jongno-gu (Mayor Jung Moon-heon) will hold the ‘22nd Jongno National Youth Gugak Competition’ to contribute to the succession and development of traditional cultural arts and to discover the pillars of Gugak (Korean traditional music) that will carry on our traditional sounds.
The competition, held on July 16 and 17 at the Changsin Art Hall in the Jongno-gu Community Center (7-5 Jibong-ro 5-gil), is the first face-to-face event in three years since the COVID-19 outbreak. It has been carefully prepared so that youth nationwide who love Gugak can fully showcase their skills on stage.
The competition categories include ▲Vocal (folk songs, Jeongga, Pansori, Gayageum Byeongchang, Songseoyulchang) ▲Instrumental (Piri, Daegeum, Haegeum, Gayageum, Geomungo, Ajaeng) ▲Percussion (shamanistic rhythms, creative percussion, traditional percussion) ▲Korean dance (traditional, creative) ▲Elementary group (ensemble, orchestra, Daechwita).
Any youth under 19 years old enrolled in elementary, middle, or high school and holding South Korean nationality can participate.
The competition proceeds with preliminaries on the 16th at 10 a.m., followed by finals and the final round on the 17th at 10 a.m. Those wishing to participate can download the application form from the Gugak Competition website and submit it via email to the person in charge by 6 p.m. on July 12.
For more details, refer to the Jongno Cultural Center or the Gugak Competition website, or contact the Jongno National Youth Gugak Competition Secretariat.
The district plans to award the Grand Prize for the high school division (Speaker of the National Assembly Award), middle school division (Minister of Education Award), and elementary division (Seoul Mayor Award), as well as awards for instructors who have nurtured outstanding talents.
Jung Moon-heon, Mayor of Jongno-gu, said, “We will strive to globalize and normalize Gugak by utilizing the rich historical and cultural resources of our region,” adding, “I hope our youth take pride and continue to participate in the development of Gugak, which embodies the spirit of our ancestors and national history. It will be a meaningful time for next-generation Gugak artists to blossom their artistic spirit through harmony and competition.”
◆Jongno-gu Personnel
Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) is operating childbirth classes and baby massage programs in the third quarter of this year to support happy childbirth and childcare, and is recruiting participants until the 15th.
The ‘Happy Childbirth Class’ is a program designed to help prepare for the birth of a healthy baby by understanding the entire process from pregnancy to postpartum care.
It is operated for 20 pregnant women between 20 and 36 weeks of pregnancy in the district, from July 18 to 29, every Tuesday and Thursday for a total of 4 sessions. The program includes ‘First Steps to Becoming a Parent’ and ‘Newborn Care’ to think about the role of parents and the meaning of parenting, ‘Delivery Rehearsal’ to understand cesarean and natural delivery, ‘Breastfeeding Success Solutions’ to anticipate possible breastfeeding issues, and ‘Postpartum Health Management’ including postpartum depression care.
‘Mom and Baby Health UP’ is a program that helps baby growth and development through massage filled with parental love and fosters bonding between mother and child through physical contact, supporting the baby’s physical and mental health.
It is operated for 20 parents of infants aged 3 to 12 months in the district, on July 22 and 29 for a total of 2 sessions, covering baby massage methods and how to handle baby crying, among other helpful newborn childcare topics.
Applications for both ‘Happy Childbirth Class’ and ‘Mom and Baby Health UP’ can be made via email from July 8 to 15, with 20 spots each on a first-come, first-served basis.
The programs are conducted as real-time remote video classes so that participants can comfortably attend from home, and participation is completely free. For more details, contact the Health Management Division of the Public Health Center.
Kim Kyung-ho, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, “We hope these programs help increase understanding of childbirth and childcare and contribute to healthy families for both babies and parents,” adding, “We will continue to promote various programs to overcome low birth rates and make Gwangjin-gu a good place to have and raise children.”
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