- The Community Welfare Fund has finalized the selection of the executing agency for the 2023 project, aiming to establish a community-based system for preventing and managing addiction, specifically designed for the healthy growth of adolescents

[Photo] Choi Jaewon, Gangbuk-gu Addiction Management Integrated Support Center Director (left), and Yeo Jungyoon, Music Therapy Department Head (right), taking a commemorative photo after signing an agreement

Our university has been finally selected for the 2023 project 'Establishment of a Community-Based Addiction Prevention and Management System for the Healthy Growth of Adolescents,' planned by the Community Welfare Fund, in which the university participates as a consortium with the Gangbuk-gu Addiction Management Integrated Support Center. The Music Therapy Department will contribute to the prevention and management system for adolescent addiction by offering programs utilizing music in this project.

The Community Welfare Fund, which conducted the project competition, has selected adolescents as the primary focus. The purpose of implementing the project is to support healthy growth by preventing adolescent addiction to alcohol, drugs, the internet, and gambling. The fund aims to establish a specialized addiction management system for adolescents in the community. The goals include early prevention and management (recovery) of adolescent addiction, aiming to prevent severe addiction, chronicity, and relapse. The project will involve the development and implementation of tailored addiction prevention programs for adolescents, covering four major types of addiction: alcohol, drugs, gambling, and internet, as well as other substances like tobacco (nicotine) and digital devices.

The project chosen in this competition, titled the 'Youth Detox Talk! Dream Talk! Project,' will be jointly executed by the Gangbuk-gu Addiction Management Integrated Support Center and our university's Music Therapy Department. The initiative aims to develop addiction prevention and treatment programs rooted in music-based arts, offering a distinctive addiction program tailored for adolescents. Spanning from February 2024 to January 2027, this three-year project signifies a close collaboration between the two consortium institutions, actively working towards establishing a robust addiction prevention and management system for the local community's youth.

The Music Therapy Department (headed by Professor Yeo Jung-yun) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Gangbuk-gu Addiction Management Integrated Center (Director Choi Jae-won) in October 2023. They provide music therapy programs for center users and collaborate on efforts for the healthy growth of the local community related to addiction. They have also developed art therapy programs tailored to different types of addiction, implementing various programs for gambling, media, smartphone, and alcohol addiction. Through collaboration with schools and various youth institutions in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, they have been operating music therapy programs for adolescents, demonstrating their effectiveness. Particularly, Professor Yeo Jung-yun, head of the Music Therapy Department, has developed specialized music therapy programs for smartphone and media addiction, proving their effectiveness across diverse target groups.

Professor Yeo Jung-yun, the head of the Music Therapy Department, expressed, "Through this project, our university's Music Therapy Department aims to further develop a community-based, healthy art healing ecosystem, which has been the core motto of our department. We anticipate that our department will play a crucial role in resolving various issues related to addiction, which is currently a serious problem in society.