On the penultimate day of March, we got to spend time outside the digital world. Last week, a good opportunity arose to genuinely meet with several young people after a long time.
As a youth worker, it is important to know the places in your area that are popular with young people. Bus stops and all sorts of hidden corners that offer some privacy from adult eyes often become like home. In reality, this is paradoxical. Sometimes, in these favorite spots, young people are not seeking privacy, but rather attention.
In search of young people's attention, we visited all possible places, knowing, of course, where we were more likely to find young people spending their time. The school surroundings, a stadium or other sports field, especially a football or basketball court, playgrounds or climbing structures between buildings, and the aforementioned bus stops are, after all, familiar places to everyone.
Street work is an assigned duty for us. Therefore, we planned to do it as much as possible under the restrictions. The conditions are difficult for both us and young people. But to paraphrase a good colleague, something can always be done, even when nothing can be done.
The main part of our plan was a quiz. It was a great idea from Jaanika, my dear colleague! Applause! 👏 We organized a so-called street quiz based on the board game “The Logo”. Since this game contains a couple of hundred brands that are not widely known in our cultural space, I first sorted out about thirty of the more recognizable ones.
The quiz was conducted as follows:
– The package is mixed up;
– The top card of the package is shown to a young person on the street (there may be 1-…);
– The participant suggests what service (or what field of service) it is; if necessary, a few hints are given;
– If the answer is correct, the participant gets a point;
– The entire deck is gone through;
– Each participant receives a prize, and the most successful participant gets to choose their prize first.
In addition to raising international cultural awareness, the young people's reaction speed improved, and perhaps this gave each participant a little taste of success. At least it seemed that one birthday boy really enjoyed it! He and his friend had a great competitive moment. The quiz also served as an icebreaker, which in turn helped everyone to talk about life and circumstances. It was nice that we were able to introduce Discord's activities and remind everyone about our Instagram account, as well as the fact that the youth center is actually open (more specifically, the outdoor youth center with 2+2 meetings) and that youth workers can be invited to come for a walk.
On that same day, we spent time with three other young people who were at the Ilmatsalu ramp. One was doing sports, and the other two were cheering him on. I believe it was necessary for us as adults to be present for a moment.
As part of our street work, we decided that on our next planned visit, we would bring garbage bags and clean up the streets of Ilmatsalu as much as we could.
More photos, videos, and similar content about our activities can be found on Instagram @ilmatsalunoortekeskus.
#youthwithnature #activelifestyle
Additional information:
Rando-Kristen Kangro
Rando-Kristen.Kangro@raad.tartu.ee
+372 530 971 18
