Jungnang-gu Launches 6th Collaborative Governance School to Connect Residents and Local Government

Jungnang-gu is accepting applications for its 6th Jungnang Collaborative Governance School, a program designed to build residents' and public officials' capacity to communicate and work together on local issues.

Collaborative governance — known in Korean as "hyeopchi" — refers to a model of district administration in which residents participate in every stage of policymaking, from planning and implementation through evaluation, to jointly address community problems. The Jungnang Collaborative Governance School was established to deepen understanding of this approach and strengthen the capacity of residents and the administration to tackle local challenges together. Since launching the program in 2021, the district has worked to spread a culture of resident-led governance; through last year, a total of 330 people had participated and 183 had completed the course.

The 6th session runs Aug. 26 through Oct. 20 in eight sessions and is open to about 80 participants.

The curriculum covers an introduction to collaborative governance, an overview of Jungnang-gu's key projects and the district council, a field visit to a model collaborative governance site, and a visit to a civic organization. The program combines lectures, on-site tours and participatory activities to deepen participants' understanding of governance and give them firsthand exposure to diverse models of public-private cooperation.

Registration is open through Aug. 14 to Jungnang-gu residents and district employees. Participants who meet the completion requirements will receive a certificate. For more information, contact the Jungnang-gu Office's Community Governance Division.

"Collaborative governance begins in the process of learning from and communicating with one another," district mayor Ryu Gyeong-gi said. "I hope the governance school will allow more residents to take part directly in solving local problems, and that a culture of collaborative governance — where residents and the administration grow together — will continue to spread."