Educational Development Special Zone, Paju City
Opening of "Bodadeum School," a Leading Model for School Violence Prevention and Recovery
"Recovery Before Punishment"
Paju City in Gyeonggi Province held a plaque-unveiling ceremony on the 24th to mark the opening of "Bodadeum School," a Paju-style school violence prevention project that supports students' emotional well-being and relationship recovery, and it will begin full-scale operation in March.
Paju City held a plaque-unveiling ceremony on the 24th to mark the opening of Bodadeumhakgyo, a Paju-style school violence prevention project supporting students' emotional wellbeing and relationship recovery. Photo by Paju City
Bodadeum School is a pilot project promoted as part of the Educational Development Special Zone initiative. It aims to move away from a response system focused on follow-up measures after school violence has occurred, and instead to provide proactive support for students' behavioral, emotional, and relationship issues at the daily life education stage.
In particular, this project carries added significance in that it utilizes the Paju Youth Counseling and Welfare Center, located in the Unjeong Happiness Center, as its operational hub. By actively linking the local resources of the center, which has professional staff in youth counseling and treatment and extensive case-management experience, the project enables early identification of students in need of support in school settings and allows for more systematic counseling and treatment interventions.
On this basis, Paju City, the Paju Office of Education, schools, and local institutions have built a cooperative system, establishing an integrated support structure in which local government, educational institutions, and professional counseling organizations are organically connected. Going beyond simply running programs, the project has practically realized a collaborative model that combines the capabilities of local specialized institutions with the public education field.
The core program of Bodadeum School, "Reset Camp," is a customized counseling program developed last year in collaboration with Yonsei University. It assesses and resets students' behavior patterns, emotional states, interpersonal relationships, and life goals to help them make a fresh start toward a healthy school life. The program is designed for flexible operation tailored to each student's situation by using operation guidelines and workbooks that reflect the characteristics of each school level.
In addition, through close collaboration among related institutions such as the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, the Paju Office of Education, the Paju Youth Foundation, and schools, the project has strengthened operational connectivity and expanded the scope of support to include students who are struggling academically due to psychological and emotional factors.
At the plaque-unveiling ceremony, officials from Paju City, the Paju Office of Education, the CEO of the Paju Youth Foundation, and principals of local schools, along with other education field officials, attended and shared the significance of regional cooperation for school violence prevention and student recovery.
Paju City held a plaque-unveiling ceremony on the 24th to commemorate the opening of Bodadeum School, a Paju-type school violence prevention project supporting students' emotional well-being and relationship recovery. Photo by Paju City
A school official who attended the event said, "It is highly meaningful that school violence and students' emotional issues are no longer treated as matters for schools alone, and that the local government has taken the lead in creating a structure in which the community shares responsibility," adding, "I hope Bodadeum School will take root as a practical cooperation model that connects schools and the local community."
To promote Bodadeum School, Paju City has completed environmental improvements such as refurbishing counseling spaces and has established a stable and sustainable operational foundation for the project. Based on the results of the pilot operation, the city plans to pursue phased expansion in the future.
A Paju City official said, "Bodadeum School is a Paju-style educational innovation model that combines the capabilities of key local specialized institutions such as the Paju Youth Foundation with the public education field," adding, "We will actively support students so that they can return stably to school and everyday life."
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