In the second half of April, the Ilmatsalu and Elva Youth Centers held a joint project
“Spring Awakening,” which offered young people the opportunity to visit youth centers in two different regions and meet local youth.
On April 22, the first meeting took place at the Ilmatsalu Youth Center, where the main focus was on working together. One of the activities was a photo scavenger hunt, which encouraged the young people to observe nature more closely. They looked for details that are usually just walked right past, and it was surprisingly exciting to see how each team solved the tasks in their own unique way. Some focused on creativity, others looked for funny solutions, and in the end, it was exciting to look at all the photos together. The young people from Ilmatsalu wanted to organize a game of “trifaa” for the youth of Elva, and the Elva youth were very happy to join in.
After the activities, everyone gathered around a shared table to make open-faced sandwiches. It was really great to see how the older and younger groups actively interacted and discussed things with one another. This serves as a good bridge to help young people feel more confident about interacting with peers they don’t know. The young people shared their impressions of school, their summer plans, and funny moments from the photo hunt.
A week later, on April 29, “Spring Awakening” took young people from Ilmatsalu and Elva on a short cultural trip to Spain. We took Eneka, an intern at the Tartu Youth Work Center who is originally from the Basque Country, with us to the Elva Youth Center. We started the meeting by eating paella and were given a tour of the Elva Hobby and Training Center. It was awesome to see the opportunities for extracurricular education available in our county and what the young people themselves have been doing in their hobby groups.
After the tour, Eneka introduced the young people to Spanish culture, daily life, and traditions, and also talked about the unique characteristics of the Basque Country. The young people were able to ask questions about anything that interested them—from school life, soccer, and food to local customs. During the discussion, both differences and surprising similarities between Estonia and Spain came to light.
Such international gatherings give young people the opportunity to broaden their horizons without leaving Estonia. There were plenty of questions, and it was clear that the young people were listening with interest and felt confident enough to join the discussion.
Thank you to the Elva Youth Center, the youth workers, and the young people for spending such an awesome spring with us!
Photos by Dagmary Kuslap.
