“Adolescents who were discharged from residential care have a lots of difficulties. However, those worries are obvious difficulties that people in their 20’ always have.”
This is what Shin Jong-geun, a director of Peace Village said to CP reporters who asked about difficulties that discharged adolescents have. He said discharged nursery school youths might have a little bit more hardships; however, the fundamental things would be not different to other youths.


   The Function of Nursery Schools
   Korea’ majority of nursery schools were started after the Korean War to protect and raise children who lost parents and houses. Recently, children enter nursery schools because of parents’economic problem, unsuitable breeding conditions, absence of parents, single mother problems, and so on. They come in the root of neighbors request not in voluntarily. Rehabilitating the family would be the most important thing that society should do, but to step in and help the family directly is not an easy thing to do. Therefore, nursery schools work to raise children in good shape, and establish their positions in the community.

   Education before being discharged
   To help children to function well after nursery school, the Peace Village, an orphanage which is situated in Dong-gu, Daejeon, concentrates on 3 major projects. As dysfunctional families children have mental stress, specialists focus on the psychological aspect. First, they establish a familyhood relationship with communities’upright family. After being discharged from the residential care, someday the adolescents will grow enough to make their own families. Not to repeat a vicious circle of poverty or other problems, they should know what a real family is. According to Mr. Shin, children who enter in the installation are lacking the notion of family. He thinks building the family relationship is the wisest plan for children by showing them a well working family. For children who got tied with other families, eat out together or go on a trip with them. Through this program youths will surely find out what real family means. The next major program is going backpacking by themselves for 1 week. To go backpacking, youths should make plans just by themselves. This program was projected to raise their adventurous spirit and confidence. Youths will also learn how to spend money properly by managing trip budgets. The last one is a job related career experience program. It is the one that can make you achieve self-realization and earn money. Job would be the most contributed one in the livelihood. The agencies connected with the Peace Village are now providing various programs for youths to find their aptitude.

 

 
   Situations after residence care
   Usually children in residence care are being discharged after graduation from high school. Children with disorders can stay until 24. Of course, some of the discharged students would live well without any hardship by having an early prepared life plan. Though, still the age 18~20 is young in society and as there is no experience of living only by oneself. It is hard to settle stably. Living in a stable environment might be hard for anyone, but the absence of parents to count on without constraint might make institution discharged youths to feel more lonely.
   The hardest things that those youth discharged from nursery schools said are shelter, income, and career. First of all, this graph, according to The Beautiful Foundation, is showing the youths discharged from residential care dwelling present condition. The graph is separated into 2 parts; the first part handles houses that are supported by government, and the other is without the government’ support. As you can see, the sum of the percent that dwelling supported by the government is 25.2%. The rest of the 74.8% are finding residence solutions just by themselves. From the point of view of a youth who just got out from nursery care, where to live and how to pay for residence could be the most concerned thing. According to Korea Human Resource Development Institute for Health and Welfare, the average amount of money that discharged youths pay for monthly rent deposits, and a deposit for lease are 4.19 million won and 38.28 million won. To pay these, 39.3% of researched youths are raising money by themselves and 27% are paying by the resettlement stipend given when discharged.
   The next difficulty that discharged adolescents feel is in the income sector. When they got to stand their own, everything becomes its own responsibility. They need living expenses to live day to day, and need to pay utility bill. Also, more money is needed to enjoy culture. However, the average support fund for adolescent self-reliance is 3,820,000 won. The amount of money is different by local government. Donggu, Daejeon set fund for adolescent self-reliance in 3,000,000 won and this is given in order of priority to the one who has a job. According to the “esearch on the actual condition about discharged from nursery care youths”done by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, there were only 463 people who answered that they have income out of 921. The distribution of income in the graph shows that fewer than 1 million won took 104 people, 1.01 million to 1.5 million won took 283 people which were the largest group, and people who earn more than 1.51 won was 76 people which took the smallest number. In addition, most of people have done part time job to earn the living cost. Permanent workers took 56.2%, temporary workers 30%, and the other was 13.8%. The rate of permanent workers dropped compared to 68.3% in 2010. The employment route were school’ recommendation, found work by oneself, and got through institutions by the highest order.
   The last factor of hardship is career. Planning a perfect career is nearly impossible, so people try to experience lots of things. As part of this, students enter university. Statically, Korea’ college entrance rate is 66% researched by OECD and nursery school student’ entrance rate is 36.2% researched by The Beautiful Foundation. It’ totally not right judge the students who entered the university got the perfect aptitude. However, there are some of educations that only college students could learn and an opportunity that might help one’ future career.

 
 
   Important things for nursery school students
   Experts say that “dolescents who are cared for by the nursery schools are used to adopt what institutions give, so they are passive and easily reliant on others help which is creating an obstacle to their independence.”However, everyone lives with the people who carefully care us with love more than 20 years. The experts saying do not only correspond to the discharged nursery school adolescents. It could be a biased view to think that nursery care youths are independent. Though, it doesn’ mean to face away discharged children’ hardship. It is obvious that the program for independent is needed. In the orphan just giving three meals a day is not all to raise children well. The psychotherapy for children suffering emotional distress should be enforced nationally. Furthermore, culture and art education should have more attention. The subsidy given to nursery schools is just the amount of basic living costs. The shortage of money to carry out various programs, orphanages got an additional work to raise funds. Furthermore, there is few monitoring program after discharged as well as self-reliance assistance program. Thus, to support discharged nursery school youths to overcome the stress from family or society, budget support system for orphanage should work well. Also taking a profound interest in the program in and after the orphanage will be needed.

 

O Se-rin | By CP Reporter

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