Greetings from the Director of Haja Center

Last year, we opened the preparatory festival of the Seoul Creativity Summit with the question, “What is Creativity?”

At that time, we spoke of how unfortunate it is that creativity is now seen as only one small part of what makes up a “good” CV, and we how planned to think anew about what creativity means.

We set out to affirm that creativity is made up of the dreams that we dream together, the caring and love we share with one another, as well as the communication that allows us to solve problems.

This year, the first formal meeting will have as its theme, “Creativity meets life in crisis.”

World leaders in this time of long-term economic stagnation and high youth unemployment have begun to grapple with creativity and education. The EU has named 2009 the Year of Creativity and Innovation. UNCTAD in its 2008 “Creative Economy Report” emphasized that creativity will be a core principle supporting nations in future society. The OECD/CERI has pointed out the necessity for creative education in information and communication technologies in the cultivation of future talent.

People from Seoul and Hong Kong, who paid attention early on to creativity industries as a way to stimulate the economy, as well as creative youth from Japan who worked hard to imagine ways to revitalize the long stagnant Japanese economy, are scheduled to attend.

However, here in Korea where national college entrance exam statistics were published for the first time on a high school by high school basis, it looks as if competition will heat up even more as parents seek to exploit this new information to give their children an edge.

It is said that, to succeed, our EQ (Emotional Quotient) needs to be as high as our IQ, but now has come the time when our CQ (Creativity Quotient) needs to be higher still.

In Korea, many youth are not able to thrive in an environment that fosters their CQ. This is yet another reason that the Seoul Youth Creativity Summit is important.

In a time when people are unwilling to live out their lives uncreatively, will it not be easier for us to overcome any type of crisis that comes our way?

In June, we will talk about creative strategies for cities where youth can grow up happy. We will talk about schools and cities as creative spaces. We will talk about social enterprises that enrich our societies. Teachers, children, and youth coming together as one. Korean and Japanese creative minds coming together as one. Coming together through travel, exhibitions, festivals. We will talk about overcoming crisis in a new era of creativity.

We hope you will come and join us.