Blog

1. What does an exchange year mean? An exchange year is a time when you can go to another country to live and study. I am in Spain and live with a host family here. I go to school and live a completely new life in another country. 2. What are the first emotions and experiences like? The first week I was at a camp where we met people and received preliminary training on what to do if something happened and who to inform if help was needed. There was also a Spanish language lesson. On the last day, everyone met their family, but my family was at a wedding, so I met them the next day instead. I had to manage somehow, and the person I stayed with didn't speak English, so we communicated little and…

Autumn is here, leaves are changing color, and the air is crisp, but at Ilmatsalu Youth Center, it's warm and increasingly lively. Our team dreams that this house will become an even more open and versatile place where not only young people but all residents of Ilmatsalu and its surroundings feel welcome. Our house now also has a position called community specialist, and all youth workers are named community youth workers. I will briefly open up the concept of community and just one of many reasons why communities and their role are important. The term "community" has become very popular and is used quite often. Community is an integral part of everyday life, and although it is intuitively understood, it has…

The Youth Summer Camp has concluded once again, and it's time to summarize. It was once again a vibrant Youth Summer Camp, which can be summed up in the words of one camper: “This was my first Youth Summer Camp, and it was so cool. I really enjoyed it!” As camp organizers, our greatest wish is to be able to offer their first camp and work experience to as many young people without prior camp experience as possible each year. When planning the 2025 Youth Summer Camp, we set ourselves the goal of increasing the number of camp places specifically for 13-14-year-olds. The goal was achieved thanks to the institutions of Tartu city, with whom we collaborated to secure a total of 120 camp places for 13-14-year-olds this year, which is twice as many as in 2024. In total, 222 young people aged 13-19 were able to participate in the Tartu Youth Work Camp, who…

Every autumn, we incorporate nature and its beauty into the activities of the youth center. The end of September and beginning of October is a wonderful time to go outside, walk around the city, and enjoy nature. One of the annual activities at the Lillekese youth center is printmaking with fallen leaves. This means that we start by going outside with the young people and looking for fallen leaves. Each young person chooses a few leaves they like, collects them, and returns to the youth center. As a group activity, we take out gouache paints, brushes, and a bowl of water. Then we look at how the leaf has two sides—one with deeper and more noticeable patterns, which we paint over with gouache. Next, we use a printing technique to capture the leaf patterns on regular A4 paper using colors. Very...

Soon, from October 2-8, all residents of Tartu city aged at least 14, or those attending school in Tartu, will have the opportunity to cast their vote in the participatory budget election. This year, we are participating in the participatory budget vote with idea no. 9 - “Jogentaga School and Anne Youth Centre Inviting Movement.” ❓ Why support our idea? In the area between Anne Youth Centre and Jogentaga School, along Papli Street, there are fenced-off areas that give passers-by the impression of a dark and bleak place. Our idea offers something for the entire community. We want to bring freshness and life to the area and create a pleasant place for everyone to move and spend meaningful time. 💡 What do we want to achieve with this idea? Basketball and volleyball courts,…

The Ilmatsalu Youth Center has plenty of small nooks and crannies filled with exciting games and materials. Over the years, however, these have quietly accumulated, fallen into oblivion, and created their own chaos. Last week, our brave heroes – the volunteers – arrived to bring order to the chaos. It was a week full of hustle and bustle, noise, and organization, but it was all for a noble cause. The work provided activities for the young people during the summer, and at the same time, the center's hidden treasures found their place in the sun again. The volunteers' day began relatively early. A short distance before the younger ones arrived at the center. After a short settling in and assignment of tasks, it was time to get to work. Some took on...

Youth from the Tartu Youth Work Camp participated for the first time in a national defense-themed program aimed at student youth work camps. “National Defense Student Youth Work Camp 2025” is a special project coordinated by the Student Youth Work Camp Foundation, carried out thanks to the support of the National Defense Regiment and the Ministry of Defense, where national defense education is added to the work-educational student youth work camp format. Youth from the national defense groups of the Tartu Youth Work Camp participated in the second shift of the program, which took place from 16-20.07.2025. During the program, they visited the Tartu unit of the Defence League and participated in a field camp held in the Humala complex. The field camp held over the weekend was educational and rich in content. On the first evening, equipment was distributed, and the youth were given a short break, while on the second day, after breakfast, the day immediately began with rotating workshops. During the training, young people got to try extinguishing fires with an extinguisher, starting fires with fire steels, inter-team…

On August 12, International Youth Day was celebrated worldwide – a significant day established under the leadership of the UN, aiming to highlight the role of young people in society and draw attention to their needs and opportunities. On this occasion, a memorable party was held at the Lille Youth Centre, where the organizing team this year included young people from both younger (7–11) and older (12–19) age groups. Every team member had their specific role – some helped with the stage, others with catering, and some with the program – and they were supported by guiding youth workers. This kind of cooperation is important to us because we believe that young people should be given space and trust to have a say and participate in initiatives important to them. The day unfolded…

Summer has arrived, and with it, of course, the long-awaited long break. In public spaces, more young people can be seen spending time with friends, playing sports, or simply relaxing and chilling out. We are usually accustomed to moving along quick and convenient routes from work or school to home and the store. However, for example, between large apartment buildings, on playgrounds, near garages, in shopping centers, and elsewhere, there are various places where young people regularly spend time together. Public spaces, especially streets, can be the only place where a young person feels at home and free. To ensure that young people in public spaces are safe both physically and mentally, and that adult support and help reach them, mobile teams are operating in Tartu…