Triinu Laar
Mailis Saealle
Kevin-Kristjan Koppel
Berit Aren
While Tartu was hit by heavy rain and the summer water level of the Emajõgi River reached autumn levels, the Vormsi group of the Tartu Youth Work Camp tidied up the Borbby-Kerslinina hiking trail in sunny Vormsi and got acquainted with island life. The camp group was on the island for nine days.
As it was a science camp group, on the second day, springs and Lake Prästvike were explored. Jaanus Terasmaa, Professor of Ecohydrology at Tallinn University, gave an overview of the formation and types of springs and introduced the websites www.allikad.info and www.veestik.info. Under the guidance of Maarja Koppelmaa and Triinu Laar, observations were made at Suurallikas, Lubjaallikas, Raviallikas, and Lake Prästvike, and the data was added to the aforementioned websites.
After completing the Suurallika hiking trail, the group went to the Jaaniste family in Mõisaholm, where they were rewarded for their work with a visit to the sauna and a fish dinner. On the evening of the fifth day of the camp, Mailis Saealle showed chemistry and physics experiments to the campers and the island children, who had come to meet the campers the day before. They played volleyball together, swung on the village swing, and made a bonfire.
During the workdays, the youth work camp participants encountered various challenges. To get to work, they had to cycle through sandy and overgrown paths. While working on the hiking trail, there were overgrown and muddy areas, which meant that cleaning a few dozen meters could take hours, but this did not deter the participants. By motivating each other and working together, the task was successfully completed. While cleaning the hiking trail, the participants got to know over 30 different plant species.
On the evening of the sixth youth work camp day, they visited Anu Johan to milk a goat. With guidance, the camp participants were able to make their own goat cheese from the dairy products. Previously, Johan had introduced the youth to Vormsi handicrafts and history.
On the second weekend of August, the campers visited Saxby Lighthouse, Vormsi Church, and went to the community center to listen to a Hiiu kannel camp concert. The last evening was spent dancing with the locals at the community center, after which the campers went to make a bonfire. Under the starry sky, they shared their impressions of what a wonderful experience Vormsi had given them.
The youth work camp participants had busy days, but they still had the energy to undertake joint activities with the islanders in the evenings. They thank all Vormsi residents and the team of the Tartu Youth Work Camp who helped implement the Vormsi camp group.
The Vormsi youth work camp group was realized thanks to the cooperation of Tartu Youth Work Camp, Vormsi Municipality, Vormsi Kindergarten-Primary School, OÜ MensVia, and MTÜ Haridusuuendulik õpe.
