Dongjak-gu, led by District Mayor Ryu Sam-young, is recruiting participants for the second-half cycle of its "Dongjak-gu University Student Policy Idea League," a program designed to give university students hands-on administrative experience and sharpen their employability.
The Policy Idea League pairs university students with civil servants to research key district issues and develop new solutions.
In the first half of the year, seven teams took part and explored policy ideas spanning welfare, culture, safety, urban development, education and the economy — covering a "well-dying" end-of-life program, restoration of the Dongjaegi ferry landing, a construction-site safety master plan, Han River waterfront revitalization, a Korean vocabulary map, and a social dining initiative for the cup-rice street in Noryangjin.
For the second half, the district will again select 42 university students who either live in Dongjak-gu or are enrolled or on leave from a university located there, forming seven teams of one civil servant and six students each.
Selected participants will determine their specific research topics and direction at a launch ceremony on Sept. 11, then carry out team-based research activities including policy surveys and idea development. They will present their findings and be evaluated at a final showcase on Dec. 3.
The final evaluation will name one grand-prize team, two excellence-award teams and four merit-award teams. Winners will receive a certificate along with research funding — 600,000 won ($424) per grand-prize team, 300,000 won per excellence-award team and 180,000 won per merit-award team.
Applications are open from Aug. 10 through Aug. 31 via a Naver form linked in the public notice on the Dongjak-gu website or through the QR code on the promotional poster. Applicants must select their first and second preferred fields from among the district's seven policy areas. Final selections will be announced Sept. 4 through the Dongjak-gu website and individual notification.
For further inquiries, contact the Dongjak-gu Office's Youth and Adolescent Division.
"The experience of thinking through and actually shaping policy is a kind of living, practical knowledge that books and lectures alone cannot provide," District Mayor Ryu said. "I hope the fresh perspectives that university students bring will help take Dongjak-gu's policies to the next level, and we will actively support efforts to ensure their ideas go beyond proposals and are reflected in actual district administration."
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