This Thursday, September 1, two new youth centers will be officially opened, one at the Anne Youth Center (Uus 56, Tartu) and the other at the Lille Youth Center (Lille 9, Tartu). The new centers are aimed at a younger target group, ages 7-11.The opening of the newcenters will take place at 12 noon. On the first day, there will be a special program at both centers: you can have your picture taken, play room bingo, participate in various workshops, and enjoy cake in honor of the celebration. On September 1, all interested parties, including parents, are welcome to come and see the premises. The center will be open until 6 p.m.
Youth centers for the younger target group are open Monday to Friday from 12 PM to 6 PM and are located on the second floor of both buildings. With the opening of new centers, the age range for the existing Anne and Lille youth centers will also be extended to 12-19 years. The Ilmatsalu youth center (Järve tee 8, Ilmatsalu) welcomes young people aged 7-19 years. To avoid confusion, we kindly ask young people to bring their student ID when visiting the youth center for at least the entire month of September.
The decision to reorganize the centers that previously operated as children's centers was made, according to Helen Siska, Head of Youth Work, based on the sector mapping in autumn 2021, when it became clear that few young people were using the service and it was insufficiently accessible to the target group. "To improve the quality of youth work and provide comprehensive support for young people, a holistic approach is needed. Unfortunately, the current solution has also proven to be resource-intensive for the city, which is why significant steps need to be taken to develop a better service," Siska explained in June.
The aim of the reorganizations is to ensure access to services for young people and to provide a place where they can spend time with friends after school, receive necessary support, and have opportunities for diverse development. Youth centers will operate based on an activity plan, with a club activity taking place every day, such as a creativity circle, cooking, etc. Additionally, warm meals will be available at a specific time, and youth workers will assist with studies if needed.
The Tartu Youth Work Centre is a youth work institution under the administration of the Tartu City Government's Department of Culture, whose task is to create an inspiring and innovative youth work environment for the young people of Tartu, so that they can develop into active, creative, and happy individuals.
Additional information:
Margit Kink
Director of Tartu Youth Work Center
Margit.Kink@raad.tartu.ee
+372 5346 2889
