At a report meeting held on the 16th (Thursday), Seo-gu District Mayor Jin Kyo-hoon emphasized the importance of guaranteeing children’s right to participate, saying, “A child-friendly city is not one that fits the mold of adults, but one that fully reflects the thoughts and voices of children.”
Gangseo-gu operates a ‘Children’s Participation Committee’ consisting of children aged 7 to 18, allowing children to directly propose policies and express opinions. About 50 people, including children’s participation committee members and related public officials, attended the report meeting that day to share activities from the past year and discuss policy proposal tasks.
|
[Korean Today] Children’s Participation Committee Policy Report Meeting Photo © Reporter Soyoung Jeong |
The children’s participation committee presented suggestions such as ▲repair of old signs, ▲installation and improvement of additional traffic lights, ▲use of closed schools as cultural complex facilities, and ▲improvement of the design of the Arisoo drinking fountain.
In addition, new members were appointed and awards were given to five outstanding members who contributed to the promotion of the rights of children and adolescents. The recipients were Park Ji-yoon (3rd grade, Magok Middle School), Woo Jeong-an (2nd grade, Deokwon Middle School), Kwon Ha-young (6th grade, Naebalsan Elementary School), Jeong Dae-hoon (6th grade, Woljeong Elementary School), and Jeong Yoon-ah (6th grade, Banghwa Elementary School).
|
[Korean Today] Children’s Participation Committee Policy Report Meeting Photo © Reporter Soyoung Jeong |
Mayor Jin Kyo-hoon said, “Gangseo-gu has been able to continuously maintain its certification as a child-friendly city thanks to the active opinions of the children’s participation committee members,” and added, “We will continue to pursue policies that children can feel.”
Gangseo-gu received UNICEF Child-Friendly City certification in 2017, and then achieved higher-level certification in 2022. It plans to strengthen child-friendly policies and accelerate the creation of a city where children can live well, with the goal of receiving higher-level re-certification in 2026.
© The Korean Today – All Rights Reserved