EVS longterm project in Estonia, Valga county (Valgamaa). Activities on youthwork in youth centres and on media topic (only in Tankla project) in Valga county.
Number of vacancies: 4
NB! Look more information about the applying and main activities from HERE
11 months, starting September 2018 (for each project)
Including into Tankla network the Valga county youth centres are operating on the principle of open youth work. This is a creation of conditions to promote the diverse development of young people which enables them to be active outside their families, formal education acquired within the adult education system, and to work on the basis of their free will.
Volunteers are working in different youth centres – one in Ritsu youth room (in Ritsu) and other in Taheva youth centre (in Hargla), but the media topic is together (All over the Valga county).
(Tankla is the coordinating and hosting organization of this project)
NGO Tankla is an umbrella organization for all Valga county youth centres and youth workers. Literally Tankla (meaning in English: gas station) is a place where a young person and a youth worker of Valga county can get fuel so that they would feel good about living in their home village, parish or town and doing things related to youth work. Tankla offers them support, knowledge, experience and cooperation with other parties of the network.
The main motivation of Valga County Youth Work Center Tankla to participate in European Voluntary Service as Sending, Hosting and Coordinating organisation is to support the development of youth work field in Valga County in general and in a coordinated way.
The organization of Tankla is led by three members in the board, who all have different backgrounds and years’ worth of experience working with the youth. The organization has several branches – volunteer passport, youth paper, summer school, Tankla TV, student workscamps, training centre (camp counsellor, camp leader and topics which are related with media) coordinating the Tugila (support centre) work of counties, the networking of counties youth work and EVS. We cooperate with youth workers of the county, others who are related with the youth and with different organizations (Valga Parish Government, the Pathfinder centre of Valga County, Estonian Defence League).
There are 13 youth centres in Valga county, three of which are located in small towns (population of 2 000 to 13 000) and 10 rural municipalities (population of 400 to 2 000), where the youth centres are serving youngsters throughout the municipality, but are located permantetly in one village. Valga county countryside areas are sparsely located and diffusely established and the youth centres are located in major villages (population of 100 to 450). Because in most Valga county areas the population is little and thin, then youth centres are cooperating a lot with neighboring municipalities youth centres and with various institutions in the municipality (schools, libraries, cultural centers), to organize higer sized events and activities with the cooperation so to involve plenty more young people and a larger number from the community.
Keywords: Sports hall and sport activities, working with youngsters in boarding school, parkour trainings, photoclub, Estonian Defence League active activities
Facebook/homepage: https://www.facebook.com/ritsunoortetuba/
Ritsu youth room is located in Linna küla, a village in Tõrva parish. The building where is placed also a library, diner, school and a kindergarten. Our youth room provides for the youngsters a space where to spend time playing billiard, table tennis, air hockey, xbox games (their favourite is Just Dance) or simply chill with board games. A lot of events are placed here due to the great sport hall it has. We have different equipment to play any kind of sport and also a gym full equipped.
Here are working two people, both specialized in sports: outdoor and indoor. They are the main responsible to organize the sports competitions, trips and different activities that involve the community. At the moment we are having different trainings of parkour, basketball and football. But the volunteer will also be involved with Ala elementary/ boarding school. This school is in the same municipality and it is the perfect place to practice winter outdoor activities with the youngsters who are living there.
Both places offer the opportunity to develop any idea or initative that the volunteer could bring as the youngsters of those places are active, mindful and interested to try any new activity. Good cooperation is also with the Estonian Defence League to where youngsters until 18 also belong. We are participating in different competitions, hikes and campings. Also youngsters take part the Valga county youth work center Tankla several activities.
Linna küla (Linna village) is a little village in Tõrva parish, where approximately 400 persons live. In Linna village is school, kindergarten, youth room and a shop. At outside is stadium and a village grilling and resting area with a big swing. The volunteer will work in Linna village, but lives in Tõrva - 6 kilometers from Linna küla. From Tõrva is a very good bus connection. Between Tõrva and Linna village is very good walking road and interesting caves.
The another village where the volunteer will work is Ala. In Ala village is shop, elementary / boarding school, daily center and also big sports hall. Only a couple kilometeres from Ala is one of the Estonia popular and nicest castles – Taagepera castle. Not far away from Linna and Ala villages are several bogs, lakes and camping places.
Keywords: rural area, event organizer, ball games, workshop leader, activites related with nature
Facebook/homepage: https://www.facebook.com/Taheva-valla-noored-302165056512667/
Taheva Youth Centre is an institution, which has been establised in 2003. Starting at 2018 it is a part of Valga Open Youth Centre. The Youth centre is located in little a village, which is called Hargla (population ~200) and mainly working with 13 village youngsters in Taheva area. The target group are youngsters ages between 7-26 years. Main activities are organizing with youngsters events, their free time, clubs, workshops and other „crazy“ ideas to develope local youth work and community. We are famous in our area about our fishing, volleyball and football events.
Per month there are ~300-400 visitors. Also youth centre are leading and organizing Taheva area clubs for youngsters (2017/2018 season clubs: acting, fishing, crafting, sport, music, horse riding, cooking, entrepreneurship).
The youth centre itself is an old, but charming building next to the main road in Hargla.
It has a big room - even with a stage, where concerts and events (like the ones planned by youngsters) take place. But in Taheva Youth Center you can not only train your stage apperance, also your dance and driving skills, as we have a PS4 room, where the youngsters love to play JustDance or WRC. Of course not only PS4 is played in the Youth Center, there is also a board-game-room, the possibility to play table football, billiard and also table tennis. Even weekly there is a table-tennis-evening, where the volunteer can join and try to beat the youngsters. Next to the possibility to do some sport and playing games, the Youth Center also has a professional DJ equipment, which can be used during events (like disco).
The Youth Center also has a small kitchen and a room before that, where clubs take place.
Also on the outside the Youth Center has some cool things to offer, as an outside training oppertunity. For youngsters there is a small playground with the famous Estonian swing. But not only these, also on the territory of the Youth Center are volleyball fields and a dancing-place.
Hargla is a village located in South-Estonia near the Latvian border. This village is the biggest village in Taheva area. Starting at 2018 Taheva area and Hargla village is now part of Valga parish. The parish centre is Valga city, which is ~30km away from Hargla.
Hargla is famous about its very beautiful nature, as also Karula national park is also near by – keywords are pure, eco and wild. Around the area are a lot hiking tracks, free camping places in nature, lakes and forest. Near Hargla is also a viewing point, where you can get a great impression of the area. One popular activty is canooing in Mustjõgi and Koiva river – especially at the „5th“ season of Estonia, which means that water of the river floats the near by land. But also volleyball and football are very common and popular in this area, as the youth centre is organizing events about these two sports.
In the village is a school (grades 1th until to 9th), a kinder garden, a libary, a youth centre, a culture house, a little food store and 2 bus stops. Also we have courts for football and volleyball, an outside gym and an outside dancing place. The local culture house is organizing activities, events and clubs for grown ups.
Hargla has a direct bus connections with Valga (4 times per day), Võru and Tõrva (2 times per day), and Pärnu (1 time per day). We are using a lot Valga train- and busstation to drive to Tallinn, Tartu and Riga (Latvian capital city). Important and biggest cities from Hargla: Tallinn ~270km, Riga ~175km, Tartu ~125km, Võru ~55km and Valga ~30km
(Tankla is coordinating and Valga youth centre hosting organization of this project)
Keywords: Nature, sports, multicultural, one city two countries, good location.
Facebook/homepage: https://www.facebook.com/ValgaANK/ / http://valgaank.ee/
Valga Open Youth Centre is an institution, which has been establised in 2002, but as an individual institution from February 2017. It is located in South of Estonia, city called Valga. Valga is border city and it’s neighbour city is Valka, which Valga has good relations as well. We have city celebrations with are organized by two cities together.
Youth center has 1 manager and 3 youth workers, all with different backrounds and years’ worth of experience working with the youth.We have support from NGO Tankla, which support youthworkers. From the beggining of 2018, Valga Open Youth Centre has four smaller youth centres as well. Karula Open Youth Centre, Taheva Open Youth Centre, Õru Open Youth Centre and Tõlliste Open Youth Centre. They all have the same purpose and the basics.
Our aim is to develop and support through different activities different kind of young people with different kind of background. We work with youngsters aged 7-26, but that doesn’t mean that, if someone comes and is little bit younger or older, can’t take part events that we organize. We have events, which are really popular among young people like LAN Party, different hikes, Summer school, two week voluntary laborcamp and events that assume voluntary work.
Our youngsters are really creative and most of opportunities, which are at this stage in our youth centre are written by our youngsters. Self-realization is popular, because they can have many experiences and thay can use those in further future. We have photostudio and bandroom and soon there will be followed studioroom as well and some new ideas already finding solution.
Valga-Valka is the most southern town in Estonia and despite its small size, the town straddles two countries, boasting two languages and cultures. Valga-Valka also has a rich history and a versatile cultural scene. Valga-Valka is a pearl waiting to be discovered. Valga city has a lots of things to see and has many ways to spend spare time. For sport-lovers we have sportshall with different classes, extreme sports hall, bowling centre and gym with 400m stadium. We have a lot of light traffic roads around Pedeli river and 10 km long road towards Tartu. We have possibilities to visit cinema and culture centre, musem and military museum.
We have a Voorimehe pub that is opened at the weekends and many cafes to buy pastries and drink coffee with friends. We have many small shops. Best place to shop is in Tartu and it is 80 km from Valga. There is a regular bus transportation to Tallinn, Viljandi, Tartu, Pärnu (4 times per day) and we have train transportation to Tartu, Tallinn and Riga.
(Tankla is coordinating and Tõrva youth centre hosting organization of this project)
Keywords: sports facilities, photography, mechanics, robotics, musical instruments
Facebook/homepage: https://www.facebook.com/TorvaNoortekas/ / https://torvanoored.ee/noortekad/torva-ank/
Tõrva Youth Center is located in Tõrva, but it also has smaller youth rooms in Linna küla, Riidaja and Hummuli. In Tõrva Youth Center there are usually 30-100 visitors per day and 3 employees. Our youth center is located in a former school house and therefore has a lot of room and different opportunities. We have sports room, xbox room, musical instruments, billiards and table tennis and so on. In our territory there is an opportunity to play basketball, football or to skate. We are also starting with a robotics and mechanics course for youngsters and if the volunteer is interested in robots, engines or racing, he/she can participate in these activities as well.
Tõrva is a town in Tõrva Parish, in Valga County, southern Estonia. Tõrva has an area of 4.80 km2 (2 sq mi) and a population of ~2900, making it the second largest of the three towns in Valga County.
Tõrva region is beautiful emplacement full of nature and many possibilities to spend your free time outdoors. For sport-enthusiasts we have zumba and yoga classes, a gym, volleyball and folk dance classes. For photography lovers, we have studio equipment to use, a lot of beautiful scenery and photography classes as well. We have an active arts studio and a music school where you can learn to play any instruments or to sing. We have a two pubs and two cafes to buy pastries and drink coffee with friends. We have small shops, several supermarkets, a small cinema, opened once a month and a field to play disc golf .
The closest city is Tartu (70 km from Tõrva), which is also the second biggest city in Estonia. It is called the University city and there you can find teathers, cinema, pubs, several malls and a lot of cool cafés. There is a regular bus transportation to Tallinn, Viljandi, Tartu, Pärnu (4 times per day) and to Valga (more than 10 times per day).
Application-form for Tankla, Valga and Tõrva (doc)
Applying deadline: 13th of april
NB! The application is suitable for each project. In which project you will do your EVS will be decided after the Skype-call and is based on your answers (from the form + during the call) and where we think you would fit the best.
