Blog

Although board games are otherwise timelessly popular among our youth, Tartu's rainy summer has initiated a board game marathon at the Ilmatsalu Youth Center. A traditional board game serves as a beacon of communication and a source of cognitive development for children. The benefits of board games extend beyond simple entertainment, offering numerous advantages that contribute to a child's growth. Even the simplest games like Halli Cups and Dobble help young players recognize colors, count shapes, and develop hand-eye coordination as they move cups across the board. Strategy games can be particularly beneficial for older children, such as the youth center's favorite Rummy, which helps develop the frontal lobes of the brain responsible for executive functions like planning, organizing, and decision-making. Board games...

At Tartu Youth Work Centre, pets are frequent guests: primarily Jack Russell terrier Jessa at Anneke, Pinto at Lilleke, and for example, basenji Maze at other centres. Recently, reading dog Yohanna visited us on Autovabaduse Boulevard, but young people's own pets have also visited, and during some school holidays, biologist Mirjam Zautina has introduced her exotic animals. Several studies have confirmed the positive impact of pets on the work environment and on children and young people. For example, a pet in the workplace helps boost employees' mood and supports the creation of interpersonal bonds (Atla, 2020). Increased engagement and dedication to work have also been observed (Hall and Mills 2019, 10). In the case of children and young people, it is important to note that pets can contribute to their healthy…

Many don't know that one of the coolest clubs at the youth center is the cooking club. At first glance, it might seem like there's nothing special – just cooking and eating. But in reality, there's much more to the cooking club. Read nine reasons what young people gain and learn through cooking club activities: 1. Financial literacy During cooking club activities, young people learn about budgeting, saving tips, price comparison, and product quality. We also discuss whether the cheapest product is beneficial for health or if it's better to buy something a bit more expensive but of higher quality. And conversely, is a more expensive product always better than a cheaper one? Minced meat that seems cheap at first glance turns out to be more expensive after checking the price per kilo. Young people learn to compile shopping lists…

Right from the start of Lillekese Youth Center's operations, young people showed great interest in baking. We support their desire to cook with a cooking club, but cooking is also one of the most popular activities on Active Youth Day. At first, it worked well when young people let us know a week in advance what recipe they wanted to introduce to others on Active Youth Day, including what they needed to buy from the store. However, when we ran out of ideas at one point, we decided to take a more spontaneous approach and stock up on products during shopping trips that could generally be found in our own kitchen. If there were no activities planned for the Enterprising Youth Day, we let the young people know that they were free to use whatever products were available in the kitchen...

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Kus oleks parem veeta koos noortel aega ja meelerahu praktiseerida, kui looduslähedases kohas, mis seob teineteist? Juuli esimesel nädalal kogunesid Eesti, Leedu ja Hispaania noored kaunisse loodusesse, et osaleda eriliselt sisukal noortevahetusel. Rahvusvaheline noortevahetus on erinevate Euroopa riikide noorte omavaheline kohtumine, mille raames noored õpivad enda jaoks olulisi teemasid ning samuti nii enda kui ka teiste osalejate kohta palju uut. Meie projekti teemaks oli "Mindful youth and Well-Being" ehk teadlikud noored ja heaolu. Sündmus toimus Elva lähistel Tartumaa tervise- ja spordikeskuses, pakkudes osalejatele rahulikku ja vaikset keskkonda, mis aitas kaasa projekti teemasse sisse elamiseks. Projekti peamiseks eesmärgiks oli noorte…

Imagine a summer day where creativity flies freely like birds in the sky, where every young person can be an inventor, a game master, and an adventure seeker. Such were our summer days at Ilmatsalu Youth Centre! Throughout the summer, our days are filled with laughter, discoveries, and challenges. Let's take a moment to look back at those colourful and meaningful summer days, which proved that youth creativity is boundless and summer is the best time to express it. One day, the young people put their imagination to work. They created their own murder mystery and a jar with various questions. These provided joy and excitement for all participants. The day an obstacle course was built was active for both young people and youth workers. The young people created a very exciting course where they had to climb and...

The youth from Anne Youth Centre's older and younger target groups got to know each other better while having fun together at a camp. The two-day camp began on the shore of Elva Arbi Lake with a refreshing swim, a water safety workshop, and a visit to Elva Youth Centre. We would like to thank youth workers Dagmary Kuslap and Riin Pross, who agreed to give us a tour and organize fun activities for the youth at the youth centre, even though they were already on summer vacation!  The campers stayed at the Tartu Health Sports Centre, but before arriving there, they had to undertake a hike of over 4 km. During the walk, a refreshing picnic took place on the shore of Elva reservoir, and naturally, swimming once again. Upon reaching the accommodation, the youth were tired but happy.  Accommodation was in cabins, and the youth in each "house" got to make their own house flag.…

Mid-June always signifies that a couple of months of active youth work camp summer await at the Tartu Youth Work Camp. On June 17, a lively opening event took place, featuring a greeting from the mayor, a parade, and the swearing-in of youth camp participants, officially marking the start of the 2024 youth work camp summer. The first youth camp participants have already put on their work gloves and started diligently working! This summer, a total of 199 young people will gain youth camp experience, with more than half working in youth camp groups within the city of Tartu. Job opportunities for young people this summer are provided by Vormsi Municipality, Circle K, HKP landscaping, Uue-Peedu youth camp, Raigastvere Berry Farm, Telia, Viru Maasikas, Naerumaa, Helliku and Tähtvere kindergartens, Tartu City Museum, Wolt, Tartu Sport, Gobus, Tartu City Library, Marjamaa farm, Klaaspärlimängu festival and…

July - August 12, seven days a week from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM, the coolest youth area will be open! The most exciting co-organizers, great guests, and performers will be there! All activities are FREE! The youth area on Car-Free Avenue will kick off on July 6! At the opening, there will be sports activities, a giant bubble workshop, a photo booth to take pictures with friends, and the opening will conclude with a concert by An-Marlen and boipepperoni. On Thursdays, we invite well-known people and influencers such as: Kozip, Karl Gustav Kurn, Säm, Kristi Värik, Anett & Fredi, with whom a pleasant and cozy conversation will be held, where listeners can also ask questions. On Fridays, we invite everyone to do outdoor sports and try different sports! Every…