Recording Your Life! ...Seongdong-gu Publishes Autobiographies of 9 Seniors

On the 25th, a memoir writing education session was held for 9 elderly participants as part of the Seongdong-type ESG Practice Contest Project, followed by a memoir publication ceremony... An opportunity for the elderly to positively reflect on their lives, with hopes that knowledge, experience, and life wisdom will be passed on through the memoirs

Seongdong-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jung Won-oh) announced on the 25th that, as part of the ESG practice public contest project, it published autobiographies of senior citizens and held a commemorative event.

Since 2022, Seongdong-gu has been promoting a public contest project that supports ESG practice projects in various fields such as Environment (E), Social (S), and Governance (G) to raise awareness of ESG and create a sustainable city.

The support targets include social innovation companies (social ventures), non-profit private organizations and corporations, universities, and (social) cooperatives. This year, a total of 20 projects were selected, including activities to preserve the underwater environment of the Han River, hosting a women's basketball tournament and a sports human rights workshop, and operating the Children's ESG Committee called "Usseukdan."

Among them, the "Senior Citizens' Autobiography Production" project concluded, delivering a special emotional impact. This project aims to help senior citizens positively reflect on their lives and live with dignity as members of the community.

First, autobiography writing education was conducted for 15 senior citizens over 8 weeks starting in June. Education on the reasons and methods for writing autobiographies was provided, and based on this, the seniors wrote their own autobiographies. Ultimately, autobiographies of 9 seniors were published, and for those who had difficulty writing, video autobiographies in an oral format were also produced.

To celebrate the production of the seniors' autobiographies, a publication commemorative event was held on November 25th at the Creative Education Room of Seongdong-gu Office. About 30 people, including the seniors who wrote the autobiographies and their acquaintances who came to celebrate, participated. The event provided a meaningful time to introduce the autobiographies and share each person's life stories with empathy.

The seniors who published their autobiographies shared valuable messages from their lives such as "Life is not about speed but direction," "Even when facing hardships as severe as death, one can overcome them with a positive mind," and "Forgive, understand, and love yourself."

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, added, "As the African proverb says, 'When an elder passes away, a library disappears,' I hope that the knowledge, experience, and wisdom of the elders will be passed down to future generations through these autobiographies," and "We will strive even harder to create a city where elders are respected and happy."