By Honorary Reporter Lyuboslava Hristova from Bulgaria
Photos = Lyuboslava Hristova 

"Inclusion and Inclusiveness: Shared Vision of Youth for Local, National and Global Village." This was the theme of the 30th International Youth Forum in Seoul from July 16-23 hosted by the National Council of Youth Organizations in Korea. A combined 179 young people from 54 countries participated in the forum after passing the application and selection processes, and I had the honor of joining the Bulgarian delegation and representing my country.


The forum participants shared their knowledge, exchanged ideas and leading examples, and expanded their horizons in inclusion and inclusiveness, a concept that covers wide range of social and political issues in contemporary society. For example, social inclusion is related to the disabled, how they are treated in society, the types of access they have (or are denied) to public services, leading roles and active participation. Another topic was the problems minorities face and how they are represented in the media, government and social mythology. And the forum also explored how society treats people who are born "different" or choose to embrace alternative lifestyles.

The forum focused on the importance of these issues in today's globalized world and stressed an active role for each member of the global community. A series of lectures by leading professors from Korean universities were divided into three categories: "Education and Youth Activities," "Roles and Assignments of the Media" and "Exploring the Universal Design for Inclusion."


After the lectures, all participants were assigned to nine teams of 20 members each. They worked together during the daily discussion sessions to share information on their respective countries, strategies for their nations' social issues and exchange ideas on the values used to deal with the problems of exclusion. The main purpose of these activities was to identify and analyze the issues, suggest solutions and present an action plan. Finally, the results were gathered, summarized and presented in front of all forum participants and guests.


In addition to academic activities, the forum offered events encouraging intercultural communication and collaboration. On the evening of the "Global Village" event, each participant had to present his or her culture through traditional attire and cuisine, popular games and famous landmarks. This event, however, was conducted in a manner that did not simply represent each culture as a separate phenomenon but provided an opportunity for cultural mingling and cross-cultural teamwork. This is why members formed small teams of five people each to help each other present their cultures together.

Finally, participants, all eager to explore Korea as much as possible, got to go on a day trip to leading spots in the capital such as the N Seoul Tower, the National Museum of Korea and Changdeokgung Palace.


At the end of the day, we used every free hour we had, no matter how exhausted we were, to hit the arteries of the city, lured by the small steep streets of Myeongdong, showers of lights at night and the immersive atmosphere of Hongdae with its street performances. Participants were enchanted by noraebang (karaoke room) and street bars filled with soju (traditional liquor) with a variety of flavors and cafes offering all kinds of delicious bingsu (shaved ice dessert with red bean paste). Others were content to simply roam around the beautiful alleys and bridges around the Hangang River.

Thanks to this experience, young people from the world over received a unique opportunity to exchange ideas on an important subject, expand their knowledge and views of the world and its magnificent cultural diversity, grow more familiar with Korean culture and make friendships for life.

chaey0726@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.