Youth from the Tartu Youth Work Camp in a national defense camp!

Young people from the Tartu Youth Work Camp participated for the first time in a national defense-themed program aimed at student camps. 
 

"National Defense Youth Work Camp 2025" is a special project coordinated by the Student Youth Work Camp Foundation, carried out thanks to the National Defense Regiment and the support of the Ministry of Defense, where national defense education is added to the work-educational format of the student youth work camp. 

Youth from the national defense groups of the Tartu Youth Work Camp participated in the second shift of the program, which took place from 16-20.07.2025. During the program, they visited the Tartu unit of the Defence League and participated in a field camp held in the Humala complex.  

The outdoor camp held over the weekend was educational and rich in content. While on the first evening equipment was distributed and young people were given a short moment to relax, on the second day, after breakfast, the day immediately began with a round of training. During the training, young people got to try extinguishing fire with a fire extinguisher, lighting fire with fire sticks, playing an inter-team airsoft game, assisting with traumas using various techniques at the medical station, practicing firefighter techniques, and much more. On the same evening, a creative cooking competition took place based on pre-provided ingredients, where food had to be prepared over a campfire.  

On the morning of the last day, fatigue was evident, but one last effort had to be made. After packing their belongings, all groups faced a 6-kilometer trek where they had to pass through various checkpoints and solve tasks as a team at each point.  

The Tartu Youth work camp City Museum group managed to achieve first place in the journey, immediately followed by the Cemeteries group in second place!  

The camp concluded with an awards ceremony, and all participating youth work camp members received emblems proving they completed the national defense-themed program! The journey back home could begin! 

news:

Youth Counselor Oksana Knjaz: “None of us has to handle everything on our own!”

Every young person has their own story, questions, and challenges. Sometimes, all it takes to move forward is for someone to help them clarify their thoughts and identify possible solutions. The youth counselors at the Tartu Youth Work Center support young people in precisely these moments, offering them the chance to talk about both everyday worries and more complex issues. Let’s meet Oksana Knjaz, a youth counselor working at our Anne House.

Read more »

Design socks for the Tartu Youth Work Center!

The Tartu Youth Work Center’s sock design contest is about to begin! Design socks using the provided sock template. You can find the template here or get a paper copy from your youth worker. You can create your design by hand or digitally. Include your name, contact information, and—if you’d like—a brief explanation of your design. Submit your finished work by October 25 at the latest to helene.toomeoks@tartu.ee or give it to your youth worker.

Read more »

Youth Counselor Kairi Kivaste: “My job is to listen and provide guidance, together with the young person”

There are times in a young person’s life when they don’t have to face their thoughts, worries, or questions alone. The Tartu Youth Work Center employs two youth counselors whom young people can turn to when they need someone to listen, help them make sense of a situation, and work together to find possible solutions. The youth counselors also support youth workers and help them identify and resolve

Read more »

Tartu, the Youth Capital, Opens a New Playground at the Anne Youth Center

Today, October 2, at 3:00 p.m., a new playground will open in the courtyard of the Anne Youth Center (Uus 56, Tartu), providing younger visitors with more opportunities for active leisure.The playground is part of a comprehensive plan for the Anne Youth Center’s outdoor area, which is being implemented in stages. In the coming years, the plan is to develop the entire outdoor area to create a space that meets the needs of young people of all ages.

Read more »

Summer Work Camp 2026: Friends, First Paychecks, and Experiences That Last a Lifetime

The summer of 2026 at the Tartu Youth Work Camp offered young people much more than just work experience. Feedback collected at the end of the camp clearly highlighted the things the young people valued most: new friends, their first earned paycheck, special experiences, and shared activities. New friends were the biggest win. Most often, the camp participants highlighted the opportunity to meet new

Read more »

An interactive adventure game titled “The Lost Trail” is being created at the Ilmatsalu Youth Center based on an idea from young people

What happens when you give young people the chance to think for themselves, experiment, build, and actually bring their ideas to life? An interactive adventure game called “The Lost Trail” is currently taking shape in Ilmatsalu, and local youth have been involved in its creation from start to finish. From an idea to an actual game… It all started when some young people stopped by the youth center and complained that in Ilmatsalu there wasn’t

Read more »

Tartu, the Youth Capital, Tested a Mobile Youth Work Bus 

What if, instead of waiting for young people to come to the youth center, the center went to where the young people actually are? Over the past four years, the Tartu Youth Work Center has been developing mobile youth work in Tartu’s public spaces. This summer, a mobile youth work bus (the MoNo bus) was tested for the first time to see if this kind of solution would help reach young people,

Read more »