Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, Flood of Policy Proposals from Regional Youth Education Councils

'2024 Local Youth Education Council Education Policy Proposal and Social Participation Activity Presentation' Successfully Held
Youth Social Participation Activities Presented Including Gambling Prevention and Psychological-Emotional Stability Support
Policy Proposals from Youth Perspectives Including Mobile Communication Counseling App and Student Participation Environmental Education

The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education (Superintendent Lim Tae-hee) announced on the 17th that it held the '2024 Regional Youth Education Council Education Policy Proposal and Social Participation Activity Presentation' on the 16th. The event was organized to share the results of activities from 27 Regional Youth Education Councils (hereinafter referred to as Youth Education Councils) and to facilitate communication together.

Participants, including student members of the Regional Youth Education Council, are taking a commemorative photo after holding the "2024 Regional Youth Education Council Education Policy Proposal and Social Participation Activity Presentation" on the 16th. Photo by Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education

About 130 people attended the presentation held at the Southern Office, including student members of the Regional Youth Education Councils, officials in charge of Youth Education Council affairs at the Education Support Offices, and members of the School Autonomy Subcommittee of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education Policy Advisory Committee, adding enthusiasm to the event.

The event proceeded by sharing distinctive Youth Education Council activity cases by region through videos and reports, followed by presentations on social participation activities and policy proposals. Attendees shared various activity cases such as cooperation with local governments and city councils, linkage with shared school programs, operation of policy markets, and meetings with education superintendents.

Major social participation activities shared included △ production of a deepfake crime prevention campaign video △ youth online illegal gambling prevention education activities △ operation of traditional culture music programs for youth △ support for youth psychological and emotional stability △ assistance for multicultural students' school adaptation △ establishment process of a certification system to prevent youth unlicensed kickboard accidents.

Key policy proposals presented included △ a mobile career counseling app for youth’s dreams and future △ student-participatory environmental education in collaboration with environmental organizations △ a driver signal system with numeric countdown display △ guidance on restricted zones for advertisements harmful to youth.

The Provincial Office of Education plans to continue revitalizing the Youth Education Councils tailored to regional circumstances through the presentation event, production of materials, capacity-building training for officials, and operation of support teams.

Lee Jeong-hyun, Director of the Education Capacity Policy Division at the Provincial Office of Education, said, “The experience of youth taking interest and participating in issues concerning ‘themselves’ and ‘their region’ will be a valuable opportunity to prepare for the future and cultivate community capabilities,” adding, “We will strive to provide various support so that the Youth Education Councils can be actively operated according to the characteristics of each region.”

Meanwhile, the Regional Youth Education Councils are composed of youth aged 10 to 18 and take the lead in proposing education policies and practicing social participation tailored to regional characteristics. They are organized in every Education Support Office in the province, with Gwangju Hanam Education Support Office and Hwaseong Osan Education Support Office each organizing two councils per local government, operating a total of 27 councils.