EBS documentary follows five-month growth of 130 out-of-school youths

The first part of the EBS special documentary "Youth, Reconstruction of Paths" premiered on the 3rd, documenting the five-month journey of 130 out-of-school youths. The film captures how individuals like Eun-jeong, Min-seo, Jae-sang, and A-ram overcame social prejudice and mental illness to build proactive lives through part-time work, certifications, and community participation.

Capturing the intense daily lives of out-of-school youths through 'Setlog Documentary'.

EBS special documentary "Youth, Reconstruction of Paths" Part 1: 'Not a student, but still a youth' - Depicting the 'standing alone' of out-of-school youths carving out their own tomorrows. A record of daily lives and dazzling growth preserved by children who overcame prejudice to protect themselves.

The first installment of the five-part EBS special documentary "Youth, Reconstruction of Paths," which reflects on the uniform growth paths of our society through the voices of "out-of-school youths" and "resting youth," opened its first chapter on the 3rd.

Part 1, "Not a student, but still a youth," follows a five-month record of children who left the school gates because they could not endure COVID-19, conflicts and wounds in peer relationships, the narrow gate of entrance exams, and mental illness. The documentary delicately captures the raw daily lives of these children, who struggle in their own ways to avoid collapsing amidst cold social prejudice and isolation, using a unique "Setlog Documentary" format utilizing SNS.

In Part 1, the reality of the children who stepped outside the school gates was not merely a romantic deviation or simple wandering. Amidst the narrow gate of entrance exam competition, malicious bullying and division, and the resulting depression and anxiety disorders, dropping out of school was the "only way to breathe to stay alive" for these children.

This was no different for Eun-jeong, a former class president and top student who had a strong desire to study, which is why she went to a part-time job interview the day before dropping out. “I felt that I had to move my body from that day so that I wouldn't collapse,” she said. The children who left the fence of school were protecting themselves much more desperately, yet silently, than expected. The documentary also captured the hearts of mothers who broke down while writing their children's names on dropout papers. Seeing a child step outside the school gates, unlike children attending classes normally, they felt a sense of defeat as if being pushed to the edge of a cliff.

However, leaving the pain and tears behind, the children finally began to grow stronger at their own pace. While working part-time at a cafe, Eun-jeong prepared for the TOEIC and earned certifications; Min-seo overcame daily isolation through video editing while calling herself a funny alien; Jae-sang rebuilt collapsed self-esteem through intense exercise and florist classes; and A-ram led the establishment of study cafes and increases in school meal costs through the Youth Participation Committee. These children are filling their own "individual timetables" with all their might rather than following a fixed orbit.

The daily lives of the children, conveyed through the Setlog screens on smartphone displays, are sometimes bitter and sometimes dazzling. While they sometimes sigh when encountering neighborhood friends and still worry deeply about university entrance exams, they still speak proudly. They say that after leaving school, "it feels like I have pulled back the blackout curtains once" and "I am much happier now because I can live proactively."

The question "Are you happy now?" posed to the 130 out-of-school youths goes beyond a simple inquiry, presenting a heavy topic that makes us reflect on how our society has measured them with uniform standards. Though they have removed the label of "school," they are still radiant youths. It is now time for our society to take off the colored glasses of prejudice and offer warm applause toward the flexible timetables they have drawn for themselves.

Following Part 1, which contains the record of intense growth as they protect their daily lives with their own strength, Part 2, "Those who have wandered find the way," will follow four out-of-school youths as they personally decide where they want to go, whom they want to meet, and what they want to do, embarking on their first-ever school trip. It is expected to tell the story of finding oneself in the larger school of the world outside of school.

Part 2 of the EBS special documentary "Youth, Reconstruction of Paths," "Those who have wandered find the way," will be broadcast on EBS 1TV on Tuesday, November 10 at 10:50 PM.

Read the original (Korean)