Call for volunteer service in Tartu, Estonia!

February 7, 2024

Tartu Youth Work Center is recruitingthree foreign volunteers aged 18-30within the European Solidarity Corps project. The duration of the service is8 months. Ideally, the volunteers could start their service already inMarch 2024.

The project covers the volunteers’ travel expenses and accommodation. In addition, 271 euros of pocket money is provided.

The main tasks of volunteers are daily work in open youth centers, organizing events and club activities based on their own interests.

Articles written by TNTK 2023 volunteers:

Manuel: Volunteering at Tartu Youth Work Center – My experience

Maria: Volunteering in Estonia

To apply, send your CV and motivational letter (including proposals for the activities you would like to lead in youth center) as soon as possible to helen.toomsalu@tartu.ee

Briefly about the Tartu Youth Work Centre:

Tartu Youth Work Center (TNTK) is a youth work institution which is a subdivision of the culture department of Tartu City Government.

We welcome youngsters at our three locations: Anne Youth Center (Uus 56, Tartu), Lille Youth Center (Lille 9, Tartu) and Ilmatsalu Youth Center (Järve tee 8, Ilmatsalu) in five youth centers.

In all five youth centers, youth can participate in interest groups with open participation, communicate with peers, play board games etc.

In addition to open youth work, TNTK also organizes city-wide youth events (youth party, children’s protection day, wisdom day, international youth day) and Tartu youth brigade, coordinates street-based youth work, develops cooperation networks and also offers various additional opportunities for young people (for example, youth counselor service) and for other institutions working with young people.

More information about TNTK:

https://tntk.tartu.ee/en/

https://www.facebook.com/Tartu.ntk

https://www.instagram.com/tartuntk/

About Tartu:

Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,435. It is 186 kilometers (116 miles) southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometers (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia.

Tartu, the largest urban center of southern Estonia, is often considered the “intellectual capital city” of the country, especially as it is home to the nation’s oldest and most renowned university, the University of Tartu (founded in 1632). Tartu also houses the Supreme Court of Estonia, the Ministry of Education and Research, the Estonian National Museum, and the oldest Estonian-language theatre, Vanemuine. It is also the birthplace of the Estonian Song Festivals.

More information about Tartu:

https://tartu.ee/en

In addition, Tartu is the European Capital of Culture in 2024!

European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 is the main event in Estonia and the largest regional cooperation project between Tartu and Southern Estonia.

The year-long programme in Tartu and Southern Estonia presents the story of the Arts of Survival – the knowledge, skills, and values that will help us lead a good life in the future.

European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 is versatile both in its nature and in its programme. On the one hand, it is a great cultural celebration that draws visitors from Estonia and abroad, and on the other, it is an opportunity to include as many people as possible in laying the groundwork for long-term change in Tartu and Southern Estonia.

More information about Tartu 2024:

https://tartu2024.ee/en

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us:

helen.toomsalu@tartu.ee (project manager)

news:

A mobile youth center will be on the move in Tartu this summer

From June 1 to September 1, the Tartu Youth Work Center is launching the MoNo bus—a youth center on wheels—as part of a pilot project, bringing youth work to young people at their everyday gathering places. It is a specially adapted van designed to provide young people with a safe and supportive environment in areas where youth work services are currently unavailable or where young people cannot easily access them on a daily basis. MoNo

Youth workers from the Tartu Youth Work Center on a study trip to Portugal

From April 19–26, youth workers from the Tartu Youth Work Center participated in a study trip to Lisbon, Portugal, as part of the Erasmus+ program, to learn about local street youth work methods, non-formal education, and ways to support young people in the NEET situation. Study trips give youth workers the opportunity to step outside their usual work environment for a moment, learn about different practices, and bring the knowledge and effective solutions they gain back to their own community (Pavlakias and

Tartu Youth Work Center Study Tour Seminar: Bringing Together Knowledge from Around the World

This spring, the staff of the Tartu Youth Work Center went on two study trips: one to Cologne, Germany, and the other to Lisbon, Portugal. On June 3, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., we will gather in the NOKK room on the second floor of the Anne Youth Center (Uus 56, Tartu) for an information seminar on this year’s study trips. We invite all youth workers, activity leaders, and interested city residents from Tartu, Tartu County, and beyond to our information seminar,

“Let’s start a green-thumbed club!”

With the arrival of spring, there’s a growing desire to be outdoors and do something interesting—something that brings joy, excitement, and sparks curiosity. At the Lillekese Youth Center, we’ve found gardening to be the perfect activity for this. We started one Wednesday by weeding the flower bed in front of the Lille House gate. We divided up the tasks on the spot—one person weeds here, another

The Voice of Youth in the Action Plan

Actively involving young people in developing the youth center’s action plan is an important step in fostering their sense of participation and responsibility. Children aged 7–11 are able to successfully express their interests and ideas when provided with a safe and supportive environment. One effective way to do this is through a monthly brainstorming session, during which young people can freely suggest activities and topics. Young people’s opinions matter and have a real impact on the life of the youth center. In addition to the idea generator, it is important to gather ongoing feedback on daily activities to understand what resonates with young people and what needs to be changed. The youth worker’s role here is to guide: to help make ideas more concrete, then link them to an action plan, and involve partners as needed. Even with younger children, simple tools such as voting, drawing, or discussion circles can be used. In a young person’s life, everything changes very quickly: what was relevant two weeks ago

Come work with us this summer – 0.5 FTE mobile youth worker

Mobile Youth Worker (0.5 FTE) For the period June 1 – August 31 Job responsibilities: establishing contact and communicating with young people on the street and in other public places; carrying out youth work activities in the mobile youth work bus; introducing opportunities to young people and supporting them in finding suitable activities; assisting youth workers at the youth center as needed. Requirements for the candidate: higher education (may be in progress); good communication and planning

Students from Annelinna High School visited the Lille Youth Center

The Lille Youth Center, part of the Tartu Youth Work Center, offers young people a wide range of opportunities for participation and personal development. Schools are welcome to visit us for project days or to encourage their students to join our clubs. The clubs operating at the Lille Youth Center include the Hiking Club, Cooking Club, Book Club, Career Club, and the sex education club “Seks vä?”. In addition, we organize city-wide major events, where we welcome young people to actively participate in the organizing teams.