Policy ideas developed through seven regular meetings and an open forum; children's participation activities highlighted at year-end event
Gwanak-gu, a child-friendly city district in Seoul, held the annual Gwanak-gu Children's Policy Council showcase Wednesday at the district office auditorium.
The event featured a video highlighting the policy proposals and children's rights promotion campaigns that council members carried out over the past year. Outstanding members received commendations, and department heads responsible for the proposed policies attended to discuss their feasibility.
The 10 major policy proposals submitted by children this year include a smart barrier system to block vehicle access on sidewalks, a dedicated motorcycle parking lot, a gamified trash bin that lets people vote as they dispose of waste, career-themed streetlights that illuminate both roads and future aspirations, and a local business job-experience program.
Two of the proposals are set to be adopted into district administration: "No Adults Allowed — Our Own Hideout," starting in December, and an arts, physical education and music career-experience program, beginning in 2027.
The Gwanak-gu Children's Policy Council is a participatory body that aims to raise children's awareness of their rights and identify community issues from a child's perspective. From April through October, members held monthly meetings to develop and propose a range of policy ideas.
An open forum broadcast live on YouTube brought children together with an ombudsperson — a children's rights spokesperson — to discuss ways to promote children's rights and gather broader input, expanding opportunities for children to engage in the policymaking process.
Particularly notable this year was the use of generative AI to give shape to policy ideas. Children created AI-generated images of their proposals to make them more vivid and persuasive.
One council member who attended the event said the experience was rewarding. "Turning the policies we imagined into images using AI made our proposals feel so much more real and alive," the member said. "I hope the policies we suggested are actually reflected in Gwanak-gu so it becomes a city where every child is happy."
Gwanak-gu District Mayor Park Jun-hee praised the children's creativity and enthusiasm in using AI to develop fresh policy ideas. "Children's happiness is Gwanak-gu's progress," Park said. "We will continue to listen to children's voices and work to ensure their ideas translate into real policies, advancing our child-friendly city initiatives with greater substance."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
