New facilities were officially opened for 7–11 year olds

September 6, 2022

September 1st was an important day for many young people, as a new school year began. For the Tartu Youth Work Centre, however, this day was filled with busy work, because in addition to the Tartu Wisdom Festival, new premises were opened in the Lille and Anne youth centers for a younger target group than before. The second floor of Anne Youth Centre (Uus 56) and the first floor of Lille Youth Centre (Lille 9) now welcome 7–11-year-olds to spend their free time after school. The ground floor of both centers will henceforth be aimed at 12–19-year-olds.

The opening program was more festive than usual, as befits the first day. The official opening of the Lille premises with city government representatives took place at 12 PM, and at Anne at 1 PM. In addition to young people, their parents also came to explore the premises. In both centers, visitors could eat cake, take photos and make scrapbooks, play Just Dance, and craft their own soaps. At Anne, in addition to the aforementioned activities, oatmeal cookies were made, while at Lille, young people could try their hand at making bead necklaces.

Feedback from young people and parents who visited the new centres on the first day was positive, and they were pleased with the new premises. Helen Siska, Head of Youth Work at Tartu City Government, who also visited the centres on the opening day, pointed out: “The new premises are innovative, spacious, and have a good vibe. Upon entering, I found myself thinking that I was welcome and that diverse spaces have been created for young people where they can conduct interest clubs, socialize, cook together, and even do schoolwork with friends.”

Siska added: “I believe that expanding the target group of youth centers to include 7–11-year-olds will significantly enhance the quality of youth work in Tartu. While various youth work activities were previously available to this age group, we can now experience operating within a unified information framework and system. It is gratifying to see that with the completion of the new premises, youth work opportunities are more accessible to young people. There is clear interest in the service, and many families visited the opening to learn more. This demonstrates that information about the service changes has reached our target audience, and youth centers are working daily to ensure even more young people are aware of these services.”

Anne and Lille youth centers for the younger target group are open Monday to Friday from 12 PM to 6 PM.

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.