By Honorary Reporter Karolina Kapczynska from Poland

Photo = Karolina Kapczynska

Aston House at the Grand Walkerhill Seoul hosted the Global Forum for Culture and Youth 2021.

To commemorate its 50th anniversary, the Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS) under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Dec. 1 hosted the Global Forum for Culture and Youth 2021 at Aston House of the Grand Walkerhill Seoul.

Under the theme "Youth, Culture and Innovation for a Future-fit Society," this event held both online and offline featured experts and young entrepreneurs from around the globe in an open discussion on global issues including economic, environmental and social for a more sustainable future.

In his opening presentation on "Youth for Urban Democracy," Gianpaolo Baiocchi, director of the Urban Democracy Lab at New York University, questioned the state of democracy and advocated an environment inviting youth perspectives to creatively solve problems.

Augustina De Luca, a consultant for the Washington-based Accountability Lab, also stressed political will to accept youth engagement as equally important.

The first session "Social Capital and Youth Culture" discussed the urgency of inclusiveness of the younger generation amid a worsening socioeconomic situation of youth due to COVID-19. Moritz Ader, policy analyst and project manager at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and Janos Bertok, deputy director of the OECD Public Governance Directorate, encouraged leaders to create a more inclusive partnership and employ OECD data in building a strong political commitment and policy coherence as part of pandemic recovery.

Kim Boo-yuel, associate professor of environmental studies at Seoul National University, discussed the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, emphasizing youth entrepreneurship to take on public challenges. 

The second session "Digital Transition and Cultural and Creative Sector" discussed new forms of communication and partnership inspired by youth ingenuity and online presence.

Aleksi Kopponen, senior specialist at the Ministry of Finance in Finland, described the human-centric governance system to be introduced in his country using artificial intelligence to analyze public needs and provide social services "in a uniform and ethical way."

The third session "Culture, Inclusiveness and Wellbeing" examined youth involvement in social activism and communication of global issues through imaginative artistic expressions.

Bang Ja-young from the Korean artist collective Bang & Lee explained how her Greenverse digital platform supports the environmental movement and stimulates responses to climate change, as well as mentioning Creative Camp, a Korean-British project to help young creators shape artistic responses to climate change.

Stephen Duncombe, co-founder of the New York-based Center for Artistic Activism, gave a short lecture on the role of youth in social change and artistic activism, giving examples like Roma Medical Students, who fight racism by offering free medical consultation.

Alix Macfarlane, chair of LGcomms, spoke of the Future Leaders program and the importance of fostering young talent, rejuvenating their educational prospects, updating their skills and making the corporate approach less hierarchical in general.

Throughout the forum, the panelists urged active inclusion of youth in policymaking and the role of youth in facing public challenges, highlighting the creative achievements and innovative methods of the younger generation to raise awareness of problems and propose solutions. 

enny0611@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.