ESC: Volunteering in Nõo Youth Centre

Nõo commune administration is an administration of the State and the economic and social policy of the Nõo community. One of its tasks is organizing youth work in its administrative field. Youth work is coordinated by Nõo youth center which main activities and priorities are everyday activities in youth center, youth information, youth events and projects co-organized with youngsters, supporting youth initiatives, cooperation with local, county and nationwide youth organizations. Nõo Youth Centre was first opened in October 2007. In 2017 we celebrate 10th anniversary. Our activities take place under the motto: for and with youngsters. We wish that the youth center is something more than just a place to spent your spare time - that the youngsters come here just not to consume the service, but to create their own values, acquiring new experiences and skills through planning and carrying out youth events, seeing how their dreams come true. We can support them with our knowledge and experiences. Aims and regular activities: 1) Enhancing the involvement of young people and support for their initiative. Over the last few years, we have organized youth evenings in the villages to involve more youngsters who live outside the center of the Nõo borough, give them opportunities to take part and get involved in youth work opportunities. From that grew out an active youth group, which now organizes events for other young people in the area. Last year we managed to renovate a room in Laguja old schoolhouse, which now is a place for local youngsters to come together and spare their leisure time, organize events. Local youngsters took part of the renovation process themselves. 2) Purposeful and developmental leisure activities for young people Regularly organizing open workshops in youth center and in villages using the open youth work method – cooking evenings, game- and movie nights, handicraft and recycling workshops, broaden the horizons with theme weeks (health, sports, school break camps etc.), trips (cycling tour, hikes, family days, photo hunting) and inspiration evenings (meetings with youth idols). 3) Developing youth work on the municipality level Carrying out activities in the so-called periphery of the municipality, will increase the ability of young people to participate in youth work and speak out in decisions concerning young people. 4) Cooperation at local and county level We cooperate with multiple local organizations. Youth Center´s rooms and resources are used for activities by several local youth organizations. Good partners at the local level are active village communities, municipal school, cultural house, health team, Tartu Observatory and libraries. Our youth worker is a member of Nõo Parish´ health team, which worked out health profile in 2015. Giving the input about young people’s health behavior, conditions to keep young people healthy and how to improve the situation. Health profile includes also Action Plan with variety of actions how to prevent and educate people on health issues, including youngsters health behavior. Nõo Municipality is a member of Tartu County Youth Workers Community, whose goal is to develop youth work and cooperation among young people, youth workers and volunteers in Tartu County. In 2015 we held a cooperation project with eight members of the community. Target group: There are 1031 young people in the age of 7-26 living in Nõo Municipality. As youth center is situated in Nõo borough, then it is mainly visited by youngsters aged 12-16 who study in the local primary school and live in the borough. We also cooperate with rural communities in Meeri and Laguja to organize youth events outside the center.