30th Anniversary of Local Autonomy: Youth Policy Competition Held
Youth Move Pass and Youth Participation Hometown Love Donation Program
Selected for Grand Prize... "Hoping for On-Site Policy Implementation"
"Is it possible for not only students and office workers, but also unemployed and non-regular young people to receive unique transportation benefits?"
"What if young people planned the 'Hometown Love Donation Program,' which has become widely used by many citizens?"
In celebration of the 30th anniversary of local autonomy, an opportunity has been provided for youth from across the country to have their ideas reflected in policy.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety, together with the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, held the 'Local Autonomy Youth Policy Competition' at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on July 29. Supported by the four major local government associations, including the Governors Association of Korea, this competition saw enthusiastic participation from young people interested in local autonomy. Out of a total of 86 online applicant teams, 8 teams advanced to the finals after a preliminary review by experts.
The 8 finalist teams each presented policies developed based on creative ideas to solve problems identified from the perspective of youth. The judging was conducted by a panel of 5 experts and an on-site evaluation panel consisting primarily of 37 young people.
The 'Naju Youth' team, which won the grand prize, proposed a youth participation-based Hometown Love Donation Program. Their idea is to create a new donation category called 'Youth-Led Hometown Development Project' within the Hometown Love Donation Program, offering local youth the opportunity to plan and implement projects that address local issues.
The other grand prize went to the 'Busan Suyeong-gu Policy Network Team,' which proposed the 'Youth Move Pass.' This is a transportation support system that goes beyond simple youth transportation subsidies by carefully reflecting the regional circumstances and mobility rights of young people. The proposal suggests that local governments flexibly provide customized discount rates and discount times, taking into account various employment types and movement patterns, including unemployed youth and non-regular workers. In particular, they proposed offering free support for economically vulnerable job seekers to guarantee mobility rights and support their entry into society.
The excellence awards were given to the 'JachiOn Youth Team' for their idea of 'Dispatching Youth Field Policy Officers to Eup, Myeon, and Dong Districts,' and to the 'Hamkke Jikyeojo' team for proposing a 'Youth Participation Local Ombudsman.' The Youth Field Policy Officer would be dispatched to local units to mediate communication between local youth and administration, enabling youth opinions to be smoothly reflected in policy. The Youth Participation Local Ombudsman system was also designed to expand youth participation in the existing local ombudsman system, so that issues experienced by young people can be raised and institutional improvements can be made from the youth's perspective.
The policy ideas of the winning teams will be shared in the form of policy proposals with central administrative agencies and local governments, and will be used as reference materials for policy development.
The event was attended by Shin Jung-hoon, Chair of the National Assembly Public Administration and Security Committee, and Kim Minjae, Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, who offered words of encouragement to the passionate youth participants. Vice Minister Kim stated, "Your fresh perspectives and imagination will enrich the future of local autonomy and become the driving force that brings greater vitality to local communities," and added, "We will continue to provide interest and support so that your valuable proposals can be realized in local policy fields."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
