As of today, there is probably no one in Estonia or many other countries who does not know what it means to stay at home for a longer period of time or to adapt to a new situation. Going to the store is like an event in itself, cleaning seems endless, and various workouts and webinars are popping up like mushrooms after rain. Young people have been banished to home schooling, seeing friends has been postponed indefinitely, and youth centers have been closed with signs on the doors. Three weeks of working from home have given me various scenarios for how life will continue. The situation still seems like a surreal dream at times and makes me wonder what is really going on and how long it will last. Is youth work even possible without seeing young people? Is this a new and exciting challenge or a dark future where young people will forget us altogether?
Having been involved in youth work for a long time, I know well why I do this job and enjoy it. Working with young people is incredibly diverse and therefore perfectly suited for me, as a relatively multifunctional young woman. I love seeing a young person come to the youth centre not in the best mood but leave happier and more lively. The knowledge that I have been able to make their day even a little better by interacting with them and offering various activities brings me joy. I believe we have all experienced that when you bring joy to someone, it reflects back manifold, and that feeling is, of course, wonderful! It reminds me that our centre's main principle is for young people to develop into active, creative, and happy individuals. Doesn't that sound like an inspiring goal to strive for?
But wait, what happens now if we don't actually see young people? Fortunately, it quickly occurs to me and others that they are in the vastness of the internet, and that's where we'll start looking for them now. First, we'll tackle the almighty Instagram. Content generation is happening at a tremendous pace, and things seem to be getting smoother and smoother. Long live digital competencies! Every day, someone covers a topic that could engage young people in thinking and acting. The topics are as colorful as a grandmother's knitted mitten. Representatives of various professions have been conjured up, all of whom are now diligently appearing on our Instagram and churning out stories. It should be mentioned that the program is quite exciting, and I'm even looking forward to seeing who can surprise us with something. Even live cooking is being prepared!
One day, while watching videos, I started thinking that maybe we should move to YouTube altogether to be even closer to young people. No problem, and Martti Hallik's introductory training to the video world is completed with excitement. I then try to make a video myself, but the filter doesn't seem right, the phone wants to fall off the boxes, and I can't find a suitable program at once. For now, I decide to give up, but the idea persists. Simultaneously, on another front, Discord is being discovered, and young people are being attracted to it. Fortunately, we learn that they are well-versed with the platform and join quite voluntarily. In the chat room, Kahoot games start, various memes are shared, and even school assignments are completed with mutual help. TikTok, with its unique humor, is not forgotten either, and the charms of Instagram-TV are discovered, leading to content creation there as well. To calm my inner feelings, I occasionally communicate with young people via Messenger and come to the satisfying realization that they are handling the situation well and still miss us and the youth center.
Over time, it becomes even clearer to me that youth workers are incredibly creative people and never short of ideas. Everyone can quickly adapt and go with the flow. Slogans like 'We won't stand still' and 'We must move forward with momentum' resonate through Skype and Zoom, creating a feeling that anything is possible. Quite a motivating attitude, isn't it?
For some reason, the lyrics of Taukar's song suddenly start haunting my mind: 'And I know I won't get you back, but honestly, I'll manage...' And I sincerely believe that we will manage, and not just manage, but manage well. Holding meetings via Skype every morning and evening, I know that we are all contributing to ensure that young people don't forget us, but instead start missing us even more. We have a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the environments they operate in and to develop skills that we might not have had time for before, or that seemed a bit daunting. Perhaps I'll even improve my Russian this way, and my first vlog will be created? And if sometimes it feels like everything is getting overwhelming, then maybe we should take a moment, listen to Nublu like the young people do, find some croissants, and realize that all of this will pass, though we don't yet know when.
Kristina Kraani
Youth work specialist of Anne Youth Centre
