Presidential Office Holds 'Dialogue Outside the Box' with Family Caregivers and Isolated Youth

"We Will Continue Efforts to Bridge Policy Blind Spots Through Communication"

The Office of National Integration Secretary at the Presidential Office announced on April 6 that it held a session called "Dialogue Outside the Box" to listen to the experiences of young people from a variety of crisis backgrounds who have been excluded from the existing policy network.

Yonhap News Agency

This dialogue was attended by young people with diverse crisis backgrounds, including family caregivers, isolated and reclusive youth, self-reliant youth, those who have left youth welfare facilities, and youth who have left home (tentative name). The meeting was organized to go beyond the limitations of standardized policy blind spots and to seek practical solutions together. Heo Eun-ah, National Integration Secretary, presided over the meeting, which was attended by 15 young people as well as Choi Ji-won, Youth Officer, staff from the Office of Health and Welfare Secretary, and the Office of Gender Equality and Family Secretary.

Participants pointed out concrete problems arising from institutional shortcomings, such as differences in the criteria for support programs across ministries and the lack of information available to policy recipients. They also proposed specific improvements.

Youth who have left youth welfare facilities or left home pointed out, "Although each ministry classifies young people according to their characteristics, those who have left youth welfare facilities or left home do not fall under any of these criteria." They further emphasized, "There needs to be an integrated approach that goes beyond the silos between ministries, focusing on each young person’s individual background." In addition, some raised concerns that when applying for various youth support programs such as public rental housing or scholarships, youth who have left home are disadvantaged because their income is still linked to their parents, or it is difficult to prove their hardships.

A family caregiver who has cared for a family member for 17 years shared, "I never learned how to care for someone at a young age, so the caregiving situation was extremely bleak." The participant stressed the need for basic caregiving education, saying, "Hospitals, visiting nurses, and care workers do not share information with each other, so the young caregiver is ultimately left to fill the gaps caused by this disconnect."

A young person who experienced isolation and reclusion cited "disconnection from society" as the greatest pain of prolonged isolation. The participant shared, "While spending time building relationships in the world of online games due to having nowhere else to turn in society, I came across policy information through a game bulletin board," suggesting the idea of using games as a channel for social connection.

A young person currently running a mentoring program based on self-reliance experience proposed improvements to ensure that cash support for young people helps them build practical self-reliance systems. In particular, the participant noted, "Although a self-reliance settlement fund is provided, many do not know how to use the money because they have never managed finances themselves." They added, "Rather than simply providing the settlement fund or allowance and ending support, there needs to be education and a system in place so that it becomes a stepping stone to prepare for the next stage."

The Presidential Office plans to actively coordinate with relevant ministries to fill the gaps and resolve the sense of alienation and conflict felt by young people from various crisis backgrounds. The Office of National Integration Secretary stated, "We will promptly prepare measures starting with the suggestions from young people that can be implemented immediately," adding, "We will continue to listen to voices from the field and, based on their experiences and suggestions, pursue communication efforts to bridge policy blind spots."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.