Yeongju City Selected in 5 Categories at the Children and Youth Policy Festival

Logic Award, Future Award, Feasibility Award, Wit Award, Benefit Award

All Finalist Teams Receive Awards... Consideration for City Policy Implementation

Yeongju City in North Gyeongsang Province held the 6th Children and Youth Policy Forum Final Competition at the city hall auditorium on the 29th.

The city received proposals from a total of 13 teams (37 participants) in July, and on the 5th of this month, selected 5 teams (19 participants) for the finals through a preliminary screening that focused on authenticity, effectiveness, and logicality of the proposals.

The finalist teams participated in a three-day online workshop to refine their proposals before competing in the event. The final competition was evaluated in five categories: Logic Award, Future Award, Feasibility Award, Creativity Award, and Benefit Award.

As a result of the finals, the Logic Award went to the Safe Night team for "Supporting Safe Return Home for Youth"; the Future Award to the All Is Well team for "Establishing Indoor Play Facilities for Youth"; the Feasibility Award to The Bright Streets team for "Installing Road Markers to Prevent Traffic Accidents in Yeongju City"; the Creativity Award to the Special Forces Parking Enforcement Team for "Creating a Safe Yeongju through Improved Parking Awareness"; and the Benefit Award to the Living Turtles team for "Parent-Child Harmony Festival."

Student Lee Mo (age 14), who participated in the finals, said, "It was a meaningful experience to participate in the Policy Forum, even though it was challenging to discuss and research proposals with friends," and added, "I am grateful that the Policy Forum is held every year to reflect the opinions of children and youth."

Since 2019, the city has hosted the Children and Youth Policy Forum, steadily incorporating suggestions from children and youth into city policies, such as installing additional fine dust traffic lights at schools, stations, and parks, and replacing or installing new CCTVs and streetlights in blind spots.

Kim Geumju, Director of the Department of Children and Youth, stated, "We will actively review all proposals submitted in this competition to ensure they are reflected in city policies, regardless of whether they receive awards," and added, "In Yeongju, a child-friendly city, we recognize children and youth as rights holders and will further expand opportunities for their participation in city governance."

Yeongju City was the first in North Gyeongsang Province to receive UNICEF Child-Friendly City certification in 2017 and the first to receive the advanced level certification in 2022. The city continues to promote the guarantee and expansion of children's participation rights, the creation of playgrounds, and the operation of communication programs to build a sustainable child-friendly city.