The Current on the Development of an Outreach Model from a

Gender Perspective

Ja Eun, Choi(Seoul Resource Center for Young Women)

Crisis Intervention in Teenage Runaways

• Crisis Intervention in Teenage Runaways

- a corresponding approach / a positive, preventive approach

• Outreach Program: ‘Visiting the Teens in Crisis’

- The strategy for providing a crisis intervention service for reluctant, uninformed teens

Outreach Service is…

• The service providers enters the streets or places where teens maintain their life at edge, to listen to their voices and meet their needs in order to have better understandings of their everyday lives, eventually intervening in crisis

• Provides links to medical/legal/educational organizations and shelters

The Outreach Service in Korea

• Started out as “street counseling project” in the mid-90s

- Centered around shelters for youth

- Limited to the programs which lacked diversity and were small and intermittent

• Permanent and active since 2001

The Outreach Service in Korea

• Characteristics

- As a part of youth protection policies, it began to operate under shelter programs

- Administration and programs which lacked difference from those of the existing programs

- Programs that overlooked gender differences

Development of ‘Bridge Project’

• 2001 : The establishment in cooperation with shelter

- began to operate on regular bases(twice a week) with training workers for the outreach program

• 2002 : Transition in management - under government management → commissioned

non-government

Development of ‘Bridge Project’

• 2003 : Operation of short-term program (in summer)

• 2004 : Operation of medical programs – An established of one-stop service system

• 2005 : Expansion of regular services

Current Program

Program Time Place Details

Regular service Ⅰ

Thu, Fri.

21:00~02:00

YeouidoDongdaemun

Provides counseling, education, links to shelters, and free meals

Regular service Ⅱ

Fri.

19:00~24:00

Nowon Stat. The same program as above

Medical services

Fri.

21:00~24:00

Dongdaemun medical examination and treatment

Characteristics of Targeted Services Areas

• Yeouido

- This area is known for the runaway teens, biker and their teenage women fans, and one-to-one sex trade

• Dongdaemun

- This area is known for the teens who are highly mobile and consists of diverse groups such as runaway teenagers, students, part-time job seekers, etc.

The Process of ‘Bridge Project’

<Advertising>-The teens in streets

-Distribution of informative materials

<Education>-Sexuality

-Communicationskills

-labor of teens-etc.

<Counseling>-Prevention counseling

-Provides information-Free meals

-Links to medical svc

<Medical svc>-physicists,dermatologists,

Gynecologists, etc.-Links to local and

health care svc

-Preparation for safe return home

-Links to shelters

‘Bridge Project’ Activities

The ‘Bridge Project’ Statistics Related to Runaway(2004)

44.35

55.65

38.46

61.54

0

20

40

60

80

100

Total%

M F

Y(runaway) N(runaway)

<sex/runaway experience>

47.65

52.35

13.67

86.33

0

20

40

60

80

100

Y(runaway) N(runaway)

Y(sexual relationship) N(sexual relationship)

7.81

21.65

12.48

18.34

0

5

10

15

20

25

2001 2002 2003 2004

Total%

Was lured into sex trade

The Tasks of ‘Bridge Project’

• Is it fully challenging and overcoming the limits of youth protection policies?

- The programs of planning

- The characteristics of commissioned organization

• Is it fully functioning to reflect the needs and characteristics of teenage women?

Teenage Women in ‘Bridge Project’

• Runaway teenage women in attempt to escape from violence

• Sexual violence is regard as a part of ‘daily event’

• Teenage women are unconcerned about their own body and health

• Fixed with strong preconceived notion on gender bias and sex role

• Willing to overcome the crisis and search for alternative

‘Bridge Project’ from a Gender Perspective(1)

• Empowerment of Feminist Sensitivity through the Course of Training Program

- Gender sensitivity raising workshops

- Runaway teenage women from a gender perspective

- Regular checkup workshops on values in sexuality education for workers

‘Bridge Project’ from a Gender Perspective(2)

• Developing the New Contents in Feminist Sexuality Education

- Goal : To accelerate sexual self-determination ability

- Subjects : ‘love and relationships’, ‘calculating the physical contacts’, ‘communication skills’, ‘birth control and contraceptives’

- Speak out and Listen up : public debate program

‘Bridge Project’ from a Gender Perspective(3)

• Developing the administrative manual from a

Gender Perspective - The administrative manual for the personnel of NGOs

and related organizations

- Developed by various experts including feminism scholars,social welfare scholars, and social workers

‘Bridge Project’ from a Gender Perspective(4)

• Research Program for the Development of Outreach Program for Runaway Teenage

Women - Demand on the alternative programs to accentuate

qualitative research on the areas where are especially concentrated