Smart Youth Work in Ilmatsalu

April 28, 2020

Due to the special circumstances, Tartu (county) youth centers moved online to
The centers are closed, and signs have been put up everywhere to direct people home and avoid public gatherings. So where are youth workers doing their jobs? The short answer is: online. Youth work continues even during the emergency, and for this purpose, there is Discordserver.

Youth workers always do their work where young people are. The concept of smart youth work might seem situational, but in reality, it's nothing new. The aforementioned e-youth work "is not a standalone activity or method, but rather, it enables young people and youth workers to create innovative solutions based on existing experiences, by seeking new connections and using new tools," as stated on the website of the Estonian Youth Work Centre.

Education and entertainment

The smart activities organized by Ilmatsalu Youth Center in April included both education and entertainment. On April 16, we talked about the importance of recycling. Jaanika Palm, the director of the youth center, compiled responsible and environmentally conscious information and provided instructions on how to make a cloth bag using designed images and video graphics. A reusable cloth bag is the preferred option for shopping. This is not just the opinion of a few hipsters, but also of waste management companies such as Ragn-Sells. On April 17, we talked about healthy eating. With the help of interactive graphics, our foreign volunteer Ana Dvalashvili taught more than thirty young people a little bit more about nutrition. The topic was not the brainchild of the youth worker, but an idea that the young people themselves had come up with the week before the event. Involving young people, asking them for ideas, and then implementing them together is one of the basic principles of youth work. On April 22, youth worker Rando-Kristen Kangro showed young people the Järvselja primeval forest as part of a virtual trip. This activity took place on YouTubeand Instagram STORY, where participants could see a 360-year-old king pine, view spruce trees over 40 meters tall, and see with their own eyes the tallest oak tree in Estonia (34.2 meters). The trip was fun and engaging, improving the digital skills of young people and increasing their awareness of their native nature. Hopefully, this virtual trip will inspire participants to visit Järvselja in the future.

From behind the screen into nature

The principle of smart youth work is certainly not to permanently confine young people to computers or other smart devices. Recognizing how much time young people spend in virtual environments and, due to the special situation, even attending school and training via screens, we strive to encourage young people to constantly move and notice something near their home that would normally go unnoticed. For example, a virtual hike was accompanied by the hashtag #hoiantervist and a call to photograph oneself in nature in their home area. Photos from as many as five young people were received.

In parallel with the above, activities to improve cultural competence took place during the Easter holidays (according to both the Western and Eastern church calendars). At the beginning of April, we announced a competition for a slogan for the youth center. We received seven ideas, and the winning idea was Martin Lillevere's "nature youth center." His slogan captures both the unique characteristics of the location and the focus of Ilmatsalu's youth work, which is nature.

There are three channels through which you can contact us and stay updated on our activities. These include the "Tähtvere" group on Facebook, the @ilmatsalunoortekeskus channel on Instagram, and a Discord server, the link to which can be found on the youth center's Instagram profile. Discord is a user-friendly, browser-based program. Like all social media, this platform also has its own rules to ensure cybersecurity. In addition to the platform's rules, the youth center also has its own house rules, both of which are mandatory reading for everyone joining our server. See you (with nature) at the youth center!

Rando-Kristen Kangro
Youth work specialist at Ilmatsalu Youth Centre

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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.