Yeongam County Holds Basic Education on Resident Autonomy for 'Innovation Leader Academy'

Over 300 Participants
Learning Strategies to Solve Local Issues

Yeongam County, South Jeolla Province (Governor Woo Seunghee) held the basic training session of the ‘Yeongam Innovation Leader Academy’ at the Yeongam County Citizens’ Hall on the 14th, with over 300 participants including members of the five town and township residents’ autonomy committees and local residents.

According to the county on the 17th, the Innovation Leader Academy is a resident participation education program aimed at establishing a sustainable foundation for regional innovation. Each year, Yeongam County selects a new theme and invites experts in the relevant field to deliver lectures.

Yeongam County held the Basic Education for the Innovation Leader Academy on the 14th. Photo by Yeongam County

This academy, held under the theme of ‘Understanding Residents’ Autonomy,’ featured experts Choi Yongseon and Seol Seonmi as lecturers. The two speakers helped participants’ understanding by explaining, through various examples, strategies for successful residents’ autonomy committee models and solutions for roles and conflict resolution.

Professor Choi Yongseon emphasized the principle of ‘first strengthening autonomy competence, then leading publicness’ as a strategy for successful residents’ autonomy committees. Furthermore, he suggested four key competencies?intellectual, relational, institutional, and executive?that are necessary for the committee to function proactively without relying on administration, and explained ways to strengthen these competencies.

One member of a residents’ autonomy committee said, “By learning about the importance of residents’ autonomy and methods of conflict management, I have gained the confidence to solve local issues through autonomy. I will definitely apply what I learned in this training to our committee activities.”

The Yeongam Innovation Leader Academy consists of three sessions in total and will continue with an advanced training session in May. The advanced training will focus on building local resource networks and learning from case studies of residents’ autonomy committee operations, with the goal of strengthening resident participation capacity. The Innovation Leader Academy is open to all county residents, and the county plans to reflect residents’ opinions from the training in its policies.

Kim Youngjung, Director of Planning and Budget, said, “Through the Yeongam Innovation Leader Academy, we will open the door wider for resident participation. We will fully support residents’ efforts to identify and solve local issues, and make Yeongam County the leading region for residents’ autonomy in Korea.”