Amid temperatures approaching 35-degrees Celsius, young people have toiled to create a better environment in Gwangju and Jeonnam.

From the 12th to the 13th August, about 300 members of the Youth Volunteer Group We Are One Gwangju-South Jeolla Branch (hereinafter We Are One Gwangju-South Jeolla) conducted environmental clean-up activities in five locations in Gwangju city and South Jeolla province, including Gwangju Stream in Gwangju, Samhyang River in Mokpo, Sewage Treatment Plant in Yeosu, Dongcheon River in Suncheon, and Bonggang Valley in Gwangyang.

The young volunteers carefully looked into every nook and cranny and gathered discarded litter, including household waste and illegally dumped waste, and floating objects brought in by heavy winds and rains that had hindered the aesthetics and various walking trails.

The riverside roads and coastal areas in each region are popular spots for residents to take a break and walk with nature, and on weekends, city tourists visit for relief.

Efforts in Gwangju Stream, where the largest number of youth members carried out clean-up activities, were centred on the 'Gwangju Stream Ecological Healing Belt', which connects various cultural and tourism spaces such as the Asia Culture Center in Yangnim neighbourhood and the old Jeonjeon and Ilshin Textiles to the centre of Gwangju Stream, and allows citizens and tourists to cycle and walk for culture. It is also a place that Gwangju City is envisioning to create as a space where one can enjoy shopping and leisure activities.

100 members of We Are One Gwangju-South Jeolla unanimously participated in clearing away litter from Yangdong Parking Lot to the front entrance of Gwangju-Kia Champions Field so that Gwangju Stream can become a place that represents healing for citizens and tourists.

A volunteer who participated in the environmental clean-up activity on that day said, “When we initially passed by, we thought it was a clean place, but when we reflected on the amount of rubbish we collected, we realised that the litter, together with logic and reasoning, had been discarded in unseen places. There was a sense of pride seeing colleagues digging through the bushes and picking up the strewn litter. Through this service, I will continue to participate in various social contribution activities for the development of the local community.”

An official from We Are One Gwangju-South Jeolla said:-