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

The theme of this year’s Child Protection Day was the question: “A young person speaks—are you listening?” The need to be seen, heard, and truly listened to became clear right from the first preparatory meeting, where young volunteers had the chance to share which topics they consider important in the daily lives of children and young people. Almost without exception, all participants highlighted today’s fast-paced lifestyle—home,

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

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