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Starting March 3, the Tartu Youth Center will host a Ukrainian Friends Club, led by Ukrainian-speaking youth worker Sofiia Pasternak. Young people from both Ukraine and Estonia are welcome to participate in the club. Each meeting will feature different activities, such as crafts, sports, cooking, games, etc. The club is FREE for everyone! No registration is required.     Club times in March-April: For 7-11-year-olds March 17 at 3:30-5:00 p.m. – I SPY game April 14 at 3:30-5:00 p.m. – origami workshop For ages 12-19 March 24 at 3:30-5:00 p.m. – mobile phone decorations: pom pom balls March 31 at 3:30-5:00 p.m. – cooking together: Ukrainian borscht (the club is located on the ground floor of the Lille Youth Center (Lille 9, Tartu) April 21 at 3:30-5:00 p.m. – circuit training …

Let's get to know Mariia, the foreign volunteer at Tartu Youth Work Centre. Mariia introduces herself in more detail:   Hello! I am Mariia, I came from a small town Fastiv, that is located in Ukraine. In Estonia I’m about to work as a volunteer in a Youth Center for eight months. So, there is some information about me, to introduce myself. To be honest, being a volunteer wasn’t my goal, I’ve never known about this opportunity, because it’s unpopular in my country. But one day scrolling the internet I noticed a post about different possible ways how to receive new experience. Then I started to learn…

Manuel, a volunteer at the Tartu Youth Work Centre, describes to us in more detail why he considers volunteer work important. So, you want to work as a volunteer, huh? That’s great! But what can you actually do? Hmm, maybe you could work in an animal shelter, that sounds awesome. You could even try and join an anti-food waste organization, collecting food that otherwise would be gone to the trash and deliver it to people who need it but don’t have the resources to get it. Sounds noble, right? Or even volunteer at a youth center and inspire the youth as they are growing and beginning to…

Sun, adventure, new acquaintances and experiences – how do you like this combination? And what if you get paid for it too?! Tartu Youth Work Camp is looking for group leaders who want to enrich their summer free time with an awesome experience. The aim of Tartu Youth Work Camp is to provide 13-19-year-old youngsters with their first work experience in a safe and supportive environment. Camp groups are always accompanied by a group leader, who guides the young people during the camp group's duration. Additionally, the group leader's tasks include preparing the camp group, planning joint activities, participating in camp events, and being a contact person. What should a proper group leader be like? A group leader must be an adult and have a secondary education. In character, a group leader is assertive, supportive, cheerful,…

School holidays are coming again! The skiing weather tends to be rather volatile and poor right now, so what to do with this free time? Just chill? Resting is always a good idea, one must rest! However, in case you get tired of just lying around and staring at the ceiling, we have opportunities for you to spend your holidays actively and fun! Once again, the Tartu Youth Work Center has put together a holiday program, and in addition, there are regular activities in all five Tartu youth centers. What do we have planned? On Monday, February 27th, we will gently ease into the school holidays, and regular activities will take place in all five centers. On Tuesday, February 28th, there will be a visit to Elektrikino. We will go to see a film called “A Little Miracle” at 3:30 PM…

Dear young person! Spend your school holiday diversely and come spend a day with us in Tallinn! We will see what's happening in the Riigikogu (Estonian Parliament) (where we will also have lunch), visit the Bank of Estonia, go jumping at Skypark (T1 Mall of Tallinn) trampoline center, and explore Tallinn from the Wheel of Tallinn Ferris wheel. The excursion to Tallinn will take place on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Gathering starts at 7:40 AM and the bus departs at 8:00 AM from the bus parking lot in front of Vanemuine! We will return around 9 PM. The trip is FREE for young people (including lunch at the Riigikogu), and 25 young people can join! A (digitally) signed parental consent form secures a spot for the young person. NB! According to the requirements set by the Riigikogu, it is important that the personal identification code of the visiting young person is submitted in advance and that during the excursion there is…

On February 1st, a network meeting of the youth prevention activities working group took place at the Anne Youth Centre. Representatives from the Tartu Child Protection Service, the Centre for Educational Support Services, the Social Insurance Board, the Police and Border Guard Board, and the Tartu Youth Work Centre participated in the meeting. The network's common target group is young people active in the city of Tartu, and the objective is to focus on preventing risky behaviour among youth, conduct more effective outreach in children's, youth, and educational institutions, offer assistance to the community in difficult situations, and increase visibility within the city. This is pursued through joint information days, seminars, and events, thereby ensuring the well-being of young people in Tartu. However, the aim of the meeting held on the first day of February was to increase the effectiveness of network cooperation, which is why the focus was on establishing the network, its regularity, and other substantive aspects. Through this, common ground was found regarding bottlenecks,...

At the beginning of February, Mariia Palamarchuk, an international volunteer from Ukraine, started working at the Tartu Youth Work Centre. Mariia will primarily work at the Anne youth centre for younger and older youth (Uus 56, Tartu), but will also assist youth workers at, for example, the Ilmatsalu youth centre (Järve tee 8, Tartu). The international volunteer's working hours at the youth room are Monday to Friday from 12 PM to 7 PM. Mariia communicates in Russian, Ukrainian, and English, and welcomes all young people to visit and get to know each other better. The Tartu Youth Work Centre has hosted international volunteers for a long time, and we have seen a positive impact on both our youth and staff, which is why we plan to continue involving volunteers in the future. By involving international volunteers in our daily work, we give our young people the opportunity to…

At the nationwide youth sector recognition event “Thanks for Youth” held on January 25, the city of Tartu was awarded the title of Youth-Friendly Local Government of the Year. As Margit Kink, director of the Tartu Youth Work Center, stated on stage, Tartu is indeed the best city for youth work. Decision-makers are always supportive, offering advice and assistance, and helping to find resources! Thank you and congratulations, dear city of Tartu! Read the Tartu City Government press release HERE Photo: Erlend Štaub