ESC longterm project in Estonia, Valga county (Valgamaa). Activities on youthwork in 5 different Valga county youth centres: in Valga, in Tõrva, in Karula, in Taheva and in Tõlliste and one activity in Kindergarten/School (Gaia class) in Hargla.

Number of vacancies: 6

1. Valga Open Youth Centre – 11 months 
2. Tõrva Open Youth Centre – 11 months (FOUNDED)
3. Taheva Open Youth Centre – 11 months (FOUNDED)
4. Tõlliste Open Youth Centre – 11 months (FOUNDED)
5. Karula Open Youth Centre – 11 months (FOUNDED)
6. Hargla School Kindergarten and Hargla School Gaia class – 11 months (FOUNDED)

* 2019/2020 we had the volunteers in Valga youth centre from Ukraine, in Taheva youth centre from Germany (in Hargla), in Karula youth centre from Finland and in Tõlliste youth centre from Austria.

Look from here amazing photos about Valga county valgamaa.tumblr.com
Look last volunteers blog posts here: tankla.net/tankla/in-english/esc-blog-19-20.html

Main activities (for volunteers)

• most of the time he/she would be working with youngsters and helping them spend their spare time (youth centre)
  • playing board games and Xbox/PS4 (Just Dance, Fifa) with youngsters
  • doing crafting and cooking together with youngsters
  • helping youngsters to realize their ideas (like their own event)
• most of the time he/she would be working with children and helping them (kindergarten and Gaia class in Hargla school)
  • in everyday kindergarten and Gaia class activities
  • supporting kindergarten and Gaia class teacher
  • prepareing classes and theme days/weeks
  • prepareing out-side activities
  • prepareing and organizing game hours
  • communicating and playing with children
• helping youngsters to organize events
  • creating posters and ads
  • helping with all the preparations
  • checking that everything goes as planned
• creating and leading their own projects
  • ESC mini-project
  • an opportunity to bring own ideas to life, by using different types of Estonian project fundations (events, workshops, campaigns etc.)
• introducing his/her own culture and language
  • as different events
  • for example organizing a language club
• carrying out different workshops in youth center/kindergarten or elsewhere
  • participating in youth camps = carrying out a workshop in a camp (for example the „Defence League Winter Camp“)
• leading the work of youth groups
• participating in various local culture events and projects
  • getting to know the Estonian culture
• introducing voluntary work in different youth centres, schools and kindergartens in Valga county
• doing collaboration with schools, kindergarten and other youth centres and organizations
• participating in work meetings
• promoting kindergarten, youth centre and its activities
  • managing Facebook page/home page
  • promoting in Tankla homepage
  • promoting in local media (newspapers and radio)
• writing articles to newspaper/ keep a blog
  • (do not forget to check out the blogs of our current volunteers :D)

Are you interested?

An ECS volunteer should be at the age of 18 to 30 and willing to participate in an 11 months or 6,5 months long project.

When applying, it would be good to have an interest in youth work, working with the youngsters or children and media. Although, it is not an expectancy to have these skills and knowledge. It is important to have the desire of utilising your knowledge and skills and passing them on the local youngsters and children.

We are expecting that our volunteer is an open communicator and a friendly person, who is ready to be flexible about his/her working hours and assignments.

The work management in youth centre is very varied – you have to be mobile becuse of collaboration meetings and trainings all over the country and flexible because of the working hours of the centre (in addition to working on weekdays it is common to have to work on weekends as well).

The work management in kindergarten and Gaia class is organized according to the lesson plan (starting in the morning and finishing before 17), but there will be inside a lot of flexibility to give an opportunity a different style of workshops, trips, hikes etc. Mostly workdays will be on Monday until to Friday.

Cultural differences are not decisive, they are rather beneficial in terms of global diversity – we accept everyone who is suitable for youth work.

We will go through and discuss every single application as a team and will make Skype calls.

How to apply?

Interested? Send a form to the coordinating organization Valga county youth work center Tankla:

Ülla Tamm See e-posti aadress on spämmirobotite eest kaitstud. Selle nägemiseks peab su veebilehitsejas olema JavaSkript sisse lülitatud. or Rasmus Onkel See e-posti aadress on spämmirobotite eest kaitstud. Selle nägemiseks peab su veebilehitsejas olema JavaSkript sisse lülitatud.

Application form

Application form ESC 2020 (docx)

Applying deadline: AS SOON AS POSSIBLE (we choose volunteers on an ongoing basis.)

NB! The application is suitable for each service place. In which service place you will do your ESC, will be decided after the Skype-call and is depends on your answers (from the form + during the call) and where we think you would fit the best.