[Suwan News = Reporter Kim Dong-ju] “Community-centered” youth activities in Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, in which young people independently examine local issues and incorporate the voices of the community into policy, have now gained full momentum.
The Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Youth Activity Promotion Center (Director Kang Seok-yeon) held the “2026 Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Youth Participation Committee Inauguration Ceremony” at the Center’s training hall on the 25th, marking a strong start for the youth committee members who will drive positive change in the local community.
Seventeen youth committee members, selected to represent various regions within Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, attended the launch ceremony that day. The members received letters of appointment issued in the name of the Governor of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province and completed training on the role of youth participation committee members and the basic competencies required to address local community issues. Center Director Kang Seok-yeon’s welcome address and an encouraging speech by Kim Hee-jin, Team Leader of the Women, Youth, and Family Division at the Provincial Government Office, further instilled a sense of responsibility and pride in the members.
The Youth Participation Committee is a committee established pursuant to Article 5 of the “Framework Act on Youth.” Its members focus on directly gathering diverse opinions from youth in their respective communities to research and develop tailored youth policies that reflect the unique characteristics of Gangwon Province.
The fresh, on-the-ground ideas gathered through this process will be directly proposed to the provincial government, the provincial assembly, and the provincial education office, with the aim of turning them into actual local community policies. In addition, the committee plans to expand the scope of local youth activities by conducting a variety of external activities, such as exchanges with youth participation committees in other cities and provinces and community-based campaigns to promote youth rights.
Kang Seok-yeon, Director of the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Youth Activity Promotion Center, said, “We will actively support young people so that they do not remain mere beneficiaries of policy but can grow into confident leaders in the local communities where they live,” he said, adding, “I look forward to the committee members proposing practical policies that reflect the real voices from the local community and bringing about meaningful change in Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province.”
Kim Dong-ju, Reporter
