Gwangju Seo-gu 'Family Care Youth Support Project' Development Direction Conference

"Western-Style Family Care Youth Policies Should Be Expanded Nationwide"

Seo-gu, Gwangju City (Mayor Kim Ikang) announced on the 21st that it held a ‘Conference on the Development Direction of the Family Care Youth Support Project’ at the Seogu Office Deulbul Hall the previous day.

At the conference, positive evaluations continued regarding support policies such as the family care youth allowance, which Seo-gu introduced as the first in the nation, with about 100 participants including local community security council officials.

On the 20th, Seo-gu, Gwangju City held a conference on the development direction of the Youth Family Care Support Project at the Deulbul Hall in the district office. Provided by Seo-gu

Participants unanimously stated, “The Seo-gu type family care youth policy should be expanded and implemented not only in Gwangju but nationwide.”

The conference, themed ‘Our Efforts to Change the Lives of Family Care Youth and Future Tasks,’ featured a presentation by Mayor Kim Ikang on ‘Youth-Friendly Administration in Seo-gu, Gwangju,’ followed by presentations from Park Jaehyung, Secretary-General of the Seo-gu Community Security Council; Professor Jwa Hyunsook of Honam University; Song Kyungae, Director of Seo-gu Welfare Policy Division; Jeong Heeseon, Manager of SK Happiness Sharing Foundation; and Park Mijeong, Team Leader of World Vision Mujin Comprehensive Social Welfare Center.

Mayor Kim introduced the overall youth support policy, stating, “Seo-gu has actively sought out young people who have given up their dreams to care for their families, providing them with an annual allowance of 3 million won, conducting needs surveys, integrated case management, and linking care services, thereby establishing an integrated service network for customized support.”

Professor Jwa Hyunsook highly praised the ‘Seo-gu type care policy,’ saying, “Family care youth are reluctant to reveal their situation due to social stigma and prejudice, and they bear a heavy burden alone due to lack of information on various care services. Seo-gu’s approach of reaching out first to youth and considering diverse support directions is commendable.”

Manager Jeong Heeseon emphasized, “The family care youth support fund is a valuable driving force for preparing the future of youth who are not the care recipients themselves,” and stressed the need for a close cooperative network with corporate social contribution foundations for tailored support such as youth self-reliance and capacity building.

Team Leader Park Mijeong also said, “The community must come together with strength and wisdom so that family care youth can put down the heavy burden of care they carry alone and freely pursue their dreams.”

Through this conference, Seo-gu plans to further specify the development direction of the ‘Seo-gu Type Family Care Youth Support Project’ and accelerate the establishment of cooperative systems between administration and the private sector through initiatives such as ‘Seo-gu Honors.’

Meanwhile, since November last year, Seo-gu has been supporting family care youth with funds raised through the ‘Oh~itgil Walking Contest,’ and has been continuously conducting projects to improve awareness and promote the cause, with participants and donations doubling compared to the previous year.

Seo-gu’s achievements have been recognized externally, winning the 2024 Youth-Friendly Legislative Award Policy Grand Prize and the Grand Prize in the Social Inequality Mitigation category at the National Manifesto Best Practice Competition.