Blog

Kristina Kraani, youth work specialist at Anne Youth Centre, looks back at the completion of the Anne Youth Centre kitchen mural.    One somewhat grey morning, an artist named Arte Seifo entered Anne Youth Centre, bringing not only a box of ideas but also several different acrylic paints, brushes, and a large compass to draw lively circles on the wall. The mission was to have a colorful mandala on the kitchen wall by the end of the evening. We, the youth workers, eagerly began preparations so that the initial arrangements would be made before the youth arrived, as creating a mural takes a considerable amount of time. We also decided to film the entire process to get our first TikTok video for our page. During the painting, the youth learned various techniques for applying paint to the wall and systematically drawing lines of appropriate thickness…

Since February, the Anne Youth Centre of the Tartu Youth Work Centre has been accessible and user-friendly for young people with mobility impairments. Last year, the Tartu Youth Work Centre began implementing a program of innovative youth work models to prevent social exclusion among young people. The aim of the innovation program is to better consider the needs of different user groups and to integrate teenagers with visual, hearing, and mobility impairments in Tartu into the youth centre's activities. As part of the innovation program, with the help of the City of Tartu, a ramp and room adaptations have been completed at the Anne Youth Centre, making the building and its premises user-friendly for young people with mobility impairments. A recently completed study, "Participation of Young People with Visual, Hearing, or Mobility Impairments in Youth Work in Tartu," provides input for developing an action plan that would increase participation opportunities for young people with disabilities in youth work. Young people belonging to the target group and those working with young people are also involved in the development of the action plan…

The aim of the radio program, broadcast in cooperation between Tartu Youth Work Center and Ring FM, is primarily to serve as a voice for Tartu youth information. Noorteaken is broadcast every Friday at 11:00 a.m. on Ring FM radio. The Tartu Youth Work Center launched its radio program last year in cooperation with the radio channel RingFM to better engage young people. Previous positive cooperation with RingFM, which broadcasts in Tartu County and southern Estonia, culminated in a joint decision to launch a radio program aimed specifically at young people aged 7-26. Each Noorteakna program features at least two guests who talk about the activities and projects of the Tartu Youth Work Center and other current topics of interest to young people. Read more: https://tartu.postimees.ee/6898390/tartu-noorsootoo-keskusel-on-oma-raadiosaade-noorteaken The activities are funded by the European...

Kaide-Liis Suurväli, director of the Anne Youth Center, looks back on the visit to Andre Juustufarm. On the last Tuesday of January, January 28, we visited Andre Juustufarm in Tartu County with the young people. Upon arriving and getting off the bus, the young people's first reaction was a little hesitant, while the youth workers looked at each other with the thought: "Finally, some fresh air!" We started our tour in the cheese processing rooms, where we learned that Andre Juustufarm produces several tons of cheese per year, which requires even more milk. One cheese wheel weighs 12 kg, for example. The second stop on our tour was the cowshed. We got to pet the cows, of which there were about 400 in the barn. The youngest calves were one or two days old. We ended the tour at the farm shop, where we got to taste their products, or rather...

On the penultimate day of January, Lille Youth Centre is launching a gratitude challenge, during which youth workers will share on Instagram over 30 days various moments, things, people, and feelings they are grateful for. The goal is to take a moment to notice what is around them, no matter how big or small, and to be grateful even for the occasional quirky things. Sharing all of this on social media might also help others organize their thoughts a bit and discover something that is actually incredibly cool. Do...

Jaanika Palm, director of the Ilmatsalu Youth Center, looks back on the first year of operation of the Ilmatsalu Youth Center as part of the Tartu Youth Work Center. The Ilmatsalu Youth Center has a tradition of organizing various nature study days and field trips. Young people were able to experience extreme situations during survival training days (October) and campfire cooking training days (August). Since it is also important to appreciate the nature of our homeland, our first nature camp/learning days took place in the vicinity of Tartu and on the Ilmatsalu bird trail. We have visited the Ilmatsalu bird trail more than fifteen times during the year as part of various activities and events. In addition to various nature and survival-themed study days and field trips, we learned orienteering, cooking in a pot, knot tying, making various items from recycled materials (e.g., lanterns, hooks), and planting edible plants in the youth garden (e.g.

Support for youth self-initiative projects (hereinafter NOA) in the city of Tartu has started with renewed vigor. For the second year, the Tartu Youth Work Centre is coordinating the competition! NOA is aimed at young people aged 11-19 active in Tartu. The goal of NOA is to support the implementation of youth ideas, so that they become entrepreneurial and active members of society, to motivate them to notice and solve bottlenecks in the city of Tartu and the community, and to give them their first experience in project writing and management. Within the framework of NOA, a concert, competition, round table, meeting, campaign, workshop, information day, or other event aimed at the community or young people can be implemented. This includes preparing and carrying out a creative work that is part of the general education school curriculum, in accordance with the conditions of the NOA application procedure. A NOA project can be carried out individually...

Three open youth rooms for young people, youth work camp, excursions, training courses, local and international projects, volunteer work, and support for youth initiatives. These are the opportunities that the Tartu Youth Work Centre offers to young people active in the city of Tartu. With the administrative reform, much has changed for young people, in addition to the city's physical boundaries. As of this year, Ilmatsalu Youth Centre is one of Tartu's open youth centres, and involving young people there has been a challenge for youth workers. Nevertheless, visitor statistics show a clear interest among local youth in the youth centre's activities, and the motivation of youth workers has also brought young people from surrounding areas and the city to Ilmatsalu. However, changes in youth work are constant, and youth workers often find themselves racing to keep up with them. Free county-wide transport increasingly brings…

During the school holiday, several exciting events are taking place in our youth centers, both inside and outside the buildings. For example, Lille youth center is hosting a youth cafe, Ilmatsalu a mini-multi-event competition, and Anne youth center's holiday program concludes with two training sessions: youth employment training "Innustus II" and a Mental Health seminar. NB: Pre-registration is required for some activities! More information and youth center opening hours can be found here: 🐯 Lille youth center holiday 🐺 Ilmatsalu youth center holiday 🐵 Anne youth center holiday   Additional information about the training sessions: 🌷 Youth employment training "Innustus II" 🌻 Training: Mental Health seminar   Also check out the youth centers' Instagrams: Anne youth center, Ilmatsalu youth center, Lille youth center