University students and elementary schoolchildren to survey hazards along routes near Gangdong and Cheonil elementary schools; community-based education program to run through January 2027
Gangdong-gu in Seoul is partnering with Hanyang Women's University to create safer school commute routes for children in the Cheonho old town area.
The district held a launch ceremony Thursday at the main hall of the Cheonho 3-dong community center, with faculty and students from Hanyang Women's University's industry-academic cooperation office in attendance, to kick off the Cheonho Old Town Safe School Commute Improvement Program.
The initiative aims to identify hazards and inconveniences along commute routes near Gangdong Elementary School and Cheonil Elementary School and develop practical solutions.
A key feature of the program is its use of a problem-based learning model, in which university students work alongside local residents and organizations to investigate real community issues and find solutions.
Hanyang Women's University students will conduct on-site surveys, questionnaires and children's participation workshops along the commute routes through January 2027. The children's workshops, planned for this month, will target sixth-graders at both schools, giving them a chance to propose improvements through group discussions and presentations based on their own daily experiences walking to and from school.
Gangdong-gu plans to combine the university students' expertise with the children's firsthand experience to identify commute route improvements. Ideas generated through the program will be reviewed for incorporation into the broader Cheonho Old Town safe school commute project.
"We hope the students' fresh perspectives and ideas will make a real difference in creating safe routes for our children," Gangdong-gu District Mayor Lee Su-hee said. "We encourage them to freely examine the problems they find on the ground and propose creative solutions."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
