Identifying and Counseling At-Risk Youth in the Red Road Power Plant Square Area
Guidance on Local Resources and Professional Services in Collaboration with Mapo Youth Counseling and Welfare Center
Mapo District (District Mayor Park Kangsoo) is intensifying its 'Outreach' activities to support at-risk youth in the area and improve harmful environments for adolescents. The district is focusing on identifying young people experiencing emotional difficulties and providing tailored support.
'Outreach' refers to activities in which professionals visit sites in person to provide assistance to youth who need help but have difficulty seeking support organizations on their own.
Previously, in March, Mapo District collaborated with the Mapo Youth Counseling and Welfare Center, the Mapo Youth Harmful Environment Monitoring Group, and the Hongik Police Substation to conduct outreach activities in Red Road, an area with a high concentration of young people.
The Mapo Youth Counseling and Welfare Center, a professional counseling institution, regularly monitors the area around Red Road Power Plant Square to help protect at-risk youth.
In particular, field-based outreach activities are being carried out to identify and support youth at risk of self-harm among those referred to as 'Menhera' (a Japanese slang term for people who appear to be struggling with mental health issues) at an early stage.
During a pilot outreach activity at Red Road Power Plant Square, counselors sat down for sincere conversations with young people who came with various concerns. Among them, they identified a youth who had dropped out of school due to panic disorder and had struggled with confusion about appearance and gender identity since childhood.
During the counseling process, the youth shared that they had many worries but no one to discuss them with seriously, relying mostly on online friends or friends they met near 'Red Road Power Plant.'
In addition, signs of self-harm were discovered on the youth’s arms and thighs, confirming severe emotional distress.
In response, the counselor provided detailed information about local resources and professional services connected to the Mapo Youth Counseling and Welfare Center, ensuring the youth would know how to seek help at any time.
Furthermore, the Mapo Youth Counseling and Welfare Center distributes its self-developed 'Heart Embrace Kit'?a self-harm and suicide prevention kit?to youth showing signs of crisis on site, and promotes methods for managing emotions during crisis situations.
Mapo District plans to actively expand the activities of the Youth Harmful Environment Monitoring Group and, starting in May, introduce a customized psychological support program for at-risk youth to create a safer environment for adolescents.
Park Kangsoo, Mayor of Mapo District, stated, "We will proactively identify and support at-risk youth through the outreach program," adding, "Mapo District will establish a systematic and sustainable support system so that our youth can grow up healthy, nurturing their dreams and hopes."
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