Dong-gu, Gwangju's "Next to the School, Meeting a Person of Donggu" Receives Positive Response

Next to the school, meeting a 'Person of Donggu' Photo.

Dong-gu, Gwangju announced on the 25th that its local figure education program for elementary schools, "Next to the School, Meeting a Person of Donggu," is receiving a strong response in the education field.

Dong-gu, which promotes itself as a "humanities city," has been carrying out projects to discover and document local historical figures since 2019, including publishing "People of Donggu (1·2)" through its "Humanities Resource Documentation Project."

Rather than simply recording these figures, Dong-gu is actively conducting humanities resource sharing projects to introduce the discovered local figures to residents, including exhibitions, performances, and themed tour programs.

"Next to the School, Meeting a Person of Donggu," one of the humanities resource sharing projects, was designed to help local children and adolescents better understand historical figures from Gwangju. Since last year, the program has been offered to elementary schools in the district, aiming to foster a sense of pride in the local area among children.

In March, Dong-gu recruited participating classes on a first-come, first-served basis and ultimately selected 13 classes from 5 schools (Dongsan Elementary, Gwangju Nam Elementary, Yulgok Elementary, Hakun Elementary, and Seoseok Elementary). Since May, the program has been running, providing vivid, hands-on education through classes on historical figures such as Choi Heungjong, Heo Baekryeon, and Oh Jiho, as well as field trips to cultural heritage sites on Mudeungsan and the Jisandong area.

Dong-gu plans to review feedback from the field through surveys once the program concludes and to expand the number of participating classes, further developing the project next year.

Lim Taek, Mayor of Dong-gu, said, "Knowing and understanding the place where we live is extremely important, and in that sense, programs like 'Next to the School, Meeting a Person of Donggu' provide essential education for the future generation of the region. We will continue our efforts to discover the history and resources of the local community, rather than the central government, and to share them with residents."