Taean County Successfully Completes Village Leader Training Program... 39 Graduates

Graduation Ceremony Held at Sogeunmankwon Community Center

The graduation ceremony of the village university held on the 25th at Sogeunman Community Center in Sowon-myeon, Taean-gun, Chungnam. /Taean-gun

Taean County Village University, established to nurture village leaders in the Taean region of Chungnam, has successfully concluded with a total of 39 graduates.

On the 25th, Taean County announced that it held the ‘2024 Taean County Village University Graduation Ceremony’ at the Sogeunman Community Center in Sowon-myeon, with over 50 participants including County Mayor Ko Garo, program graduates, and local residents in attendance.

The Village University program, organized by the Taean County Community Integration Support Center, was launched as part of a resident-led village development project.

The county recruited 47 trainees, including aspiring and interested village leaders and residents with no prior experience in village development projects, and conducted a total of five sessions over 24 hours from October 28 to the present day.

Out of the 47 trainees, 39 completed the program, achieving a graduation rate of 82.9%. The lectures covered topics such as understanding village communities and the role of village leaders.

On the 11th, participants visited ‘Geobugi Village’ in Hongseong County and ‘Haetteuneun Chomakgol Village’ in Yesan County to learn from advanced case studies, which received a positive response from attendees.

The graduates commented, “I realized the importance of the village leader’s role in conflict resolution,” “It seems necessary to selectively apply lessons by analyzing both successful and unsuccessful cases,” and “I will strive to understand the village community and lead village development.”

A county official stated, “We are pleased that Village University, which encourages residents to lead their own village development, has concluded successfully,” adding, “We will continue to provide various capacity-building programs to discover and nurture village leaders and invigorate village communities.”