On May 15th, an adventure day will take place: Diversity Enriches

On May 15th, the Tartu Youth Work Centre and Tartu Nature House will host a joint adventure day titled “Diversity Enriches”. The Estonian Sign Language Society is also a partner. The adventure day will highlight natural diversity in its broader sense – plants, people, nature conservation, environmentally friendly activities, and more. Activities during the adventure day can be completed at your own pace and time. It is possible to complete two trails of different difficulty levels. The easier and shorter trail is located in the nature house park area and is designed for younger family members. The longer trail, not necessarily more difficult in content but more diverse (keeping the adventure day's theme in mind), leads to the botanical garden and back. On both trails, participants will complete activities, answer questions, and gain new knowledge. The trails can be completed at a suitable pace with your family, companion, friend, or pet. The longer one…

Tartu Children's Day is looking for co-organizers! (2021)

From May 3, outdoor events for up to 150 people (divided into groups) will be permitted. More detailed information about the restrictions in force can be found here: https://www.kriis.ee/et/uudised/government-gradually-eases-covid-19-restrictions-from-april-26 Due to the restrictions, there has also been a change in the organization of Tartu's Children's Day, and the outdoor learning day on June 1 will be a little different. Due to the restrictions, there will be no family festival in the center of Tartu, and activities will take place in a scattered manner in the courtyards and outdoor areas of the co-organizers.   We invite institutions and organizations operating in Tartu to contribute to Children's Day! The main goal of Outdoor Learning Day is to offer students developmental activities and new knowledge outside of the school environment. The approximate time for activities is 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The outdoor learning day program is suitable for various workshops, sample training sessions, pop-up performances, and other similar activities. All activities offered should be free of charge...

Youth worker Kristina talks about 5 ways how to make your day more productive!

The current emergency situation has forced many people into home schooling, and it is very important to be able to plan your time and needs. Here are five different ideas on how to plan your time more effectively at home, so that everything necessary gets done and your mind remains sharp. 1) Create a daily plan Start each morning by creating a clear daily plan. Also, write down how much time you would like to spend on each activity. You can include obligations, rest time, physical activity, and other important activities for you in your daily plan. To create your plan, you can use a notebook, a mobile app, or a whiteboard, for example. Writing down activities helps you stay on track and avoid things piling up. Of course, it also feels good to cross off completed activities.…

Volunteer Beata: Cultural differences – Life in a different culture (Part 1)

In English: Last time I tried to present you some random similarities between Hungary and Estonia I’ve experienced since I was here. This time I would like to show you some random differences that were unexpected or incomprehensible to me at first - and have been ever since... My collegaues started to talk about reflectors on a meeting in October. I was a little confused and listened to the coversation with eyes wide open. They were discussing which tree to place the reflectors on so that it would be recognizable and people could pick one if they don’t have any.…

Volunteer Beata: Cultural Differences or Life in a Different Culture (Part 1)

In English: Last time I tried to present you some random similarities between Hungary and Estonia I’ve experienced since I was here. This time I would like to show you some random differences that were unexpected or incomprehensible to me at first - and have been ever since... My collegaues started to talk about reflectors on a meeting in October. I was a little confused and listened to the coversation with eyes wide open. They were discussing which tree to place the reflectors on so that it would be recognizable and people could pick one if they don’t have any.…

Spring fatigue, stress, and too much screen time – how to cope?

Human health and mental well-being have always gone hand in hand with the rhythm of nature – at least that's how it is for me. In winter, I live as if on a power-saving mode, doing as little as possible, but as much as necessary. Outside, it's dark and cold, and the only comfortable place seems to be in bed under a blanket, where there's just the right warmth, comfort, and softness to cope with the Estonian weather. In summer, however, I sleep less, explore more, and am in a noticeably better mood. I gladly enjoy the sun, warm evenings, and exciting trips with friends and family. Autumn and spring, however, are transitional periods – in autumn, it's as if I live off the summer energy until the sun reserves run out,…

Youth Worker Kristina Recommends: Five Ideas to Make Your Day More Productive

The current emergency situation has forced many people into home schooling, and it is very important to be able to plan your time and needs. Here are five different ideas on how to plan your time more effectively at home, so that everything necessary gets done and your mind remains sharp. 1) Create a daily plan Start each morning by creating a clear daily plan. Also, write down how much time you would like to spend on each activity. You can include obligations, rest time, physical activity, and other important activities for you in your daily plan. To create your plan, you can use a notebook, a mobile app, or a whiteboard, for example. Writing down activities helps you stay on track and avoid things piling up. Of course, it also feels good to cross off completed activities.…

Memorable meeting with young people during a crisis

On the penultimate day of March, we got to spend time outside the digital world. Last week, a good opportunity arose to genuinely meet with several young people after a long time. As a youth worker, it's important to know the places in your area that are popular among young people. Bus stops and all sorts of secluded spots that offer some privacy from an adult's gaze often become like home. In reality, this is paradoxical. Sometimes, in their favorite places, they are not seeking privacy, but rather attention. In search of young people's attention, we visited all possible places, knowing, of course, where we were most likely to find young people spending their time. The school surroundings, a stadium or other sports field, especially a football or basketball court, playgrounds or climbing structures between houses, and the aforementioned bus stops are well-known places to everyone. Street work is for us…

Tartu Youth Work Center moves to Tallinn

The Tartu Youth Work Centre plans to move to Tallinn starting next year. The main reason for the relocation is the small number of young people in Tartu. The new address for the Tartu Youth Work Centre in Tallinn will be Estonia puiestee 9 (Solaris Centre). According to the youth work centre, the new location offers many new opportunities and will allow them to reach a larger number of young people. The youth centre will be located on the 6th floor of the Solaris Centre starting next year. Additional information: Mitte Keegi mitte.keegi@raad.tartu.ee