Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Takes First Step in Public-Private-Academic Cooperation to Support Migrant Background Youth

Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, is establishing and operating a public-private-academic governance system to effectively support the community adaptation and growth of youth with migration backgrounds.

On the 21st, Gwangsan-gu held a “Strong Public-Private-Academic Kickoff Ceremony” to support youth with migration backgrounds at Yunsangwon Hall on the 7th floor of the district office.

This marked the beginning of an organic cooperative system where various local institutions and organizations join forces to successfully establish and activate coexistence education for youth with migration backgrounds, a key initiative of Gwangsan-gu this year.

Under the theme “Connecting Local Resources! Finding the Path to Coexistence!”, the event was organized as a communication platform to share why public, private, and academic sectors must collaborate in coexistence education for youth with migration backgrounds and to contemplate the way forward.

About 100 participants attended, including representatives from over 30 public, private, and academic institutions and organizations such as Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education, Gwangsan Education Development Council, Public-Private Council for Educational Environment Improvement, Foreigners’ Honorary Community Leaders, Gwangsan-gu Family Center, schools, and universities, as well as parents and students with migration backgrounds.

As of April last year, the number of youth with migration backgrounds (including kindergarteners) in Gwangsan-gu, either themselves or their parents having migration experience, reached 4,080. They are concentrated in seven schools in Wolgok-dong, where many foreign residents live; in one school, the proportion of students with migration backgrounds exceeds 56.9%.

In the first part of the event, titled “Empathy,” there was a review of educational issues concerning youth with migration backgrounds in Gwangsan-gu. Sixth grader Choi Valeriya from Wolgok Elementary School and Jo Eunhye from the Dream Yul Gwangsan Youth Orchestra spoke about their school life and personal dreams as youth with migration backgrounds.

Following this, a “Pledge for Coexistence” was held, declaring the strong cooperation of the public, private, and academic sectors supporting the mutual growth of youth with migration backgrounds and Korean youth, as well as their linguistic, psychological, and cultural support.

The second part of the event, themed “Communication,” involved schools, private organizations, and parents and students with migration backgrounds freely sharing experiences and thoughts and discussing policies to support youth with migration backgrounds.

Jang Eunmi, director of the Gwangsan-gu Family Center, stated, “The social safety net has its limits when relying solely on national policy systems. The interest that villages, local governments, and schools have in children will become our social safety net.”

Professor Son Myungdong of Gwangju Women’s University, who is participating in a Russian bilingual instructor training course, suggested, “I hope that today will lead to the formation of a special task force for relationships and the start of full-fledged cooperation.”

Gwangsan-gu, which has been actively promoting coexistence education for youth with migration backgrounds by consecutively holding a Korean language class for youth with migration backgrounds in March and an arts play class for youth with migration backgrounds and Korean youth in April, plans to expand customized education and support in various fields such as multilingual classes, psychological and emotional support, and career exploration based on the public-private-academic cooperative system.

According to detailed projects and policy tasks, regular network meetings will be held to share roles among institutions and connect various resources to enhance the effectiveness of education.

Park Byungkyu, mayor of Gwangsan-gu, said, “As the number of youth with migration backgrounds increases, our education system and framework must also change accordingly. Gwangsan-gu will take the lead in creating a successful model of coexistence education that supports youth with migration backgrounds and Korean youth to grow together and become future leaders through strong solidarity and cooperation among the public, private, and academic sectors.”