Gwanak-gu, Abundant Youth Policies This Year... Also Produces Youth Life Guide

From May, 16 'Gwanak Youth Culture Zones' in the region will offer various programs for youth
Welcome Gwanak, a youth life guide that provides an overview of major youth support policies, has also been produced and distributed!

Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee), which has the highest proportion of young people in the country, has newly established its city brand identity (BI) as the 'Gwanak, the Youth Capital of Korea' and is passionately dedicating itself to everything for youth.

First, from May to September, the district will conduct cultural programs for Gwanak-gu youth at private cultural spaces selected as the ‘2024 Gwanak Youth Culture Zones.’

The ‘Gwanak Youth Culture Zone Operation Project’ is a public-private partnership project that provides private spaces in the region as cultural activity spaces for youth, with space operators conducting about eight cultural programs per space. Any youth in Gwanak-gu can choose and experience cultural programs of interest.

In March, Gwanak-gu publicly recruited operators to run the ‘Gwanak Youth Culture Zones’ and ultimately selected 16 private cultural spaces within the region.

This year’s selected Youth Culture Zones offer more diverse programs than last year, including ▲dance ▲craft ▲music ▲film ▲art. Especially this year, many young entrepreneurs applied, vividly demonstrating the passion of youth for the ‘Gwanak Youth Culture Zones.’

First, the representative of ‘Skeoming Studio,’ selected for the first time this year, is a 20-something B-boy dancer active in Gwanak-gu. Skeoming Studio is a complex community space near Seoul National University Station. B-boying classes and dance video editing education will be held here.

‘Haeil Makgeolli’ also has a representative who is a young entrepreneur in their 20s. Haeil Makgeolli is a makgeolli workshop where traditional liquor is produced and experienced. The representative expressed the aspiration to provide youth with experiences of Korea’s makgeolli culture, designated as a national intangible cultural asset, and to pass on Korean culture through the Culture Zone project.

Juchek Film also has a young representative. A young couple majoring in film runs an independent bookstore and caf? in the area. They plan to operate various cultural programs for youth interested in film, books, and humanities.

They aim to provide opportunities to meet local youth and share culture and arts together at the Youth Culture Zones. Additionally, programs satisfying diverse cultural and artistic desires of youth, such as dance sports, band practice, learning baduk and chess, pet fashion design experience, art, and leather craft, will be conducted at the 16 Gwanak-gu Youth Culture Zone spaces.

Cultural programs at each space require prior registration, and Gwanak-gu youth wishing to participate can apply directly at the Culture Zone operating spaces.

More detailed information about the programs can be found in the recruitment posts on the Gwanak-gu Office website (News → Announcements → Gwanak News), and inquiries can also be made by phone to the space operators or the Gwanak-gu Youth Policy Division.

Furthermore, the district recently produced and distributed the youth life guidebook ‘Welcome Gwanak,’ which provides an overview of major support policies helpful to youth. This was created to serve as a stepping stone for a better life for young people.

The booklet includes the latest youth policies implemented by Gwanak-gu, Seoul City, and central government agencies. It is organized into four main areas: ▲Participation and Rights ▲Jobs and Housing ▲Education ▲Culture and Welfare, aiming to meet the diverse needs of youth.

For youth accustomed to online access, the district posted ‘Welcome Gwanak’ on the district office website and distributes it offline to young people moving into Gwanak-gu through local community centers. It also plans to distribute the booklet at places frequented by youth such as Gwanak Youth Center, Sillim-dong Three-Room, Job Centers, and other youth facilities and organizations to reach more young people.

Park Jun-hee, Mayor of Gwanak-gu, said, “We will continue to strive tirelessly to create a ‘city where youth are happy’ through various support policies for young people.”