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Snapshots from DDing Dong’s Activities

We recorded
the highest number of consultations
since DDing Dong’s establishment

Over the last year, we communicated with the most LGBTIQ youth, recording the highest number of consultations since our opening. In 2024, DDing Dong had 537 consultation sessions with 168 LGBTIQ youth. Among them, 108 were those who connected with DDing Dong for the first time. We exchanged 4,733 messages through the DDing Dong KakaoTalk channel, checking in on our youth and providing simple information.

KakaoTalk channel
inquiries & responses

* Inquiries, consultation requests, check-ins, information sharing, etc.


A line graph showing the number of KakaoTalk counseling inquiries and responses from 2021 to 2024, increasing each year and reaching 4,733 in 2024



Consultation cases


A bar graph showing the number of counseling cases from 2021 to 2024, with 537 cases in 2024



Counseling Methods in 2024



A pie chart showing counseling method proportions in 2024: 47.7% in-person, 44.1% phone, 3.9% KakaoTalk, and 4.3% others



Age Distribution of Counseling Participants by Year



A stacked bar graph showing the age breakdown of counseling participants in 2024: 25 under 16, 80 aged 17–19, and 63 aged 20–24



Major consultation topics in 2024


DDing Dong classifies the concerns of LGBTIQ youth into a total of 40 different topics. Mental health crises have been the most frequently reported topic every year at DDing Dong. In 2024, we had the highest number of mental health-related consultations since our opening, at 218 cases. Additionally, many LGBTIQ youth complained of conflicts with family and difficulties with interpersonal relationship


In 2024, there was a particular rise in topics commonly experienced by transgender youth as the number of transgender visitors increased. Major consultation topics included gender dysphoria, transition, concerns about coming out to parents in order to begin medical transition as minors, and career options for transgender individuals.


Mental health & psychological issues
218 cases


A person crying with their hands on their face.



Conflict with family
188 cases


A person struggling with conflict at home.



Interpersonal relationships
152 cases


A person sad due to problems with others.



Career &studies
150 cases


A school building and a graduation cap.



Transition
140 cases


A transgender flag.



Comingout
98 cases


A box bursting with colorful rainbow ribbons.



Sexual orientation
92 cases


A six-color rainbow flag.



Self-reliance
88 cases


A house with a sprout growing inside, symbolizing independence.



※ We also provide consultations for various other topics includi
relationship problems, gender dysphoria, homelessness, hate speech, jobs, domestic abuse, or suicidal ideation.

Statistics for major crisis support services


In 2024, we provided 1,683 crisis support services. As we had an increased number of consultation visits (256 cases) and psychological counseling sessions (133 cases), we had more visits to the center. Medical support services (90 cases) also increased as we provided hormonal therapy support for some transgender youth facing discontinuation of medical transition due to financial difficulties.




2021202220232024
Center visits576238231,179

Night-time crisis support

--22-

Housing support

48218
Medical support35353890
Psychological counseling78690133
Legal support21172333
Daily Life Support95144249232
Other1000
Total2209131,2261,683



※ We have night-time crisis support statistics for 2023 since we had a trial run of Night Center Soom Soom.




Snapshots from DDing Dong’s Activities

Rainbow Kit,
emergency necessities for
homeless LGBTIQ youth

Snapshots from
DDing Dong’s Activities

Rainbow Kit, emergency necessities for homeless LGBTIQ youth




Rainbow Kit is our program that provides daily necessities such as foods, hygiene products, and medical products once a month for self-reliance of homeless LGBTIQ youth. Homeless LGBTIQ youth usually attempt to leave home after experiencing a lack of respect for their identity and dignity, often with physical violence or neglect. Sometimes, the unstable living conditions caused by homelessness naturally lead to the youth dropping out of school, and they often experience discrimination during job search and at work.


When a youth requests a Rainbow Kit, we conduct a phone interview through which our activists understand the details of the youth’s homeless situation and examine what additional resources and goods they might need.


Food items are the most frequently requested, while menstrual products are always included as a requested item for youth who menstruate. In 2024, DDing Dong put considerable thought into how we can meet the diverse needs of homeless youth. We increased the variety of food options, including options for vegan foods, and prepared menstrual products of various sizes and types.



Gift Rainbow Kits to LGBTIQ youth



Pads, socks, condoms, masks, and detergent placed together.


Show your support for homeless LGBTIQ youth and help them be themselves through your donations. You can donate daily essentials such as food, household supplies, menstrual products, socks, underwear, and more. Since DDing Dong is a non-profit foundation that can issue donation receipts, companies and individuals can also receive tax deduction benefits when donating items!


Donate by Paypal


Donate Monthly

Snapshots from DDing Dong’s Activities

DDing Dong Restaurant,
where LGBTIQ youth can
meet their peers

Snapshots from DDing Dong’s Activities

DDing Dong Restaurant, where LGBTIQ youth can meet their peers




DDing Dong Restaurant is where you can feel each other’s warmth! At DDing Dong Restaurant, LGBTIQ youth can have a meal with other LGBTIQ youth and make friends. After the meal, there is always time for fun, with chitchats, lectures, and board games. In 2024, DDing Dong Restaurant held 12 events from March to December, including one in Daegu and one in Busan, with a total of 163 participants. At DDing Dong Restaurant, LGBTIQ youth can find a brief respite from hate and discrimination, supporting and cheering each other, and leave with a smile.

DDing Dong Restaurant photos


A Dding Dong activist listening to LGBTIQ youth share their stories during a post-it workshop.

Listening to the LGBTIQ youth
at DDing Dong Restaurant




LGBTIQ youth seen from behind in a warm, plant-filled space, while two volunteers play a board game in front.

At Daegu DDing Dong Restaurant,
playing board games with LGBTIQ youth

 




A transgender adult guest holding a mic and speaking to LGBTIQ youth in Dding Dong Restaurant arranged for a lecture.

One of the guests for special DDing Dong Restaurant
for transgender youth is talking in front of the LGBTIQ youth



DDing Dong Restaurant reviews from LGBTIQ youth


I felt like I was connected to people like me. I no longer feel like I’m all alone in the world.


- Participant A




I want to keep participating at DDing Dong Restaurant where I can be myself!


- Participant B




It made me happy to have a delicious meal and chat with other queers♥


- Participant C



2024 Dding Dong Restaurant
Monthly Programs

Mar.

Chitchat: How to Make Our Schools Queer inclusive

Apr.

Newbie Special: Rainbow Flower Board Game

May.

Living It Up at the Pride Parade

Jun.

Seoul Queer Culture Festival Youth-Only Space Preparation

Jul.

Plan Out for Coming Out

Aug.

A Talk Show: Transgenders at Work

Sep.

Regional special: Daegu 

Veganism and Climate Crisis

Writing Contest Special: Let’s Flirt with Poetry

Oct.

Regional Special: Busan

Rainbow Marble Board Game with Dadareum

Nov.

HIV/AIDS: Ask Me Anything

Dec.

Christmas Party

Snapshots from DDing Dong’s Activities

Home, PRIDE HOME,
the beginning of
an LGBTIQ youth
housing support
project

Snapshots from
DDing Dong’s Activities

Home, PRIDE HOME, the beginning of an LGBTIQ youth housing support project




At DDing Dong, we have met many LGBTIQ youth who are concerned after leaving homes due to domestic violence and neglect. Even though there are more than 130 youth shelters nationwide, LGBTIQ youth, either rejected from or voluntarily giving up entry due to their identity, still need to worry about where they will spend the night. The problem of domestic violence and homelessness experienced by these youth remain largely unknown, and the government has failed to provide proper guidelines.


Additionally, because the shelters operate under gender binary as per government guidance, transgender and nonbinary youth cannot use these facilities comfortably or safely. Under these circumstances, even staff working at youth shelters don’t know how to support LGBTIQ youth, and they aren’t given opportunities for proper training.


We established a 5-year plan in 2019 and began the Home, PRIDE HOME Project, for LGBTIQ youth worried about where to call home. This project aims to keep DDing Dong open 24 hours, instead of 12 hours during the day, to make night-time use possible and create a space where these youth can have a comfortable rest even if just for one day. Going beyond simply providing emergency housing support, the Home, PRIDE HOME Project will conduct research that captures the experiences and concerns of homeless LGBTIQ youth, strengthen cooperation with youth housing rights organizations, and provide training for youth organization professionals so that all youth organizations in Korea can serve the same role as DDing Dong.

Home Pride Home Project Overview

From 12 hours to 24 hours
LGBTIQ youth housing support


An LGBTIQ youth entering Dding Dong with luggage, warmly welcomed by Qureumi.



Survey on LGBTIQ youth’s
homelessness concerns and experiences


A colorful cloud sharing a story about family conflict with Qureumi.



How do we welcome LGBTIQ youth?
Training for youth organization/institution professionals


Qureumi pointing to a rainbow board and speaking to a group.



In 2024, we explored our future direction in terms of housing support and sought consultations. After visiting various forms of emergency housing support organizations and listening to the experiences of Night Center Soom Soom users, we confirmed that simply securing funding and personnel won’t be enough for DDing Dong’s housing support solution.


Instead of simply trying to provide space, we plan to move on to phase two of the Home, PRIDE HOME Project that allows LGBTIQ youth to design their own lives and branch out toward self-reliance. We will strengthen our cooperation with youth housing support organizations and expand our resource base.




The book cover of “Survey on LGBTIQ Youth’s Homelessness Concerns and Experiences”

A dark blue background with yellow text: “Basic Survey Report on LGBTIQ Youth’s Experiences and Family Issues”.


Snapshots from DDing Dong’s Activities

Supporting HIV-positive
LGBTIQ youth

Snapshots from
DDing Dong’s Activities

Supporting HIV-positive LGBTIQ youth





Viewing People Living with HIV as Partners in Coexistence, Not Targets of Hatred 

While efforts to prevent HIV infection among youth are important, it is equally crucial to consider who leads these discussions and how HIV/AIDS is framed. DDing Dong has developed the HIV/AIDS educational game kit “Let’s Go! HIVster Challenge!” and continues to create safer, more engaging ways to talk about HIV/AIDS through this tool. 


Five LGBTIQ Youth Become ‘HIVsters’ — HIV/AIDS Peer Educators 

Every year, DDing Dong runs “HIVster,” a program that trains LGBTIQ youth to become peer educators on HIV/AIDS. In 2024, five LGBTIQ youth became the 4th cohort of HIVsters. They received training on a wide range of topics — including modes of transmission, prevention methods, testing, and treatment — and learned how to use “Let’s Go! HIVster Challenge!” to conduct peer education sessions. 


DDing Dong Restaurant’s HIV/AIDS special where the 4th HIVsters shined 

In light of World AIDS Day on December 1st, we led an HIV/AIDS education program for 22 LGBTIQ youth at November’s DDing Dong Restaurant themed “HIV/AIDS: Ask Me Anything.” We invited HIV/AIDS Human Rights Action: Al and SHARE, the center for Sexual rigHts And Reproductive justicE, to learn about the rights of HIV-positive people and sexual rights of youth. HIVster cohort 4 led the “Let’s Go! HIVster Challenge!” game, excelling in their role of sharing various HIV/AIDS-related information with their peers.


A Dding Dong activist and LGBTIQ youth looking at a screen that says “intersectional perspective”.

The training workshop for 4th cohort of HIVsters




A Dding Dong activist and LGBTIQ youth looking at a screen that says “intersectional perspective”.

A LGBTIQ youth who is participating “Let’s go! HIVster Challenge!,”
a teaching aid game for HIV/AIDS

 



Snapshots from DDing Dong’s Activities

Giving wings of human rights
to LGBTIQ youth


DDing Dong speaks out for LGBTIQ youth rights 

The most frequent consultation topic for LGBTIQ youth visiting DDing Dong is mental heal & psychological issues. Despite the severe suicide & mental health crisis among LGBTIQ people, countermeasures are nonexistent, and there hasn’t even been any related research. To improve the status quo, DDing Dong launched our campaign “Declaration: LGBTIQ Lives Matter.” 


37 business establishments nationwide agreed to put up our campaign poster, and we met countless citizens at our booths in the Queer Culture Festival, Seoul Human Rights Film Festival, and more. We submitted signatures we collected from 1,209 citizens to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Assembly, once again demanding measures to prevent LGBTIQ suicide. 


We joined 9 LGBTIQ youth in submitting a petition to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea to raise awareness that gender questionnaire on exam answer sheets is a human rights violation. 

Snapshots from
DDing Dong’s Activities

Giving wings of human rights to LGBTIQ youth




A smiling activist holding a mic on stage, as youth and activists applaud and watch.

In 2024 Seoul Queer Culture Festival, an activist is introducing the campaign “Declaration: LGBTIQ Lives Matter.” at DDing Dong booth.





“Creating an Inclusive School Environment for LGBTIQ Students,” Ilda, April 1, 2024.

Ilda , April 1, 2024


At the presentation titled “Improving Legal Systems for Inclusive School Environments: The Case of LGBTIQ Students” held at the Canadian Embassy in Seoul on March 20, LGBTIQ youth support center DDing Dong’s research team introduced cases abroad and emphasized the need for LGBTIQ-inclusive school environments in Korea.





“The Proposed Student Rights Bill Finally Includes LGBT Discrimination Clauses after Back and Forth”

OhmyNews, September 24, 2024


A Student Rights Bill that implicitly includes “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as prohibited reasons discrimination has been proposed in the National Assembly. (…) In consideration of LGBTIQ student rights, they have decided to include these grounds, albeit indirectly, by “applying the National Human Rights Commission Act.”



Snapshots from DDing Dong’s Activities

Rainbow Writing Contest &
CHRIS KIM SCHOLARSHIP:
for LGBTIQ youth to shine brighter

Snapshots from
DDing Dong’s Activities

Rainbow Writing Contest & CHRIS KIM SCHOLARSHIP: for LGBTIQ youth to shine brighter




LGBTIQ youth don’t always live in crisis. They have bright moments outside consultation rooms, and they spend their days diligently planning for the future. In 2024, DDing Dong initiated the Rainbow Writing Contest for queer youth and CHRIS KIM SCHOLARSHIP program to provide opportunities for LGBTIQ youth to shine even brighter.


CHRIS KIM SCHOLARSHIP was founded by parents with a queer child, with the hope that LGBTIQ youth would not stop dreaming just because of their sexual identity, as they continue their studies and choose career paths. 11 scholarship recipients were selected through evaluation, and we sincerely cheered for their self-designed career plans as we awarded the scholarships.


Rainbow Writing Contest for queer youth aims to provide opportunities for LGBTIQ youth to freely express themselves and write about their experiences at school, as well as raise awareness of the obvious fact that LGBTIQ youth exist in schools. Through the submission and review process, 15 pieces of writing were selected. We invited the writers to an awards ceremony, giving them an encouraging applause and supporting them in their beginning as writers.

The ceremony for CHRIS KIM SCHOLARSHIP


On stage under warm lighting, an activist smiles with a mic while youth and others applaud.



Explore the Winning Entries of the 2024 Rainbow Writing Contest


Snapshots from DDing Dong’s Activities

DDing-Ga DDing-Ga,
Ding Dong’s Rock-Solid Team of Volunteers

Snapshots from
DDing Dong’s Activities

DDing-Ga DDing-Ga,
Ding Dong’s Rock-Solid Team of Volunteers






The people who share DDing Dong’s values (‘ga’-chi) together with (‘ga’- chi) DDing Dong, Dding-’ga’ Dding-’ga’! The DDing-Ga DDing-Ga volunteers participated in various activities for LGBTIQ youth. They supported homeless LGBTIQ youth with necessities for their self-reliance and talked to LGBTIQ youth at DDing Dong Restaurant where LGBTIQ youth meet each other and affirm their pride. Now they’re joining DDing Dong in contemplating what additional support might be necessary. 


In 2024, a total of 18 volunteers joined DDing Dong in our efforts. 



DDing-Ga DDing-Ga cohort #10


Bora, Chanwook, Choi, Eojin, Eunsaja, Haneul, Hayeon, Heejeong, Hong Horim, Jiu, Lime, Mango, Minho, MOOO, Ppippi, Sehyeon, Seungkyeum, Yeonip

Reflections on Volunteering at DDing-Ga DDing-Ga



I wanted to volunteer at DDing Dong because, looking back on my own youth, I remembered “the adult I needed back then — and who was therefore important to me.” I wanted to become that kind of person. But through my time volunteering at the DDing Dong Restaurant, I realized that the most meaningful moments are actually when I am no longer needed. When the youth get along just fine without us(volunteers), when they can spend the day well without feeling the need to bring up heavy stories — those are the moments that stay with me the most when I look back.


- DDing-Ga DDing-Ga Review by Yeonip





Participating in ‘Rainbow Kit’ program made me reflect on what “home” truly means. It’s a project where activists meet young people — some searching for someone who can be their home, and others who have left their homes behind. To me, Rainbow Kit is about connecting with LGBTIQ youth who are not settling in one fixed place, but instead seeking out the home that feels most precious to them.


- DDing-Ga DDing-Ga Review by Heejeong



Photos from DDing-Ga DDing-Ga Activities


A group photo of 13 Dding Dong activists smiling and holding a slogan in front of the booth at the 2024 Seoul Queer Culture Festival.

At the 2024 Seoul Queer Culture Festival :
DDing-Ga DDing-Ga Group Photo




A group photo of 14 people smiling and posing with “GOOD BYE” balloons in the background.

At the last DDing Dong Restaurant in 2024, the end of the year part
10th cohort of DDing-Ga DDing-Ga