Gwangmyeong Mayor Shin Gye-yong emphasized on July 29 that the Gwangmyeong Youth Festival is becoming a representative cultural event for the region, driven by the participation and ideas of local youth.
On this day, Mayor Shin announced the launch of the 'Third Gwangmyeong Youth Festival Planning Group' during a ceremony at the youth space, 'Flying Zone,' marking the beginning of their activities.
The mayor is accelerating efforts to create a city where young people can thrive by expanding participatory youth policies that allow them to plan and operate local festivals.
The new planning group consists of nine local youths selected through an open recruitment process in May. They will be involved in all aspects of the upcoming '5th Gwangmyeong Youth Festival,' scheduled for October 3, including planning, promotion, and operations.
This initiative aligns with Mayor Shin's vision of positioning youth not just as beneficiaries of policies but as active contributors to policy-making and local culture.
During the ceremony, participants received their appointment letters and discussed the festival's operational direction and roles, as well as various ideas from the youth.
Notably, the second planning group, which operated last year, successfully laid the groundwork for a youth-led festival through effective program planning, on-site management, and promotion. This year, the third planning group aims to focus on developing enhanced content and citizen participation programs.
Before the festival, the planning group will conduct expert training, workshops, benchmark successful festivals from other municipalities, and create promotional content to ensure a festival that is collaboratively built by youth and citizens.
Since taking office, Mayor Shin has consistently pursued various youth policies, including the establishment of youth spaces, expanding youth participation, and developing youth policies, to create a foundation for young people to become key players in local development.
The operation of this youth festival planning group is also being recognized as a prime example of effectively expanding youth participation in policy-making.
Gwangmyeong citizens have responded positively to the approach of having youth directly create local events. One citizen remarked, "If young people are generating ideas and running the festival, it will be much more innovative and enjoyable for the community."
Another citizen noted, "Mayor Shin's ongoing efforts to actively incorporate youth opinions into governance are commendable. I hope Gwangmyeong evolves into a cultural city where young people want to stay and where all citizens can participate together."
Local youth expressed optimism, stating, "Opportunities for youth to directly create policies and festivals are increasing beyond administrative boundaries. We hope to see more diverse youth participation policies in the future."
Meanwhile, Mayor Shin Gye-yong added, "I will actively support the 5th festival to ensure it becomes a meaningful event where both youth and citizens can enjoy and communicate together."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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