[Suwan News = By Kim Dong-ju] The “Youth Policy Talk! Talk!” event, organized by the Anseong City Youth Center (Director Jo In-ho), was successfully held on the 6th of last week. The event provided an opportunity for youth to directly participate in Anseong City’s municipal administration and propose policies. The event, attended by the Mayor of Anseong and about 30 local youth—including 16 members of the Youth Participation Committee—served as a meaningful opportunity for dialogue, during which the policies researched and proposed by the youth themselves were discussed.
Youth Emerge as Key Players in the Policy-Making Process
The Youth Participation Committee is an institutional body established under the “Framework Act on Youth” to ensure that young people participate in all stages of youth policy-making. Throughout 2025, committee members have consistently engaged in activities such as participating in local festivals and events, conducting surveys on youth needs, and holding monthly regular meetings and workshops to monitor existing policies and identify new ones.
At this “Youth Policy Talk! Talk!” event, achievements were presented in two main categories.
Through proposals to improve existing policies, the organization presented the results of its monitoring of △convenient breakfast options for students to promote youth health and △career exploration programs designed to address adolescents’ career concerns, and offered an assessment of the current situation along with specific improvement measures.
The three new policy proposals include: △ expanding cultural and arts programs for youth in Anseong City; △ expanding youth training facilities to bridge regional disparities; and △ expanding demand-responsive transportation services to ensure the safe return home of youth.
The policy proposal prepared by the youth included success stories from other local governments, the results of surveys conducted by the youth themselves, and even official responses from the relevant departments of Anseong City; some proposals even outlined specific implementation plans, such as the enactment of ordinances, thereby enhancing their professionalism.
The teenagers who participated in the event shared their thoughts, saying, “Although policy used to seem complicated, conducting our own research and making proposals helped us understand the issues facing our local community,” and “It was very rewarding to see the possibility that our opinions could actually lead to real policy changes.”
On that day, the mayor of Anseong listened to and encouraged the policy proposals put forward by the youth, and expressed his commitment to actively incorporating their voices into the city’s administration.
Meanwhile, in addition to the Youth Participation Committee, the Anseong City Youth Center consistently supports various self-governance and social participation activities, such as youth clubs, the Youth Steering Committee, and the Youth Festival Planning Team. The center plans to begin recruiting new youth participants for 2026 via its website starting December 9.
Kim Dong-ju, Reporter
