There Was a Reason Gwanak-gu Became a Lifelong Learning City?... Evening Humanities and Gwanak Citizen University, etc.

[Seoul District News] Gwanak-gu Lifelong Learning Center Used by Over 12,000 Annually · Resident Satisfaction Over 95% & Seoul Gwanak Complex Lifelong Education Center Opens Offering More Diverse Lifelong Education in Gwanak ... Gwangjin-gu Provides Education for Retirees and Career-Interrupted Women Interested in Economic Activities & ‘2022 Lifelong Learning Communication Week’ Successfully Concludes ... Seodaemun-gu Explores Women's History and Stories While Walking Ansan Jarak-gil

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) is once again making strides as a lifelong learning city in collaboration with the Seoul Gwanak Complex Lifelong Education Center.

Gwanak-gu was selected in 2004 as the first lifelong learning city designated by the Ministry of Education in Seoul. Centered around the Gwanak-gu Lifelong Learning Center, it has operated various lifelong education programs tailored to different life stages and age groups, playing a pivotal role in lifelong education representing Seoul.

The regionally specialized program ‘Gwanak Herbal School’ offers theoretical knowledge, field experiences, and certification acquisition related to medicinal herbs. The ‘Gwanak Citizens’ University’ allows residents to attend classes directly taught by professors from Seoul National University and enjoy the campus atmosphere, receiving great enthusiasm from the community.

Additionally, ‘After-Work Humanities’ is a popular course among young adults, collaborating with independent bookstores run by local youth to offer writing classes and book talks with experts such as lawyers from various fields.

Other programs include ‘Adult Literacy Classes’ for seniors who have not had the chance to learn reading and writing, ‘Gwanak Sejong Writing Room’ where one can earn an elementary school diploma, ‘Lifelong Learning Support for the Disabled,’ and ‘Lifelong Learning Club Support,’ all designed to meet residents’ needs and planned together with the community.

The Gwanak-gu Lifelong Learning Center serves about 12,000 residents annually, with a user satisfaction rate exceeding 95%.

Moreover, the ‘Seoul Gwanak Complex Lifelong Education Center,’ which opened on November 1, 2022, is expected to meet the increasingly diverse lifelong learning demands with specialized employment and entrepreneurship education for local youth, 4th industrial revolution and digital education, generation-tailored foreign language education, and cultural and artistic liberal arts lectures.

Mayor Park Jun-hee stated, “With the Gwanak-gu Lifelong Learning Center and the Seoul Gwanak Complex Lifelong Education Center located here, an environment has been created where anyone can receive lifelong education anytime and anywhere as a lifelong education city. We expect these two lifelong learning institutions to synergize and help Gwanak-gu leap forward once again as a central city of lifelong learning.”

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) is operating ‘Baessul Sinjab (JOB) Knowledge You Can Use When You Learn’ (hereafter Baessul Sinjab) to enhance residents’ economic activity capabilities and support their social advancement.

This program was prepared to increase the employment and entrepreneurship capabilities of residents interested in economic activities, such as retirees and women with career interruptions, thereby expanding social advancement and job opportunities.

Baessul Sinjab is conducted in collaboration with the Seoul Eastern Women’s Development Center from October to November and consists of ‘Free Lectures by Invited Experts’ and ‘Employment Capability Enhancement Education Programs.’

On November 5, a free lecture titled ‘How to Become Wealthy in a High-Interest Era’ will be held by Lee Jin-woo, CEO of Sampro TV. Known to the public through various media as an economic news presenter, Lee Jin-woo will lead the lecture to help economic beginners easily understand future market outlooks and economic trends.

Additionally, various special lectures helpful for employment and entrepreneurship are offered, including ▲Business Model Trends in the Digital Transformation Era (Park Seo-gi, Director of IT Innovation Research Institute) ▲Smart Job Preparation Life (Kim Kyung-il, Professor of Cognitive Psychology at Ajou University) ▲One-Day Video Editing Special Lecture (YouTuber ‘Editing Woman’) ▲Become a Nomad and Travel the World (Professor Seo Eun-seok, Yonsei University Industry-Academic Cooperation Center).

Alongside these, substantial employment capability enhancement education programs such as ▲Scalp and Hair Loss Management Specialist ▲Image Making Job Skills ▲Understanding Immersive Content through 3D Modeling are also provided.

Program registration is available via the Eastern Women’s Development Center website and by phone. For more details, contact the Gwangjin-gu Office Education Support Division or the Eastern Women’s Development Center.

Mayor Kim Kyung-ho of Gwangjin-gu said, “Baessul Sinjab is a program prepared using 90 million KRW of national funds secured after Gwangjin-gu was newly designated as a lifelong learning city in 2022, aiming to provide practical help for residents’ social advancement. We will continue to do our best to make Gwangjin a happy lifelong learning city where anyone can enjoy learning in daily life.”

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) successfully concluded the ‘2022 Gwangjin-gu Lifelong Learning Communication Week’ held in celebration of its designation as a new lifelong learning city on the 28th of last month.

Marking the first time in the 8th local government term, the Lifelong Learning Communication Week was held from the 20th for nine days with diverse events.

Starting with the invited lecture ‘Gwangnaru Academy’ on the 20th, the program included ▲Gwangjin Club Communication Festival ▲Lifelong Learning Festival ▲Gwangjin-gu Lifelong Learning Metaverse Online Expo, sharing and exchanging various learning outcomes with neighbors in daily life.

Gwangnaru Academy reflected residents’ demand surveys and specially invited broadcaster Tyler Rasch and renowned film critic Lee Dong-jin, receiving enthusiastic responses from about a thousand attendees.

On the 22nd, the ‘2022 Gwangjin Club Communication Festival’ (photo) was held at Gwangjin Supnaru, with 30 learning clubs and related organizations participating. They showcased musical performances, poetry recitations, dance performances, and hosted experiential booths on urban agriculture and beekeeping, adding unique fun.

From the 24th for five days, the Naru Art Center hosted the ‘2022 Gwangjin-gu Lifelong Learning Festival,’ exhibiting 300 handmade works such as illustrated postcards, paper crafts, and poetry by lifelong learning institution students in Gwangjin-gu. Cultural and artistic performances including poetry recitations, play readings, popera, and acoustic guitar were also richly presented.

Finally, on the 28th, the ‘2022 Gwangjin-gu Lifelong Learning Metaverse Online Expo’ was held successfully, concluding the event on a high note. Keeping pace with the 4th Industrial Revolution era, the metaverse platform ZEP was used to open exhibition halls, promotional halls, experience halls, and participation halls, communicating with residents in a novel way.

About 120 Gwangjin residents logged in to enjoy activities such as making Scandiamoss, posture correction exercises, tarot card experiences, sharing lifelong learning achievements, and participating in OX quizzes, fully enjoying the festival.

The metaverse online expo continues to operate, and residents wishing to participate can access it through the Gwangjin Lifelong Education Portal announcements.

Mayor Kim Kyung-ho of Gwangjin-gu said, “I hope many residents who participated in the event experienced the joy of lifelong learning and had a time of harmony communicating with neighbors. We will continue to prepare resident-centered educational support measures to achieve a happy lifelong learning city, Gwangjin.”

Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Seong-heon) is operating a walking challenge called ‘Women-Friendly Themed Path Yeogiro (女記路) Stamp Tour’ on Ansan Jarak-gil from the 5th to the 20th of this month.

‘Yeogiro’ is a roughly 2km section of Ansan Jarak-gil stretching from the Meeting Square through the Park Doo-jin Poetry Monument, Shinamu Rest Area, and Observatory to the Book Cafe Rest Area. The name means ‘a path (路) that holds memories (記) of women (女).’

Along this path, eight storyboards conveying stories about ‘Women in History’ and ‘Women related to Seodaemun-gu’ are installed at various points.

The themes include ▲Introduction to Seodaemun ‘Yeogiro’ ▲Women figures in history ▲Reasons for the small number of female independence activists ▲Remembering female independence activist Kim Maria ▲Our sorrowful history, comfort women ▲Dr. Lee Tae-young who paved the way for gender equality ▲Representative modern literature writer Park Wan-seo ▲Men’s and women’s lives seen through statistics.

Anyone can participate by installing and running the ‘WalkOn’ app on their smartphone, selecting ‘Yeogiro Stamp Tour’ from the challenge menu, and pressing ‘Join.’

Then, by walking along ‘Yeogiro’ and passing through the eight points where storyboards are installed, stamps are automatically recorded in the app. The total time required is under one hour.

The district will draw 100 participants who collect all eight stamps after the 25th of this month and award them mobile Onnuri gift certificates worth 5,000 KRW each.

Mayor Lee Seong-heon of Seodaemun-gu said, “I hope many people will participate in the Yeogiro Stamp Tour, where you can encounter women’s history and stories in the autumn forest.”