Uijeongbu City Strengthens Education, Events, and Collaboration Functions after Remodeling
A Community-Based Welfare Platform Shared by Social Workers, Welfare Organizations, and Citizens
Increase in Space Rentals and Item Loans... Enhanced Role as an On-Site Welfare Hub
Uijeongbu City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Kim Donggeun) has completed the remodeling of the Uijeongbu City Social Welfare Center, a key hub for local welfare, and will now actively enhance its role as a welfare platform where citizens and social workers come together.
On the 29th, Mayor Kim Donggeun visited the newly renovated second floor of the center, named "Everyone's Auditorium," to inspect the facility and discuss operational directions with on-site social welfare officials.
Mayor Kim Donggeun visited the Uijeongbu City Social Welfare Center, which completed remodeling of the second floor on the 29th, and took a commemorative photo with officials. Photo by Uijeongbu City
A Local Hub Connecting Welfare Sites: Uijeongbu City Social Welfare Center
The Uijeongbu City Social Welfare Center has been operating in Uijeongbu-dong since December 2023. Established in response to longstanding discussions and demands within the local welfare sector, this space goes beyond being a workspace for social workers. It is now utilized as a welfare platform based in the local community, where citizen participation and public-private cooperation take place together.
Unlike previous welfare centers that were primarily operated by social workers, this center is designed to be accessible not only to social workers, the main agents of welfare policy, but also to citizens interested in and wishing to participate in welfare activities. This makes it the first citizen-participatory social welfare center in Gyeonggi Province.
The center is characterized by the intersection of accumulated field experience and citizen participation, where policy discussions and practical implementation occur routinely. The Uijeongbu City Social Welfare Center is steadily establishing itself as a connecting point for human and material welfare resources in the region, laying the groundwork for welfare to function effectively on the ground.
A Space Used Every Day: The Daily Flow of Welfare
The first floor of the center (284㎡) operates as a multi-purpose community space, including offices, a community area, shared offices, and meeting rooms. Currently, the Uijeongbu City Council on Social Welfare and the Uijeongbu City Social Workers Association are based in the offices, continuing their unique projects and collaborative activities, and serving as the core of the local welfare network.
The community area is a shared space regularly used by both residents and staff, serving as a venue for meetings, education, and discussions. It is also used to display and sell products produced by welfare facilities for people with disabilities and the elderly. The shared office is utilized by social workers who frequently work outside the office or in the field, allowing them to continue their work and collaborate with other social welfare professionals.
This spatial composition demonstrates that the Social Welfare Center functions as a central hub for welfare activities where work, communication, and participation occur simultaneously. In fact, throughout 2024, the center's spaces were rented out a total of 390 times, and items were loaned out 156 times. In 2025, these figures increased to 422 space rentals and 241 item loans.
Mayor Kim Donggeun visited the Uijeongbu City Social Welfare Center, which completed remodeling of the second floor on the 29th, and communicated with the officials. Provided by Uijeongbu City
Second Floor "Everyone's Auditorium" Expands the Scope of Welfare Activities
Through this remodeling, the city renovated the previously underutilized second floor (284㎡), creating "Everyone's Auditorium" in addition to the existing educational space.
Everyone's Auditorium was established to accommodate large gatherings, such as commemorative events and forums related to social welfare, as well as networking and communication events among professionals. By adding a space for events and exchanges to the existing educational and meeting functions of the second floor, the range of uses for the center has been significantly expanded.
As a result, the Social Welfare Center now features a multi-purpose structure where daily operations on the first floor are complemented by education, events, and exchanges on the second floor. This enables a variety of encounters where field experience is shared and new collaborations are explored, further expanding the center's role in a more multidimensional way.
The city plans to gradually stabilize the operation of the second floor and improve management methods by incorporating feedback gathered during actual use.
Incorporating Voices from the Field into Operations
On this day, Mayor Kim Donggeun was joined by Yoon Yeonhee, President of the Uijeongbu City Council on Social Welfare; Choi Jaehyuk, Senior Vice President; Vice Presidents Kwon Kyungmi and Kim Yonghan; Secretary General Jo Sohyun; Choi Jongrok, President of the Uijeongbu City Social Workers Association; and Secretary General Park Geumsun. They shared their experiences of changes in the center's operation and discussed future directions for its use.
The participants toured the internal facilities in turn, sharing on-site stories about the center's operation and use of space. This was followed by a session where the voices of those working in the field of welfare were directly heard.
The city plans to continue connecting local human and material resources through the Social Welfare Center and to steadily build a foundation for diverse welfare stakeholders to collaborate.
In particular, the city will continue to assess the role of the space in response to changes in the welfare environment, ensuring that citizen-participatory welfare activities can take place naturally.
Mayor Kim Donggeun stated, "The Social Welfare Center is a community space where those working in the field of welfare and citizens can come together and share their thoughts. Based on the feedback heard on site, I will carefully ensure that the space can be operated stably."
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