Creating Youth-Friendly Areas: Vision for Youth Policies in the 8th Local Government Term
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Geochang-gun, Gyeongnam Province, held a vision proclamation ceremony titled ‘Happy Geochang with Youth, Geochang Happy Because of Youth’ and presented key policies for the 8th local government term aimed at creating a youth-friendly region based on the youth policy foundation of the 7th local government term.
In particular, it is expected to establish Geochang’s unique youth policy model to secure a population of 60,000 and overcome the crisis of regional extinction through population growth driven by youth and revitalization of the local community.
Geochang-gun’s youth policy aims to contribute to the development of the local community through youth independence.
Unlike youth policies in Seoul and Gyeonggi, where young people gather, the county focused on the role of youth as members of the local community and conducted a youth status survey in Geochang-gun to identify local issues and youth concerns. Based on this, tailored policies are being implemented to establish a foundation for youth independence and encourage local settlement.
Reflecting these youth policies of Geochang-gun’s 8th local government term, the vision ‘Happy Geochang with Youth, Geochang Happy Because of Youth’ was proclaimed at the ‘1st Geochang-gun Youth Day Commemoration Event’ on the 17th, marking a strong start for the 8th term’s efforts to create a happy Geochang together with youth.
Over the past decade, the number of marriages and births in the county has nearly halved. In particular, the unmarried rate among youth is 56%, highlighting the need for policies to increase births as a fundamental solution to population issues.
Accordingly, the county is focusing on policies to increase the youth population and encourage marriage and childbirth by providing marriage congratulatory funds and events such as ‘Cheongchun Some Day’ to promote marriage before childbirth for over 80% of married youth with children.
Geochang-gun operates a startup support center to secure quality jobs and support entrepreneurship in the job and housing sectors, which are considered top priorities for youth settlement. It supports all aspects from A to Z for youth settlement and induces youth settlement and urban youth inflow through personalized consulting.
Responding to youth’s long-standing desire for space, the county remodeled the old livestock cooperative feed warehouse into the ‘Cheongchun Warehouse’ and is currently running it as a pilot project. It has become the only space for youth and plays the role of a youth hangout by expanding cultural and leisure programs within the region.
Especially, with selection in the Gyeongsangnam-do Youth Hub public contest, shared offices, an outdoor performance hall and terrace linked with Geochang University, and childcare spaces are being prepared for official opening, raising expectations for the transformation story of the Cheongchun Warehouse.
Geochang-gun is promoting 55 projects across 5 sectors (jobs, welfare and culture, housing, educational capacity, participation and communication) handled by 10 dedicated youth departments, maintaining a close collaborative system between departments for one-stop customized support.
Along with a voluntarily formed youth network of 33 members participating in youth policy, the county is promoting youth policies and maintaining connections with local youth. To expand youth participation, a youth activity point system is planned to be introduced, implementing youth policies tailored to Geochang-gun’s characteristics.
As Geochang’s unique youth model, it is expected to achieve successful results in the 8th local government term’s policies as the ‘Model City for Youth Policy, Geochang.’
Governor Goo In-mo said, “We will find solutions together with youth tailored to our local circumstances to create an environment where youth can settle and stay,” adding, “We will do our best to make Geochang happy because of youth so that youth can overcome population decline and the crisis of regional extinction.”
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