OPEN YOUTH CENTRE AND OPEN YOUTH WORK EYCU Karin Tõnts

Main aim of Open Youth Centre (OYC) To be the main youth work executor and expander in Local Municipality To help young people in their socialising process throuth Open Youth Work (OYW) method To support youth initative

Youth Work Act which came into force 1 April 1999 a young person is a natural person between 7 and 26 years of age; Youth work is the creation of conditions for young people for activities which facilitate their development and enable them to be active outside their families, curricula and work on the basis of their free will. The content of youth work is the social, cultural and health education of young people which promotes the mental and physical development of young people.

OYW offers young people opportunities like*: Education- Enabling young people to gain skills, knowledge and attitudes needed to identify, advocate and pursue their rights and responsibilities as individuals and as members of groups and communities locally, nationally and internationally. Promotion of Equality of Opportunity- Challenging oppressions such as racism and sexism, as well as oppressions which spring from differences of culture, race, language, sexual identity, gender, disability, age, religion and class, and celebrating the diversity and strength which arise from those differences.

Participation-Through a voluntary relationship with young people, in which young people are partners in the learning process and decision making structures which affect their own and other young people’s lives and their environment. Empowerment- Supporting young people to understand and act on the personal, social and political issues which affect their lives, the lives of others and the communities of which they are a part.

The core values of OYW* Young people have the right to identify options/choices and choose the most appropriate one of them in any given situation. Each young person should be given the support to achieve their full potential in a manner that has regard for the dignity and autonomy of the individual. Young people should be supported to develop their own values and attitudes, and to develop the capacity to analyse critically the world around them and to take action in response.

Characteristics of Open Youth Work* OYW is a educational experience implemented outside of the formal school curriculum OYW is an active mode of learning which promotes an experiential learning model OYW seeks to raise the level of awareness of young people about society and how to act upon it; OYW involves young people on a voluntary basis and begins with the issues and areas of interest and concern to them; OYW is mutually beneficial, enjoyable and fun experience for youth workers and young people;

OYW is a partnership between youth workers, young people in a manner that prioritises the active participation of young people as partners in the process; OYW provides for young people participate in decision-making planning, organising and evaluating; OYW enables communities to contribute to meeting the needs of their own people; OYW is accessible to young people irrespective of their race, culture, creed, gender, sexual orientation or disability. *ECYC

O+Y+C OPEN – It’s open in suitabe time for youth and youth work It’s open for every youth, whos follows the rules of centre It’s open for the ideas of youth It’s open for the Youth Unions, yoth workes and partners to fulfil the aim of youth work It’s open min 20 h per week

YOUTH- –Activities in the centre depends of their will –They greate and follow the rules of centre –They are the decision makers and they have the responsibility of activities in the centre –They have all changes to get professional support of their problems and ideas

CENTRE- –Place, where coneverging all the youth voluntary joint action in the area of centre –Place, what offer possibilities plus has arranging function –Is a main partner for Local Government in youth work

OYC does not replace any other youth work institute ( like hobby school, information centre, sport clubs..) OYC can be an structure unit of some other social- or cultural institution

Exellent OYC Has a mission and amis - Development and action plan to achive it and all charches are made to achive the aims (suistanability) Youth are actively involved to the development of project ideas composition and fulfilment of the projects (co managment) Youth have activ part of resume and report Youth worker/s have all the nessesery competence Councels, cares, educates its workers and voluntareers Involves different intrest groups and partners (network)

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. (Mark Twain)