Development, Current Situation and Best

Practices of Youth Centres in Tallinn

Kadri RiitsaarSports and Youth Department

Chief Officer of Youth Department, Tallinn City

Development of Youth Centres• The first youth centre in Tallinn – Lasnamäe Open Youth Centre

was established in 1999 by the Tallinn City Council Decision No 65;• Statutes were approved on June 30, 1999;• The Statutes pointed the Tallinn Youth Department (established on

January 1, 1999) as the highest institution for the Lasnamäe Open Youth Centre;

• In 2000, the Tallinn Youth Department and the Sports Department were joined and the new institution was named the Tallinn Sports and Youth Department which also governed youth centres in the capital;

• Tallinn’s development plan 2001-2005 set as one of its high priority objectives the improvement of children’s and youths’ living environment and quality of life. So as to broaden opportunities for recreational activities and rounded development for children and youths, a youth centres network had to be set up. The Tallinn Sports and Youth Department was assigned the task of establishing an open youth centre in each district of the city.

Development of Youth Centres 2

• In 2003, the Tallinn City Council adopted a decision to rename the Lasnamäe Open Youth Centre as the Tallinn Open Youth Centre which became an umbrella organization for youth centres administered by the Tallinn Sports and Youth Department;

• In 2005, the Tallinn Open Youth Centre was renamed as the Tallinn Youth Work Centre. This name change was conditioned by the fact that the institution’s work had acquired a much wider range and was no longer limited to youth work (which, naturally, still remained a priority area). In addition to open youth work, the Centre’s activities include city wide club-related activities and youth events, youth worker training etc.

Establishing Youth Centres in Tallinn

• Lasnamäe youth centreApril 8, 1999

• Pääsküla youth centre May 17, 2002

Establishing Youth Centres in Tallinn

• Kristiine youth centre(Fall 2002)

• Mahtra youth centre(November 2003)

Establishing Youth Centres in Tallinn

• Rahumäe youth centre

(October 18, 2004; closed in fall 2006)

• Männiku youth centre(January 2005)

Establishing Youth Centres in Tallinn

• Kesklinna youth centre(February 2005)

Kopli youth centre(February 2007)

Youth Centres Administered by City Districts

In addition to the above mentioned, city councils administer five additional youth centres:

• Pirita City Council – Pirita (2001), Kose and Mähe (2003) youth centres

• Mustamäe City Council – Mustamäe Open Youth Centre (2001)

• Haabersti City Council – Haabersti Open Youth Centre (2001)

Tallinn Youth Work CentreActivities are grouped as follows:

1. Youth centres 2. Youth related information and counselling 3. Youth worker training

The Tallinn Youth Work Centre currently administers seven youth centres and two counselling centres.

Youth centres offers activities for 7-26 year-olds and operate all year round, six days a week, approximately 48 hours a week. The centres are open longer during school breaks and for fewer hours during the summer break. Visiting a centre is for free, one has to have a youth card to participate in periodical activities. As all of the youth centres in Tallinn are administered by the City of Tallinn, the Tallinn Youth Work Centre’s membership card is valid in all youth centres in the capital.The youth centres mainly employ the open youth work and club/studio methods.

Good practice – youth work at venues where young people normally meet Objective • Involvement in youth centre activities of youths

meeting on the street.• Opportunities offered to young people were

advertised to youths who didn’t know about youth centres or couldn’t attend a youth centre. Information leaflets were handed out and the number of young people met was recorded.

• Ideas were gathered from young people on how to further improve their local area. Youths were helped in implementing their good ideas. Suggestions were written down and, when required, the information was shared with the relevant city council or other institutions.

Good practice – youth work at venues where young people normally meetTarget group: • The direct target group included 12 – 18 year

old boys and girls.

Year and duration of the project: • September – December 2006

Location:• Tammsaare Park, Police Park, Viru Centre,

Musumägi, Hämariku statue, the area bordered by Kaubamaja and Viru Centre, Coca-Cola Plaza.

Good practice – youth work at venues where young people normally meetActivities implemented:• Meeting with young people in the city centre once a week;• Remote controlled cars that were driven up to young people,

proved to be the most popular means of approach. Young people were interested in the cars as well as the opportunity to control them;

• Once communication was established, information could be distributed to the youths. The main information materials included: Heat, youth centre information hand-outs, information centre information hand-outs, euro 26 postcards, European Youth information materials;

• Recreational activities, such is the Jenga board game and Uno card game, were offered to young people on the spot. In December, young people who agreed to answer our questions received candy;

Good practice – youth work at venues where young people normally meet• During the meetings, young people could map

places in Tallinn that were important to them and point out the positive as well as negative sides to these places;

• Respondents were encouraged to come up with their own suggestions as to what more could be done for young people in the capital;

• A results form was filled out at every meeting, recording the activities that were carried out and their objective as well as what the young people learned or got from the meeting.

Good practice – youth work at venues where young people normally meetThe Method Employed:Youth work at venues where young people normally meet was utilized

pursuant to the Tallinn Youth Work Centre development plan item 8.3 (increased youth involvement) which promotes this youth work method, introduced within the framework of the project. The above mentioned youth work method is still new in Tallinn, in Europe, however, holds a vital part in youth work and is continuously gaining popularity. The method has been successfully applied in England where a number of favourable results have been gained.

Youth work at venues where young people normally meet is a youth work method, the central aim and objective of which is to meet young people:

• as equals (in youth centres, a youth worker always outranks a youth and has to be obeyed);

• at a location they choose (youth workers will meet young people where it suits the latter. In addition, young people will keep the prerogative not to cooperate with youth workers should they not wish to);

• in public places.

Good practice – youth work at venues where young people normally meetFeedback• 313 youths participated in the project, of them 172 male and 141

female;• Information on opportunities being offered to young people in

Tallinn was distributed at every meeting. When information hand-outs were not wanted, information was given orally;

• In addition, young people had the opportunity to let us know about what they missed the most in Tallinn. There were a number of suggestions some of which are now included in action plans for the next half year in the Nõmme area;

• Some of the issues raised were solved immediately as young people were simply unaware that the relevant problems were already being tackled. For example, a 16 year old girl wanted to know why Tallinn wasn’t offering groups for youth leaders (project management training for youths). However, youth centres in Tallinn have groups for youth leaders and the girl was advised as to the nearest youth centre to her home where she can actively get involved in the promotion of various local efforts.

Good practice – youth work at venues where young people normally meetStrengths• The greatest strength of the project was its

adaptability in different situations. The project can be carried out indoors as well as outdoors, i.e. wherever young people are at a given time. For example, there weren’t many young people in Viru centre in early fall and they were rather spending time in Tammsaare Park and Police Park. When the weather is colder, young people will rather spend their time indoors.

Weaknesses• A weakness of the projects includes its insufficient

human resource. Due to the aforementioned we were forced to limit the carrying out of the project to once a week only.

Thank you!

Kadri RiitsaarSports and Youth DepartmentKadri.Riitsaar@tallinnlv.ee