The Youth Work Camp Summer concluded at the Estonian Student Youth Work Camps gathering

August 18, 2023

The long and activity-filled youth work camp summer is now behind us. Traditionally, the summer camp season concluded with the 2023 Estonian Student Youth Work Camps gathering, held from August 14-16 at the Toosikannu recreation center. The gathering brought together youth work camp participants from Tartu, Tallinn, Viljandi rural municipality and city, and Pärnu. The three-day program was packed, including both competitions and performances.

Over three days, the youth work camp participants competed in volleyball, tug-of-war, relay races, and a surprise event, as well as a singing competition and poetry recitations. Judges also evaluated the group flags made by the youngsters and their cohesion and unity. The first day concluded with a performance by the youth band Onkel Jonkel, and on the second day, after a long day of competition, the youth work camp participants enjoyed an energetic concert by Trad.Attack!. The joint team of Tartu and Tallinn, Marjamaa, earned 2nd place overall at the gathering.

The Estonian Student Youth Work Camp gathering concluded the youth work camp summer that began in June. This summer, nearly 180 young people gained work experience at the Tartu Youth Work Camp. The work tasks this summer were very diverse – they worked picking berries in fields and doing maintenance work in the city, drove as food couriers in Tartu, assisted in Tartu kindergartens and Tartu City Library, at gas stations, and much more. In addition, two Estonian-Ukrainian youth work camp groups took place this summer.

Tartu Youth work camp thanks all employers, cooperation partners, group leaders, other camp organizers, youth camp participants, and parents who contributed to the success of the camp summer. See you next camp summer!

news:

Opinion Piece by a Youth Worker: The Importance of Imagination in Youth Work

At the Lillekese Youth Center, we have always supported young people’s desire and interest in playing fantasy-world games in a physical environment. During our first year of operation, playing “café” was a very popular activity—the café had its own menu, meal times, and waitstaff. An entire room at the youth center was transformed into one big dining area. One of the young people’s biggest favorites this year has been playing “apocalypse.”

So what to do with all this free time—the joys and worries of summer break

Summer is in full swing. Temperatures are climbing steadily, and there’s more and more time to spend at the beach chasing the waves. Summer is a great time to really slow down, put your feet up, and take a few nice, slow breaths. In everyday life and in a society where great emphasis is placed on productivity and rushing around, we tend to

A Youth Worker's Story: The Best Training of My Life—How I Developed My Creativity in Norway

SALTO-YOUTH.net is a real treasure trove. For those who haven’t come across it yet—simply put, it’s a pan-European network for supporting and developing youth work, which offers non-formal learning materials to youth workers and youth leaders and organizes training sessions and networking activities as part of the European Commission’s training strategy. I found a training course titled “Creative Self – Art Practices” in the SALTO training calendar

Do digital environments bring us together or make us more lonely?

Have you ever had a day where you’ve been chatting with friends on Snapchat, Instagram, or Discord all day long, but still feel lonely in the evening? It might seem strange—how can we feel lonely when we’re connected to others almost all the time? Loneliness is a topic that’s being discussed more and more. According to the World Health Organization, about

Philosophizing with Children and Youth

Many 21st-century skills are closely linked to thinking skills. These include, for example, creative and critical thinking, as well as a collaborative and caring mindset. These skills can also be developed in youth work through philosophizing with children and young people. Philosophizing creates more space for discussion and helps participants become more skilled at articulating their opinions, listening to others, making decisions, and

The Tartu Youth Work Brigade’s anniversary summer kicks off with a parade and an evening of work brigade songs

Today, June 15, Tartu will kick off the 30th summer of the Tartu Youth Work Camp, which will bring together 238 young people this year. The opening event of this anniversary year begins at 4:30 p.m. in the courtyard of the Anne Youth Center and proceeds with a parade to Town Hall Square, where the start of the work camp season will be celebrated with a speech by Mayor Urmas Klaas and the taking of the work camp oath. The opening ceremony will be followed at 7 p.m. by an evening of work camp songs in Tartu

Ukrainian Youth in Tartu: A Week That Left a Lasting Impression

In early June, from June 8–14, the Tartu Youth Work Center had the extraordinary honor and pleasure of hosting young people from Ukraine—young people whose lives have been completely turned upside down by the war. The camp was made possible thanks to financial support from the City of Tartu, and the Tartu Youth Work Center wholeheartedly took on the task of organizing the program. The week began creatively—in a stencilling workshop, the young people