| About Us | ||
Estonian Youth Work Centre (EYWC), founded in 1999, is a national centre for youth work under the administrative authority of the Ministry of Education and Research (MER) and its main objective is to develop and organise youth work in the framework of the national youth policy.
The EYWC cooperates with governmental and youth work agencies, local governments, youth associations and other institutions to develop the youth policy and youth work, to provide valuable advice and information, and to represent, promote and protect the interests and values of youth work.
In cooperation with MER Youth Department the EYWC is responsible for achievement of the goals of the Estonian Youth Work Strategy 2006-2013 and implementation of the actions specified in the implementation plan of the Strategy.
The Centre and MER Youth Department also works towards improving the services provided to youth, to make them suitable for the needs of young people and for the goals and directions of youth policy, and to enhance the quality and availability of services.
The principal target groups of the EYWC include:
• youth workers
• youth and youth work organisations and agencies
• young people
• general public (incl. representatives of other fields, parents, politicians, employers, etc.)
The role of the EYWC in youth work
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We implement the Estonian Youth Work Strategy 2006-2013 and perform other functions arising from the Youth Work Act and other relevant laws.
In cooperation with the MER, the EYWC prepares an implementation plan for the Strategy and is responsible for implementing the planned actions and for preparing annual implementation reports. We also perform the functions arising from the Youth Work Act, incl. supervision over the quality of services and assessment of the qualifications of youth workers.
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We develop international cooperation.
The MER has signed international cooperation protocols on youth work with the Youth Policy Division of the Finnish Ministry of Education and with the Belgian Flemish Community, and has a cooperation programme with the Chinese Ministry of Education. The purpose of cooperation is to share information on the developments in the field of youth work and to promote international cooperation on youth affairs at various levels. International cooperation has enabled to introduce several new initiatives in Estonia – the School Peace Programme, the idea of a peer support system for students, the tradition of celebrating the Youth Day on 12 August, the methods of street youth work and open youth work, and many other valuable practices. The main forms of cooperation include workshops, training courses, expert meetings, study visits, practical training, and youth exchange. The EYWC as the organiser of cooperation under international agreements develops opportunities for international cooperation between associations, young people, and specialists.
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We coordinate networking activities.
We coordinate networking activities, in particular, with the organisations in the field of youth work (youth camps, student work camps, juvenile committees, youth centres, information and counselling centres, participation councils, etc.) and develop cooperation with organisations in other fields.
The EYWC also represents Estonia in several international networks.
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The EYWC implements the European Social Fund programme “Developing youth work quality”.
The general aim of the programme “Developing youth work quality”, lasting from 2008 to 2013, is to improve the preparation of young people for entering and succeeding in the labour market through high quality youth service. In the framework of the programme, the EYWC coordinates organisation of training courses for youth workers and promotion of the profession of a youth worker, as well as creation of a quality evaluation system for youth work and development of a youth life monitoring system.
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We award and recognise the professional qualifications of youth workers.
The EYWC is the body authorised to award professional qualifications to youth workers, i.e., we manage the qualification procedures, with two application rounds per year – in the spring and in the autumn; we also organise information days on acquiring professional qualifications in youth work, and manage the work of the professional qualifications committee. We organise promotional events and campaigns to raise the profile of the profession, to recognise successful youth workers, etc.
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We recognise the knowledge and skills acquired through youth work.
With our events and publications, we draw the attention of young people, as well as of education workers and employers, to the considerable experiences of young people, acquired in the course of youth work through informal learning in addition to, or even in place of, formal education or professional experience. By developing the web portal Stardiplats (Launch Pad), we offer young people a convenient opportunity for documenting the information on their important work and learning experiences (incl. experiences in youth work) in one place, for analysing this information, and for compiling these valuable experiences into a CV.
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We assess the quality of youth work.
Existence of a quality evaluation system for youth work enables to analyse the level of work with young people and to identify any development needs. The EYWC is working on developing and implementing the system for measuring and evaluating the quality of youth work, incl. performance of assessments.
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We monitor welfare of young people.
We collect information on the situation and livelihoods of young people to support a knowledge-based approach to the development of policies with relevance to the life of young people. For that purpose, we have developed a youth life monitoring system and data collection methodology. The collected data are verified and then used to describe the situation of young people.
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We organise training courses on youth work.
We offer various training courses to people in youth work to develop their professional knowledge, skills and attitudes. Respective certificates are issued to participants in training courses.
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We finance projects and programmes.
By financing various projects and programmes, we want to ensure availability of diverse and high-quality youth work services throughout Estonia. Using the funds allocated by the MER, we support the activities of youth centres, youth information and counselling centres, youth camps, student work camps, juvenile committees, and other actors in the field of youth work at the local, county and national levels.
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We manage the Kloogaranna Youth Camp.
The Kloogaranna Youth Camp, established in the summer of 1999, is the only state-administered youth camp in Estonia. Kloogaranna offers young people many opportunities for active recreation. In addition, Kloogaranna organises training activities and provides workshop and training facilities for organisations throughout the year.
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We organise the Youth Information Fair “Teeviit”
The first Youth Information Fair “Teeviit” was organised in 1994. The aim of the fair is to offer young persons as much information as possible on studying, training, in-service training and retraining opportunities, recreation, employment and anything else, which might be useful for planning their life. In addition, the fair provides information on trainings, new methods, publications and other professional development resources for people involved in youth work and for other interested persons.
