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Society must buttress our youths’ self-reliance

Published: 14 May. 2024, 19:30

Song In-han
The author is a professor of social welfare at Yonsei University and head of the Social Welfare division of the JoongAng Ilbo’s Reset Korea Campaign.

Humans require a relatively lengthy dependent period compared to other warm-blooded species. Most mammals become self-sufficient very young, but humans rely on the guidance of parents and caregivers until they reach adulthood. This is because the human brain has a longer developmental period to build complex reasoning skills.

The high-level skills of communication, social interaction and problem-solving necessary to survive in a complex human society demand continued education and care even into adulthood. In every human life cycle, one is either taking or giving care. There cannot be a moment when care and protection become unnecessary, unless they stop breathing.

In Korea, about 2,400 young people annually come of age and are coldly pushed into society without preparation. The government support for those who age out of orphanages or foster care when they turn 18 lasts just five years. Due to the short coverage, many of them must endure the psychological, social and economic isolation and hardship on their own. They are forced to compete with their peers in society who had been pampered with favoritism from childhood until adulthood and bitterly experience how wealth, connection and power are handed down.

The government and society must be more proactive in helping aged-out family-less young people sustain themselves. Housing is the first urgent necessity. The government must increase public rentals and subsidy programs to provide affordable housing for the young in transition. The current housing program for these people is severely lacking compared to demand. Housing programs must be long-term and securely provided in areas where young people can properly start their independent living in their real first home.

Second, these young people need more information and guidance than anyone else. Society must provide a systematic mentoring program so that they can easily find consulting whenever they face trouble in adapting to society. The government must provide the budget and manpower for career consultancy and vocational training for jobs.

Third, they need mental care as they could be more vulnerable to stress and depression due to a lack of family support. Consulting and therapy programs for aged-out young people should be available in each community, with experts standing by to provide constant, accessible relief. They need extra care in a society, whose social network index that measures the rate of having someone to rely on in times of need is the lowest among countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Last, financial assistance should be bolstered. The current basic allowance is designed so that it cuts off when labor income rises, discouraging aged-out young people from aggressively seeking work. The program must be fine-tuned to sustain support for a certain period by raising the income threshold and relaxing the guideline to re-apply for benefits. A more universal program for providing basic income should be considered to support their safe landing in society. They also must be supported to seek out jobs they want — instead of merely low-skill occupations.

The saying that it takes a village to raise a child underlines that the role of a community and society can be just as important as the family environment in influencing human development. For the young people who have grown up without a family, society must be an engaging and reliable village to lean onto when they come to join it.

We need to change our mindset so that care can stretch beyond individual families toward a common social responsibility. Our children can grow up happily as our community members under a social care program that shares the responsibility for care. A society cannot be sustainable when it leaves each member to care for themselves.

Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.