Learning Local Autonomy and Legislative Activities
Through Q&A Sessions with City Council Members
The Jinju City Council in South Gyeongsang Province has been consistently operating a parliamentary tour program for youth, establishing itself as a "grassroots democracy education site" and expanding its role.
On July 4 and July 7, a total of 30 first-year students from Seonin International Middle School and 19 second-year students from Myungshin High School visited the city council and participated in the youth tour program. During the visit, the students toured the main assembly hall and standing committee meeting rooms, learned about the structure and functions of the council, and engaged in a Q&A session with council members.
This program goes beyond simply touring the council facilities or listening to explanations of its functions. It is designed as an "interactive parliamentary education" program, where youth can hear directly from council members about local issues and legislative activities and ask their own questions.
In addition, for middle school students, the program helped them understand the basic structure and functions of local councils using everyday analogies. For high school students, it featured in-depth Q&A sessions aimed at raising awareness of local issues and fostering critical thinking, thus tailoring the content to each age group.
An official from the council secretariat stated, "Through customized programs tailored to each school level, we are helping students experience the meaning of local autonomy in their daily lives," adding, "We expect that such experiences will have a positive impact on the development of democratic citizenship among youth."
The Jinju City Council plans to launch a large-scale promotional campaign for the program in the second half of the year as soon as its registration as a certified institution for educational donation and career experience is completed this month. At the same time, the council will strengthen its cooperation with the Jinju Office of Education and schools at all levels, and will further revamp the program to enhance its contribution to the local community, including building a model for democracy education.
Baek Seunghung, Chairperson of the City Council, stated, "The local council is the closest site of democracy for students and the starting point for all citizen participation," adding, "We will continue to expand opportunities for youth to satisfy their curiosity and share their opinions through unique experiences at the council."
Meanwhile, as part of efforts to revitalize the tour program, the council secretariat will newly launch a tentatively named "Youth Parliamentary Academy," which will be open for individual applications from any youth. It is scheduled for a pilot run in August during the summer vacation. This initiative aims to significantly lower the barrier to participation by overcoming the previous limitation where only schools or groups could participate, thus allowing families and individual students to join as well.
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