Author: Sophia Pasternak
In 2022, the city of Tartu opened its doors to thousands of war refugees from Ukraine. A large portion of those arriving in Estonia were children and young people of various ages. Tartu offered refugees diverse opportunities to acquire or continue general education. Tartu youth centers also gladly welcomed the new young people.
Since Ukrainian children and young people primarily started studying in schools in the Annelinn area, they also chose to visit a youth center located in that area – the Anne Youth Center.
Now, more than two years later, we wanted to find out the opinions of these young people who arrived from Ukraine about our center – how they like being at the Anne Youth Center and how comfortable they feel here.
Many young people found their way to the youth center through recommendations from friends who had already visited the youth center. They also learned about us during introductory meetings held at schools.
"One day, a youth worker came to our class and said we should come, and there would be many interesting things," says Leonid. When the center's staff visited schools to introduce youth centers, young people received a lot of information about a place where they could spend time pleasantly: relax, make friends, play various games, and do many other useful things, from preparing different dishes to doing handicrafts."
Many young people highlighted that they like how the Tartu Youth Work Center organizes school holidays. Various events, city camps, nature hikes and boat trips, summer barbecues or excursions to other cities. “I remember how we went boating, visited Tallinn and AHHAA,” says one of the young people. The young people also highlighted as a positive that all events are free.
Last summer, young people from Ukraine had the opportunity to gain their first work experience at the Tartu Youth work camp. There, they had the chance to play games, communicate in Estonian, and earn pocket money.
Talking to the young people, it's safe to say they enjoy spending time at the Anne Youth Center. Alone or with friends, there's always something to do. Additionally, if you have nothing to do, you can simply relax after a school day or rest after a workout.
Young people also note that they really appreciate being able to choose their activities at the center – as staff, we simply offer a variety of events and activities. "It's peaceful here, and I can just relax. The staff don't put pressure on us," says Akim. According to the young people, it's also important that the staff always support their ideas. To facilitate this, the youth center and the city of Tartu offer opportunities to write projects or initiate their own activities, with staff assisting in bringing these ideas and projects to life.
For many Ukrainian children, it is very important to feel accepted and safe in a new social environment and to have the opportunity to discuss topics important to them. The fact that children feel comfortable here confirms that many of them come to us daily, both on weekdays and weekends.
All of the above shows that our youth center works every day to ensure that all young people, including Ukrainian youth, feel safe, spend their free time in a developing and interesting way, acquire new skills, and quickly integrate into the new environment.
