- Jointly Hosted by the Cheongnyeon Foundation, Seoul City Meme Center, and Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled Employment Development Institute
The Youth Foundation (hereinafter referred to as the Foundation), the Seoul Borderline Intellectual Functioning Lifelong Education Support Center, and the Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled Employment Development Institute announced on the 11th that they successfully held the ‘2024 Borderline Intellectual Functioning Youth Work Competency Enhancement and Work Experience Pilot Project (hereinafter referred to as the Pilot Project)’ performance sharing event at the Kaus Hotel on Yongsan-ro, Seoul.
The pilot project, which has been underway since February this year, is a program that discovers unemployed youth with borderline intellectual functioning who wish to explore career paths and provides a customized three-step process of ▲career consulting, ▲vocational training, and ▲work experience. Through three training courses in 2024, the Foundation supported a total of 143 borderline intellectual functioning youth in finding their aptitudes and entering society stably.
This performance sharing event was planned to collectively share the meaningful journey of the youth who have been taking on significant challenges over the past 11 months, moving between vocational training classrooms and work experience sites, and to reflect on the significance of the pilot project with work experience company representatives, job coaches, and co-hosting organization officials who passionately supported them. About 100 people, including participating youth, their families, and officials from related organizations, attended the event to brighten the occasion.
The event featured a variety of programs that all participants in the pilot project could enjoy, including ▲watching a video recalling the program, ▲reading thank-you letters from participating youth, ▲a talk concert with representatives from work experience sites, job coaches, and youth, and ▲a congratulatory performance by the borderline intellectual functioning youth club ‘Dudream Band.’
Youth A, who read a thank-you letter, expressed their thoughts on the special journey, saying, “Thank you for teaching me how to get up and move forward when I was always withdrawn.” Youth B, who participated in the talk concert, said, “We are slow but marathon runners who eventually finish,” and added, “Especially during work experience, those around me encouraged me to take it slow, so I was able to work with a comfortable mind,” expressing gratitude to the work experience site staff. Additionally, youth C said, “I no longer feel intimidated and have gained the courage to ask questions during work processes,” and “The experience and confidence gained through this program became a stepping stone to challenge other tasks,” which resonated deeply.
Following this, work experience site representative D, who manages a smart farm, shared warm reflections, saying, “I recall the youth’s bright smile as if they had everything in the world while looking at the sprouted plants,” and “Even after the training ended, seeing them communicate in the group chat makes me feel like we are still together.” Job coach D added, “We guided the youth by gradually raising goals to maximize their potential beyond mere mastery through simple repetition,” and “I hope the youth’s growth and development experiences will help other youth as well.”
A parent of a borderline intellectual functioning youth who attended the performance sharing event said, “Through this program, our child was called an ordinary ‘youth’ for the first time,” and “Moreover, psychological counseling support was also provided to the youth’s parents, which greatly helped our entire family, and I hope more programs like this will increase in our society.”
Park Ju-hee, Secretary General of the Youth Foundation, emphasized in her commemorative speech, “Through this project carried out by the collaboration of three institutions, we confirmed the infinite potential and passion of youth with borderline intellectual functioning,” and “We will continue to cooperate with related organizations to help youth with diverse characteristics integrate well into our society.”
Lee Gyo-bong, Director of the Seoul Borderline Intellectual Functioning Lifelong Education Support Center, said, “Thank you all for doing your best in your respective positions over the past year,” and “The MIM Center will also spare no support to help borderline intellectual functioning youth gain confidence and become solid members of our society.” In addition, Jo Yoon-kyung, Director of the Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled Employment Development Institute, stated, “This was a project where the cooperation of the three institutions shone,” and “Based on this experience, we will jointly publish a research report to contribute to establishing a meaningful social entry model for youth with borderline intellectual functioning.”
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