Young People Exhausted by Job Hunting: Jeju National University (JNU) Helps Them Start Again with Emotional Recovery

[Financial News, Jeju—Reporter Jeong Yong-bok] A program designed to help young people exhausted by long-term job searches recover emotionally and resume preparing for their careers and employment was held in Jeju. The initiative expands the university's youth employment support services beyond job information and counseling to support graduates and unemployed young people in the region as they seek a fresh start.
On the 20th, JNU said its University Job Plus Center had operated the “Healing Camp for Low-Energy Young People in the Region” on the 17th with support from the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) and the Jeju Employment Center.
The program was not limited to JNU students. It also welcomed graduates and unemployed young people in the region, extending employment support services to young people outside the university.
The camp focused on easing stress accumulated during lengthy job preparation and rebuilding participants' motivation to find work. It took into account that declining confidence and psychological burnout can make career exploration and job preparation more difficult as the job search continues.
Participants stepped away from their daily routines through a forest experience, spending time resting and communicating with one another. They also made natural soap and took part in therapy sessions. The program was structured to connect psychological stability and restored self-esteem with career planning.
Youth employment policies are also expanding beyond simply providing job information to supporting the entire job-search process. For young people whose job preparation has become prolonged, offering only recruitment information or guidance on writing résumés may not be enough to help them re-enter the labor market.
Young people who have not found jobs after graduating from university, as well as those in the region who are not connected to their schools' employment support systems, may be left outside the reach of available assistance.
This is also why JNU included graduates and unemployed young people in the region in its University Job Plus Center programs. The university is broadening its role from an employment support institution for current students to an employment-services hub that connects with young people across the region.
The issue is also closely linked to helping young people settle in the region. It is becoming increasingly important to establish a system that continuously provides counseling, career planning and employment support so that young people seeking job opportunities in Jeju do not leave during a prolonged job search.
The University Job Plus Center plans to expand customized programs that reflect young people's needs.
Kang Moon-jong, director of JNU's University Job Plus Center, said, "We will listen to the voices of young people in the region and expand practical, customized programs so that they can become self-reliant members of society and settle in the region."


[email protected] Jeong Yong-bok Reporter