Sessions at Lee Ho-cheol Book Concert Hall on Wednesday and Oct. 7 cover lectures, agenda-setting, problem definition and debate to build youth capacity
Eunpyeong-gu in Seoul will launch Eunpyeong Academy, the opening program of the 2026 IFWY Eunpyeong Conference, on Wednesday.
Introduced for the first time this year, Eunpyeong Academy is a preparatory education program designed to help young people understand key international issues and identify their own debate topics. It will be held in two sessions at Lee Ho-cheol Book Concert Hall — on Wednesday and Oct. 7.
The first session, on Wednesday, will focus on "Understanding International Exchange and Global Citizenship Education." Kwon Chan-ho, director of the Eunpyeong-gu Lifelong Learning Center, will deliver a lecture explaining why young people are becoming central actors in international affairs and how the global community operates.
Participants will then explore six themes — climate crisis and cultural heritage; the creative economy and youth employment; cultural rights, access and representational equality; AI and human creativity; heritage amid peace and conflict; and collective action covering governance, democracy and youth participation — before identifying their own agenda items based on individual interests.
The second session, on Oct. 7, will feature a problem-definition workshop and debate training. Participants will share the agenda items they identified in the first session and work with Yoon Seok-ho, secretary-general of Debate Korea, to refine their topics. They will then learn the fundamentals of formal debate and develop skills in logical presentation and argumentation.
Selected graduates of Eunpyeong Academy will advance through the main Global Dialogue program before taking part in the Eunpyeong Conference itself, where they will present the Eunpyeong Declaration — a document reflecting the outcomes of their education and debate sessions.
Domestic and international youth who wish to participate may apply through the official website or by scanning the QR code on promotional materials.
"Eunpyeong Academy is the first step in a process where young people come to understand diverse international issues, identify their own agenda items and debate them," Eunpyeong-gu District Mayor Kim Mi-kyung said. "I hope it becomes an opportunity for young people to share ideas with one another, develop them into concrete proposals and build a shared future together."
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