A Place Where Youth Can Freely Learn and Dream... Gyeongnam Haengbok Maeul School Festival Held

A public forum for future Happy Village Schools is being held at the Gyeongnam Happy Village School Festival hosted by the Gyeongnam Office of Education.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] The Gyeongnam Office of Education will hold the Gyeongnam Happy Village School Festival until the 18th at locations including the Happy Village School in Guam-dong, Masanhwoin-gu, Changwon City.

The festival, which began on the 13th, is themed "Together! Drawing the Future Happy Village School" and consists of exhibition, learning, sharing, and performance sections.

The Gyeongnam Happy Village School is a future-oriented learning space where youth and local residents cooperate to learn and grow together in the village, operating various experiential activity programs.

The provincial Office of Education explained that this year's festival was conducted as a process to share the achievements of the Happy Village School and to create the future of the Happy Village School.

According to the provincial Office of Education, the exhibition section introduces the results of one year’s activities, including five local community clubs, the Sagong (Four Publics) Project centered on four themes?peers, school, village, and environment?using Happy Village School infrastructure, and outcomes supporting school curricula based on community learning centers.

At the learning section held on the 14th, about 60 members of the village education community, including students, teachers, education professionals, and village teachers from the Gyeongnam region, gathered for a public forum on the future Happy Village School.

The forum began with the presentation of the "Happy Village School Operation Evaluation and Development Plan Policy Research Results," reviewing nine Happy Village Schools that opened in 2018 and operated for five years, followed by presentations on the operation and learning principles of the Happy Village School.

In the afternoon, a five-person discussion proposing the future Happy Village School based on experiences from the Happy Village School and discussions on its direction and role were held.

At the sharing section to be held on the 17th, there will be a Sagong Project growth sharing presentation, sharing of Happy Packages, and operation of a youth climate store.

Performances include senior dance by local residents, dance by Guam Middle School students, band performances by Guam and Yangdeok Middle School students, and presentations of public project activities centered on the four themes.

The Happy Packages, prepared through local community clubs and Sagong Project activities, will be delivered to Masan Medical Center, Hapjeong Police Substation, Guam 119 Safety Center, and three senior centers.

A student who participated in the public forum said, "I was happy to find what I am good at, dream, and learn freely at the Happy Village School," adding, "I was happy because I think the future Happy Village School will be a place where each youth can live a happier life."

Kim Jeonghee, Director of School Innovation, said, "The future Happy Village School public forum is a meaningful occasion to discuss better future Happy Village School operations based on the achievements so far," and added, "Starting with this festival, I hope it will be a new starting point for expanding Happy Village Schools throughout Gyeongnam and strengthening the village education community."