ESC: Vloging in Latvia

The association "Vidusdaugava NGO Center" was founded in 2006 as an association of 12 non-governmental organizations. It currently brings together 42 participants, including non-governmental organizations, active residents and one farm from the countryside. The main goal of the association is to work in the formation of civil society in the region and to provide support for the development of NGOs in the region. The association works with different target groups, but one of them that pays special attention is the young people in the region. We do not differentiate in our work - whether the young person is poor, has special needs or comes from a supportive and family environment. We are guided by everyone's needs, but we treat them equally. We work with socially vulnerabe groups; we cooperate with the State Employment Agency (SEA) Jēkabpils regional unit; we organize charity campaigns and donations in partnership with local entrepreneurs; we take part in the implementation of local initiatives; We have realized 3 long term Erasmus+ projects as a host, sending and coordinating EVS organization; We have established several international collaborations. We are very grateful for activity and trust of our partners, the association has been able to fulfill so many of its aspirations and to succeed. The work with youth in association began with the implementation of the European Social Fund project for capacity building in 2012, which included activities to raise awareness of the European Voluntary Service (EVS) project system in order to determine what it could do for the youth of Jekabpils and the region. As a result “Vidusdaugavas NGO Center” was accredited in 2015 as a host, sending and coordinating EVS organization and received support for its first long-term EVS project “Volunteers change Jēkabpils”. In the following years, the second long-term EVS project “Share and like volunteering” and the third one “Volunteer`s discovery” were successfully implemented, coordinating the admission of seven EVS youth in addition to two other NGOs. In cooperation with the Youth International Program Agency, the association has implemented Latvian national program projects: "Young people today, decision makers tomorrow" (2018) to provide local consultation in structured dialogue in Jēkabpils, Nereta and Pļaviņas counties and three meetings of young people and decision makers in the format of "Coffee with Politicians"; “#speaktomeJekabpils” (2018/2019), promoting volunteering among young people and improving the links between young people and local decision makers "Vidusdaugava NGO Center" in cooperation with the Agency for International Youth Programs (AIYP) provides information on the opportunities for Latvian youth in the European Union, we worked as the regional coordinator of EURODESK. Here, our main goal is to support the mobility of young people in Europe by disseminating information and materials about the European Solidarity Corps, Erasmus +: Youth in Action, Eurodesk and the European Youth Portal, advising young people and youth organizations on various AIYP information events in the region. The association has a long-term partnership with the State Employment Agency (SEA) in providing youth employment in the program “Development of work skills in the non-governmental sector”. The association also in cooperation with the SEA created a subsidized workplace for a young person with a disability. In 2019/2020, we participated in a European Social Fund project that reduced the risks of early school leaving for young people. "Vidusdaugavas NGO Center” is registered in the list of youth organizations of the Ministry of Education and Science that work with youth. We support and promote volunteering, especially for young people. A special brand is the annual campaign "Volunteer for 1 day" organized by our association. During the campaign, young people are given the opportunity to get involved in various non-governmental organizations and municipal institutions. One day it will be useful when choosing your future profession. We have also integrated this campaign into our international projects.