'Agenda Time' Proclamation and Agreement Ceremony Held on the 22nd
Covering Education, Youth, Environment, and Community Sectors
Gwangmyeong City in Gyeonggi Province has established the 'Top 10 Agendas' by gathering citizens' opinions to address local issues and ensure the city’s sustainable growth.
At the proclamation ceremony of Gwangmyeong City's 'Agenda Time' held on the 22nd, attendees pledged active participation to solve local issues. Provided by Gwangmyeong City
On the 22nd, the Gwangmyeong City Public Interest Activity Support Center held a proclamation and agreement ceremony for 'Agenda Time' in the city hall’s main conference room, with about 80 citizens in attendance. During the event, the city announced the 'Top 10 Agendas for a Better Gwangmyeong,' which were decided through a deliberative process, and declared the '10 Citizen Action Pledges' created together with citizens to put these agendas into practice.
'Agenda Time' is a public deliberation process that identifies and discusses community issues from the citizens’ perspective. Previously, the center was selected for the 'Support Project for Creative Solutions to Social Issues' organized by the Community Chest of Korea and has been promoting this project since July of last year. As part of the project, a 36-member 'Agenda Discovery Team' was formed, consisting of activists with more than three years of public interest activity experience. The team held three workshops and small public forums, as well as one larger citizen forum with about 90 citizens, to discover agendas tailored to the local community.
The 10 agendas selected on this day consist of five in the education and youth sector, three in the environment sector, and two in the community sector. The agendas were decided through on-site voting at the citizen forum in February and online voting, with participation from about 1,500 citizens.
The top three agendas chosen by citizens were all related to education and youth issues: creating a healthy family culture through parental education focused on healing and recovery; making Gwangmyeong a lifelong learning city where all citizens can grow by revitalizing lifelong education for each stage of life; and granting school uniform choice to the end users.
In addition, the Top 10 Agendas included: enacting a Gwangmyeong-style basic ordinance on proper recycling collection; 1.5°C climate action activities in collaboration with public institutions; creating an eco-friendly city by eradicating excessive packaging; sharing unused spaces in local schools; supporting healthy independence for youth parents; revitalizing community shared kitchens and gardens; and supporting youth who have immigrated mid-way through their education. Detailed information about the agendas can be found on the 'Gwangmyeong City Public Interest Activity Support Center' website or blog.
During the event, the city signed agreements with 14 organizations and groups, including the city council, Gwangmyeong City Public Interest Activity Support Center, Gwangmyeong Women’s Hotline, and Gwangmyeong YMCA, as well as two public interest activists who participated in the Agenda Discovery Team. Through the agreement, the participating organizations and individuals will carry out cooperative projects for one year to implement the agendas, and will work together to ensure that the publicized agendas are realized in the local community.
Park Seungwon, Mayor of Gwangmyeong, stated, "It is meaningful that concerns arising from citizens' daily lives have been developed into agendas and have drawn community participation. The city will take the lead so that all community members can join forces to turn these agendas into real changes."
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