Youth Centre Models

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Zdravo da Ste

Udruzenje Zravo da Ste

We are a youth centre from Bosnia and Herzegovina, city Banja Luka. As the university, economic, finance, political and administrative center of the Republic of Srpska, which is one of the two entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Banja Luka is the second biggest city of the country with the population of 180.053 inhabitants (results of the 2013 census of population and housing units).

09.04.1996

We are opened in post war period and our idea is to be open youth centre whose work in based on DROP In concept.

NGO, association

International agency and municipality.

10 to 35 years old.

All genders.

Open centre beneficiaries are really various.

We are a group of professionals, volunteers and dedicated individuals who help people in need and those in need of development support. We support the right to development of children, youth and adults through group and development activities that we implement on the territory of our country. We believe that by supporting group, we will help the development of individuals and contribute to community improve.

Actitivies which support: quality leisure time, volunteer programme, youth mobility programme and life skills strengthening programme.

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Youth is actively participating in most of our activities and planning.

We hace 135 m2 and park around us.

“It is the only place of this kind in our city.”

www.zdravodaste.org

https://www.facebook.com/zds.centar/

https://www.instagram.com/zdravodaste/

Name of youth centre

Operator

Brief Description

Date of opening

Kind of organization

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Age of users

Gender of target group

Users’ profile

Mission of the Youth centre

Typical activities

Scale of participation and self-determination (0 – not existing / 10 – full self-governed youth centre)

Description on the participation / self-determination of the youth centre

Facilities and resources

Youth worker testimonial




Youngster testimonials

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Rakvere Youth Centre

Rakvere Youth Centre

In Estonia little city named Rakvere City, west side. Here is living around 14 000- 16 000 people. Rakvere has 6 schools and many hobbycentres.

26.10.2000 (Re-opening. They were moving one place to another.)

public, municipality

Rakvere city government is our support. Our budget is under city goverment.

10 to 26 years old.

All.

Estonia law is saying that the youth centres are for youngsters who are in age range 7-26. Its open for everyone.

The Youth Center is a professional platform for young people to create opportunities to realize their ideas and expand their knowledge of the information they need. Involvement of 15+ young people in youth work.
Developing young people’s digital competences.
Development of international youth work.
Developing youth policy and assisting the youth council.
We raise and support youth initiative.
Self-development of youth workers (training, level 4 vocation for youth workers).
Continuous cooperation between youth centers and other institutions.
Organizing youth events at all levels.

Our activities are dependig on words like this:
-Openness – cooperation with other institutions and organizations; every young person has the opportunity to participate, to change, to develop.
-Professionalism – we develop ourselves and we can bring it to young people, involving professionals in our field.
-Modernity, innovation.
-Entrepreneurship.

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We have enough resources.

“Our youth centre is special because we have big rooms and two floors with big sport hall. Our government has big budget and thats why we have more oppurtunities to do lots of things (Projects, events, gifts and so on). We have young crew. 5 workers and everyone is 19-27 age range. We understand youngsters and they are more open to us.”

Henry, 13: Rakvere Open Youth Center is a cool place because you can calmly chill out here. In addition, the music can still be heard loudly here. The staff is fun and can play different games with them and other young people. The Youth Center also organizes very cool events!
Gregor, 13: I like Youth, because there are many interesting hobby groups here. My favorite is the drone group. I also like the gym. There you can play football, basketball and volleyball. we could be more outdoors, otherwise it’s still cool!
Viktor, 23: I like the Rakvere Youth Center. Here are the cool staff. I think this is the best place to spend time in Rakvere.

http://www.rakverenoortekeskus.ee

Name of youth centre

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Brief Description

Date of opening

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Age of users

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Mission of the Youth centre

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Description on the participation / self-determination of the youth centre

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Youth worker testimonial

Youngster testimonial



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Associazione Centopassi

Rossana Chillemi / Arci

Associazione Centopassi was born in Torregrotta (ME), it is 15 years old and and it is active in the municipality of torregrotta, based in a old train station.

10.03.2005

NGO, non-profit company

Self-financed.

10 to 35 years old.

All.

Most of the young people that are in our youth centre are studing or working, generally they love music and play in music bands. Some of them are writers and others are studing theater. All of them love reading.

The centopassi association is a center of cultural aggregation, its purpose is to make up for the non-existence of spaces where young people can express their ideas and creativity. There are also moments of social or political debates and we try to place young people, who have difficulty integrating, in a non-hostile environment.

Concerts, cineforum, reading groups, assemblies, social inclusion projects, children’s activities, web TV.

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The participation in our youth centre is very high and the young people who participate in our activities are motivated and determined because we create the opportunity to express themselves in all their aspects, through art, writing, reading.

We have got a registered office in an old train station, with two rooms. Ones a week we make a concert or a debat and other activities. the works are divided into groups and each participant has his own task and organizes himself to be able to carry out an event together with his own work group.

“What makes my youth centre special, is the fact that everyone who participates in our activities and becomes part of our reality, is free to be himself, to propose, to learn and above all to grow together with us.”

“I found out about the existence of this youth center not long ago and quite randomly. The reason why I decided to participate in the proposed activities is because I immediately felt an integral part of this reality unknown to me before then. And I am of the opinion that any place where I can express myself freely is worth to be attended.”

https://www.facebook.com/arcitorregrotta/?ref=bookmarks

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Associazione Culturale Strauss

Roberta Lanzalaco

Associazione Culturale Strauss is situated in a small village in the centre of Sicily. Our little village, Mussomeli, presents conditions of geographical, economic and social underdevelopment. However, it has potential for history, culture and traditions. There is a high rate of brain drain and it is not easy to find a job, most young people emigrate to study and work. The economy is mainly based on agriculture.

07.06.1999

Since 2014, the Strauss Cultural Association has rented a historic building from the municipality of Mussomeli to provide space and more opportunities for volunteers, staff and local youth. The building is 650 sqm big, allocated in 2 floors and hosting the office, the house of volunteers and a space lab for activities and meetings. It’s called European Centre of Culture “Francesca Sorce” and provides opportunities for leisure, training and education to all young people of our community. It currently counts on the constant participation of about 30 young people.

NGO, association

The association finances the youth centre with its own resources. It does not rely on local, regional or national funding.

12 to 30 years old.

All.

The center is frequented by young students and workers who want to engage and contribute to the growth of their community, doing leisure activities, training, education. Despite the few opportunities offered by the social context and institutions, they have the opportunity to carry out activities that allow them to develop useful skills both in private life and at work.

Through the Youth Centre “Francesca Sorce”, Strauss wants to promote opportunities for young people, especially those with fewer opportunities, who otherwise wouldn’t have any. The main objectives are to promote a multicultural and multiethnic society, to spread the culture and values of the European community in peripheral and marginal areas such as the province of Caltanissetta, and to support and sustain young people, contributing to the development of the community.

The services and local activities offered by Strauss through the Youth Centre to support young people range from local to international level. In the local context of Mussomeli, Strauss manages the following services and carries out the following activities:
– Information centre, Strauss runs InfoYOUTH desk, Europe desk that includes the Eurodesk Local Agency, Crea-Impresa desk. The desks provide young people with information, support and tools they need for orientation in the fields of study, work, training and leisure. Users can use the counter for free consultation of job offers, masters, internships, training courses, competitions and guidance on business creation.
– Language conversation clubs: Among the local activities, aimed at young people and the local community, language conversation clubs are workshops promoted by Strauss to improve the level of English and Spanish and other languages in society. The activity involves the collaboration of ESC volunteers hosted by Strauss who, with conversations and historical-didactic paths, support the organization and implementation of language, culture and traditions workshops.
– Care of the environment: Local activities of cleaning, care and beautification of a public green space. The organization is committed to promoting recycling workshops, gardening and flower arrangement contests, graffiti workshops, awareness raising activities and promotion of “days for the environment” that can somehow help to safeguard and develop the public green of the small Sicilian town.
– Art and cooking classes, activities and workshops; Journalistic, digital and social media labs and workshops.
– Organisation of events, conferences and exhibitions on different topics, as culture, cinema, music, books, antimafia.
To the activities upon mentioned we add the chance for the YC users to get in contact with activities and opportunities related to the international dimension: Erasmus+ Key Action 1 projects (Youth Exchanges, Youth Initiatives, Training Courses, Seminars, Mobility of Youth Workers, Study Visits); European Solidarity Corps and Volunteering Activities.

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Despite the various initial difficulties in making ourselves known and making the community aware of our reality, the level of participation is really high, both from young people and adolescents and from adults. The activities proposed by us have found unexpected results, so much so that we have also received proposals from the community on activities that could be carried out, proposals that we have we have already implemented or which might be implemmented in the next future.

Within our youth centre the facilities are limited. The centre has a space at the first floor used as an activity room. One of the difficulties encountered is the lack of sufficient space and often alternative spaces are adapted and used as an activity area, such as part of the office or the terrace in the house of volunteers.
Regarding resources, Strauss does not receive local, regional or national funding. Although it is sometimes possible to access funding projects, this is not sufficient to ensure that the activities will continue over the years.

“Strauss is one of those places that can change people’s life. It allows you to experience a whole new world, and once you enter this world, you never want to leave it. It gives the opportunity to expand knowledge, thanks to the various activities offered by the association and also gives the chance not only to get to know new cultures and new worlds thanks to the foreign volunteers it hosts but gives the opportunity to experience these places promoting ideas and sense of initiative for young people. Answering the question ‘what makes your youth centre special’ I say that what makes it special is the fact that besides all the possibilities or varieties offered by Strauss, the most important thing is that within the association, we are all one big family.”

“Living in a small village in the centre of Sicily and almost disconnected from the rest of the world, the YC is the only place where I feel I am part of something bigger, even if I don’t move from Mussomeli, I have the chance to know other cultures, people and learn by doing. I attend this association because since I started it has always given me so much without wanting anything in return and also because it has managed to bring a little bit of Europe within our community.”

“One of the reasons why I go to Strauss is because the projects they have and propose seem interesting and constructive to me. In addition, people who had already participated in them in the past seemed enthusiastic about the experience and so I decided to give it a try. Since then I have always participated in local and foreign activities proposed by Strauss because they have always exceeded my expectations.”

http://www.arcistrauss.it/

https://www.facebook.com/AssociazioneCulturaleStrauss

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/153UjH4Zj9iHkEoW50vANmMIt4pKcZTl1?usp=sharing

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Youngster testimonal #1

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Bellarte

Tedacà

Bellarte is a structure of 400 square meters. It has a music room, a dance room and a theatre. It also has a lounge room with a bar. It is located in the 4th district in Turin, in the north suburb.

17.04.2006

Bellarte was an underwear factory. After a period of building renovation, it was inaugurated in 2006 as a youth centre.

NGO, association.

Tedacà answer public calls to sustain the expenses of the youth centre and the different projects managed by the association. Tedacà has also an internal fundraiser and some private sponsor. It is also specialized in business education and the creation of mass performances for private companies.

10 to 35 years old.

All genders.

The young people who use the youth centre have different age, from 5 to 35 years old (and over).
They come from families with different income brackets, especially from the lower ones; this is the reason why the prices of our courses are always accessible.

Bellarte is managed by Tedacà, an Under 35 association and cultural company, recognized by Regione Piemonte (a large regional institution in Northern-west Italy), that works in the field of performing arts in Turin since 2002. At the moment Tedacà counts more than 450 members and 13 workers. 
In Bellarte Tedacà organizes dozens of artistic courses. Tedacà has a professional company that produces new dramaturgy’s shows. It is also specialized in business education and the creation of mass performances.

– Dance, theatre, music and singing courses
– A theatrical season
– Projects of performing arts with visually impaired people
– Meetings with playwrights and professional actors.

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The youth centre is managed by the association with a confrontation with the assembly of the members. There are a lot of projects and initiative suggested and managed with the youth members.
Tedacà has an elected board and a  members’ assembly. The assembly approves the association’s budget and the board decides the guidelines for the management of the youth center. There are a lot of initiative organized by the members, as a talent race for the students and some convivial moments.

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“Working in Bellarte means being part of a family. All the initiatives we organize are inclusive and special because they are designed with and for our members.”

“Bellarte is a special place in our district because there is always a home atmosphere. The operators has a personal relationship with all the members of the association.”

http://www.tedaca.it/

https://www.facebook.com/tedaca/

Name of youth centre

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Description on the participation / self-determination of the youth centre

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Youngster testimonal #1


Youngster testimonial #2

Youngster testimonial #3

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Circolo ARCI AUT

Circolo ARCI AUT

The “Circolo ARCI AUT” is situated in the centre of Caltanissetta, in Sicily (Italy). It can be described as a large space of coworking completely furnished and decorated by youth people. All the walls have been painted by young artists and the furniture has been made by students, too.

15.09.2013

This youth centre was opened with the aim of giving to young people different opportunities. People can spend time together talking about general information, news and cultural issues. Furthermore students can discuss school’s themes in order to improve the school system.

NGO, association

The main financial support comes from self financing activities. In fact, students always organize a lot of events to finance and support the youth centre.

13 to 22 years old.

All genders.

Currently, students use the centre. Above all students committed to the school cause, so they want to work on school system, but they are also engaged to social causes such as equal rights, gender gap, education, anti-racism, anti-fascism and anti-mafia.

Surely this youth center has a social mission: it aimed at creating a social awareness among the students. They work on the school system and student’s rights, but they also focus public attention on valid arguments related to the city.

They organize meetings, activities, events, public debates, campaigns or demonstrations. Everything is planned by young workers.

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The level of self-determination is very high. A group of people run the centre, but every decision must be taken in the assembly, so everybody plays its own role and can suggest which event should be organized.

Students can find a comfort zone to study and spend time with their mates, but they can also take some books from the open library or attend lessons peer-to-peer for free. Furthermore, at the beginning of the school year they can buy and sell school books.

“I come to Circolo AUT because I read about a public meeting about school’s problems, so I wanted to join them and take part at the activities.”

“My Youth Centre is special because here I cn be myself, express my passions, have fun with my friends or study with them, but also love cultural meetings and events we always organize.”

“I come to Circolo AUT because my school mates used to spend there their free time. So I started going there every afternoon and I discovered how it is important to be actively involved in improving my city.”

facebook.com/circoloAUT/

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Description on the participation / self-determination of the youth centre

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Youngster testimonal #1

Youngster testimonial #2

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Margot APS

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Our center is located in Carmagnola, a city near Turin, Italy. We provide entertainment for young people such as concerts, djsets, etnical dinners and also cultural and social events. Our center is very careful about major current issues, such as the environment, politics, youth and social policies. We like to introduce ourselfs as a home for our partners, a place where you can relax, drink something and stay with your friends.

28.05.2010

Margot was opened as a youth center in the ARCI context. The first intention was to provide young people with a place to stay and be themselfs, have fun but also face up social and youth issues. It started out as a small group of teenagers and grew up to 2000 members between volunteers who carry out our daily activities and partners enjoying the center.

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Our main source of financial support is provided by our partners who consume our drinks and food. We also cooperate with other associations on the territory wich provide us with material goods.

14 to 35 years old.

All genders.

Our partners and members are mostly students and young people who are facing their first jobs. There are several groups of partners divided by age and maybe school experiences but often these groups can interact with the other groups realizing an intergenerational exchange that enriches everybody.

Our main objective is to provide support for activities that interest young people in our community. We want to help spreading and selecting informations that are as apolitical and objective as possible, enrich each one’s cultural experiences and spent time together having fun and enjoying each others knowledges.

Our activities concern both the enrichment of the cultural fabric (therefore meetings with book authors, ethnic dinners, the creation of informal discussion and comparison groups) and the fun and diffusion of youth culture (such as live concerts, DJ sets, exhibitions of emerging artists, external activities that affect the whole community such as cleaning entire neighborhoods). We also provide music and other classes for our partners, in order to integrate the school and universities programs.

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Our center is almost entirely run by volunteers. Our only contract employee is the cook. All the rest is managed by volunteers, be it the administration of drinks or the programming of cultural and musical events. The participation of our members is therefore very lively and we are really pleased to be able to count on our members to carry out this experience of youthful protagonism in a self-managed way.

Our center was an old cinema. We have 370 square meters to organize meetings or dance all together. We have an audio system for concerts, musical instruments such as a drums, keyboards, guitars and mixers. Then we have everything necessary for cultural meetings, therefore chairs, microphones and tables. Finally, we have everything necessary for the administration of food and drinks.

“Margot is the only place where I can always express my opinion and know that I am surrounded by people who listen to me and give me their support. Margot is also the place where I can achieve my goals or put my ideas into practice, knowing that I can count on others for any difficulty. I would say that what makes this youth center special is the center community itself.”

“I come here because it is the only space where there is always something on the program, be it a cultural evening or a concert. I come here to relax and chat with all the other partners and with my friends. I come here because this space is somehow mine too.”

www.circolomargot.it

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Description on the participation / self-determination of the youth centre

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Youth worker testimonial

Youngster testimonial #1

Youngster testimonial #2

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Palermo Youth Center (PYC)

Andrea Buscemi

PYC is an italian NGO, which now boasts two venues located in Palermo, Sicily. One takes place in Via Giuseppe De Spuches 20, very close to the historic center of Palermo, the biggest in Europe. The other one is located inside Villa Trabia, finished building in 1814 and purchased by the municipality of Palermo in 1984 after a long period of abandonment. Currently it houses a public library and numerous species of botanical interest.

2014

NGO, association.

Most of our income comes from donating members, to the bar or participating in activities.

17 to 35 years old.

All genders.

Most of young people who come to PYC are university students and young workers who like to spend their free time with their friends, meeting new people enjoying their favorite beer, creating an almost familiar environment.

The idea behind PYC is the desire to create a space where everyone will be able to express themselves through the cultural form they prefer, in order to be able to put as many people in communication together and in this way create a social container.

During the winter, we focus on the activities inside the Via Despuces venue, from the art exhibition and language courses to the foosball tournaments, and on the planning of European youth exchanges to be implemented during the summer at the Villa Trabia headquarters , between live concerts and parties.

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Our Youth workers are moved in order to create a comfortable space where they can offer leisure activities and useful services to the citizens of Palermo and welcome young visitors from all over the world, offering the typical welcome of our island.

The headquarters in Via Despuches offers a large internal garden, where there is a cover in case of rain and numerous tables and chairs that can accommodate a large number of people, a decent level bar and an internal space equipped with multimedia tools and wifi available to members, which makes it suitable for coworking. The seat of Villa Trabia is immersed in the green of Palermo, in particular in one of the most beautiful villas in palermo. The external knowledge makes it suitable for hosting concerts and musical events, as well as outdoor screenings and group games. The bar is organized by our best bartenders, able to recreate the experience of a real cocktail bar. Overall the true PYC’s straight is out Youth workers who work hard every day to achieve what they believe in, making it possible in fact to realize the idea from which our association was born.

“I like the youth centre where I work because I find it as a place where, alone or in company, I have the opportunity to experiment and implement activities or initiatives based on my knowledge and perspectives. Social interaction, creating projects and discussing them for a common goal, a place for recreation but also for work. In addition, the large turnout of members of different ages and from various working areas, of which we have opinions compared to what is being organized.” Giorgia. 19.

“I met PYC when I was 18 and had just started my university career. At first I started attending the association mainly for recreational purposes, since being very young I was enthusiastic to attend an environment full of my peers and tied to the same passions. Over time I understood what the meaning of youth associations and in general of all associations for social purposes was: from that moment on I became one of the most active members, trying to give my contribution to support the association’s activities and over the years also to support the youngest who began their journey within the PYC. Today I can say that thanks to these experiences I have developed many projects and skills, I have participated in some European design workshops, in the realization of events for social purposes and I met the National Civil Service and then became a volunteer with the Municipality of Palermo. today the PYC represents an important reality for training the youth association, since it is able to provide young people with tools and knowledge useful both in the training / professional and in the relational sphere. Today associations of all shapes and levels represent a very important tool of social cohesion: they deserve the attention of all the national community and international institutions, because thanks to these initiatives it is possible to really stimulate and improve the social fabric of ours and many other countries in the world.” Flavio, 23. Member for four years.

“Because it makes me feel good to spend my free time with other people. It is a place where I can say that I am at ease, usable for the most imaginative activities and with an audience of very sociable active members who create a beautiful environment.” Ruggero, 21. Member for two years.

https://www.facebook.com/PalermoYouthCentre

https://www.facebook.com/Villatrabiapyc/

https://www.instagram.com/pycpalermoyouthcentre

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Description on the participation / self-determination of the youth centre

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Brasov Youth Centre – Centrul de Tineret Brasov

Brasov County Sport and Youth Directorate – DJST Brasov

Brașov is located in the central part of the country, about 166 kilometers north of Bucharest and 380 kilometers from the Black Sea. Surrounded by the Southern Carpathians, Brasov is one of the main touristic places in Romania. The Youth Centre is located in the old city center, next to the Tâmpa Mountain, an area highly frequented by tourists and also locals. 

04.10.2002

We started in 2002 as part of the Romanian Youth and Sport Ministry’s network of youth centres.

Public, regional entity.

The main source of funding is the Youth and Sport Ministry.

14 to 29 years old.

All genders.

Students, NGOs members, youngsters from the city and around (even remote areas).

The Youth Center is a project within the Youth Centers National Program involving the development of a set of specific activities / services for young people. Our mission is to facilitate the social insertion of young people by creating an alternative in the field of non-formal education, information and leisure for young people in Brasov.

The main types of activities (for a youth center financed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports) are: Information, Consultancy & Counseling, Non formal education. In our case we are focusing on non formal education – different workshops and trainings (creativity, personal development, volunteering, project management, ecology), leisure activities and contests. 

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We have two different situations: activities developed directly by the Youth Centre and Volunteer Centre – inspired by youngsters needs and likes (2-3 times per year we are launching open questions about the subjects and tools they want us to approach) and activities developed by our partners NGOs like the local Scout organization and a other 2 NGOs from the ecological field (also they focus on their beneficiaries and adapt everything according to them). 

262 square meters – 6 rooms: a large meeting / leisure room, a training room, a workshop, a small team building room, a small library room a hall. Basic furniture, TV, video projector, white board, flip chart, ping pong tables, fitness equipment.

“To inspire a new generation… This was and still is our goal in the last (almost) 18 years since the opening of the Brasov Youth Center. From the very beginning, we aimed to offer young people in the area an alternative. An alternative for leisure, for information and an alternative in the field of education – non formal education. The activities within the centre are complementary to the formal education, enhanching the skills acquired in school, emphasizing on participatory methods (peer education, learning by playing). We started from a few principles that we are still relying now in our work: openness to all young people, voluntary involvement, flexibility of structure and planning, education based on the real needs and interests of young people, the possibility to “work” at different “speeds” and in different ways. The Youth Centre is a flexible and lively structure adapting to the needs and requirements of the beneficiaries and as time goes by to the external environment. Hundreds of activities, tens of thousands of beneficiaries belonging to several generations – are quantifiable results. Beyond the numbers, however, we believe that we have touched the lives of many young people / volunteers / organizations and we have opened a road that then many other youth projects in Brasov have “flourished” and have been “built”.” Catalina Tanase – DJST Brasov

“Freedom… I am involved in the activities organized by Brasov Youth Centre since 2008 when I have founded „The Brasov Volunteer Centre”, a project within Association for Social Integration and Environmental Protection Feedback Brasov. In more then 12 years we have organized a large variety of activities involving the youngsters from Brasov. We were entrusted with the keys since 2009 and we were able to create a lot of youth initiatives. This context allowed a large number of youngsters to express themself through workshops, meetings, volunteering activities, civic campaigns, networking. In 12 years I witnessed the personal growth of hundreds of young people who felt included in a active and creative group.  The Youth Center is a very versatile space in city centre where a large number of NGO’s can use the space in order to organize free trainings, workshops, cultural and sport activities.” Laura Istrate

http://sportsitineretbrasov.ro/

https://www.facebook.com/centruldetineretbrasov/

Name of youth centre

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Youth worker testimonal

Youngster testimonial #1

Youngster testimonial #2

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Centrul de Tineret Baia Mare

Association for Development through Education, Informing and Support – D.E.I.S.

Our youth centre is located in Baia Mare, the capital of Maramueș County, in the North of Romania. 

2007

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A partnership between a local authority and a local NGO.

The Youth Centre in Baia Mare belongs to the Agency for Youth and Sport Maramures (local representatives of the Romanian Ministry for Youth and Sport in Maramures county) and the activities and services there are offered and managed by the Association for Development through Education, Information and Support – D.E.I.S.. The Agency also funds some of the projects taking place here.

14 to 35 years old.

All genders.

Our youth center is open for all young people age between 14 and 35. Most young people who use the youth center live in Baia Mare or the surrounding areas aged between 14 and 22.

Our youth centre does not currently have a mission of its own. Instead, DEIS Asociation’s – the local NGO that manages the youth centre – mission is applicable to the youth centre: forming young people capable to make the best decisions for themselves and the community.

Our activity can be separated into two categories:  1. Daily activities. Young people who joined the membership program of our youth centre can come from Monday to Friday between 2 PM and 8 PM to hang out at the youth centre. We provide an environment in which they can also study or practice hobbies (singing, playing instruments, drawing). They have access to board games and our volunteers and youth workers try to answer to as many of their needs as possible     2. Specific activities: board games, movie nights, karaoke, parties, concerts, trainings, workshops, theatre courses.

– A daily activity room equipped with basic furniture – 2 Laptops  – Free wi-fi  – A small music recording studio  – A rehearsal room, equipped with basic technical equipment and instruments, that is also used as a media studio, where young volunteers record their own online show   – A kitchen equipped with a small fridge, an oven, a microwave, coffee machine, cutlery and basic kitchen furniture (cupboards, sink, small tables an d chairs) – Free counselling services offered by youth workers.

“One of the most important aspects of our youth centre is the fact that we involve young people as much as possible in every activity or decision. All the activities that take place in the youth centre are the result of the previous consultation with young people regarding their needs. Also, most of the activities and projects are designed and organized by young people, with the support of youth workers. To be more specific, we take care of the administrative aspects, we offer them the resources available, the general context and the counselling they need, and they have the freedom of designing and organizing the activity in whatever way they feel would best suit their needs. They take leadership positions and work in different teams, they learn from each other and we offer them support in their learning process after these experiences. What we also consider important, especially because is something that young people coming to the youth centre have mentioned several times, is the fact that this a safe place where they feel like they can be themselves without being judged. This is a place where people agree to accept and understand each other, and a place where they learn to see beyond looks and behaviours.”

“The youth workers that I met at the youth centre are responsible for most of my personal and professional development. I started coming here because I discovered a calm and welcoming environment. The other volunteers and youth workers were not judgemental. Everyone is open-minded and they are ready to help you at any time. When I first walked into Baia Mare’s Youth Center I was a shy girl, with no idea what I wanted to do in the future. Three years later, after many trainings and responsibilities (as I became part of the volunteer team and the leader of the PR and Communication team), I am now a youth worker and a student at Creative Writing. In time I discovered what I am good at and what I would like to do, generally. Without the trust and support from the youth workers, I would have never developed the skills I have today: communication both verbal and written, teamwork, public speaking, leadership, risk management, time management and the list can continue.” Beatrix Konyves, 19

I started coming to the Youth Centre 2 years ago when I discovered that this is the safest place for me. Here I can say what’s on my mind without being judged, I can do what I like most and I can develop myself with the help of the youth workers. I was a very introvert person before I came to the Youth Centre, I could not talk in public at all. After many trainings and other activities, I developed a set of skills (teamwork, communication, leadership, public speaking) that I would have not been able to develop without the Youth Centre and the youth workers. Last year I became a member of the PR team and so I discovered my passion for photography. – Jeanine Horgoș, 18

www.facebook.com/CentrulDeTineretBaiaMare

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Curba de Cultura

Curba de Cultura Association

Since September 5th 2013, Curba de Cultura is running a local youth centre – created with the help and support of 25 young local volunteers through a 1.2 Youth in Action funded project. Even if the centre is local, many young people living in an area of 50 kms radius are participating in the activities. It is one of the few private youth centres in Romania and most likely the only one operating in a rural area. The youth centre – operating in a rural area with over 50.000 inhabitants with no relevant public youth services – is offering information services, coaching, workshops, events, open air cinema nights, a public library, international mobilities for young people and youth workers, language courses, leisure time activities and youth advocacy for about 400 young people per year with the help of 4 full time staff, 14 experts and around 50 volunteers. Since 2015 we are also hosting EVS volunteers, having a significant impact on the young people and the community.

05.09.2013

NGO, association

The Centre is funded mainly through European programmes. A rough 80% of the anual turnover is generated through applying for and implementing projects with European funding.
The other source of funding is self funding through revenue generating activities, mainly through consulting and training services for other organisations and companies.

13 to 24 years old.

All

Most of the young people attending the activities in the youth centre are aged 13 to 18. They live in rural Romania, experiencing less local travel opportunities than the average Joe and, most of them, come from a background of economic difficulties. They might be supported and guided by one parent or a close  relative due to work migration. Their interests revolve around socializing, learning, traveling, biking, photography, music and movies or TV series.

The Centre’s mission is to reduce the development gaps between urban and rural young people and to contribute to the development of teenagers and young people as an integral part of their communities, aware of being part of Romanian culture and of their role of active and responsible citizens. Our values are learning, participation, equality, diversity, teamwork, self-awareness, tolerance.
The principles that guide our work are:
– The way in which young people spend their free time is vital to their personal and professional development and to the development of their communities.
– The availability of fully diverse leisure time activities, volunteering and civic involvement is essential for young people’s development and for society generally. The activitiess should cover as much ground as possible in order to respond to young poeple’s needs and interests.
– Involving young people in decisions that impact them is a critical aspect for building a civic self and building youth ownership over the leisure time activities in which they get involved.
Creating youth supportive communities is not a piece of cake. Yet, we strongly believe it’s worth the effort.

Curba de Cultura Youth Center hosts various activities prepared for and by young people. Those proposed by the youngsters involved vary from peer-to peer creative workshops, in which young people are exploring do it yourself, recycle and upcycle trends, to workshops, aimed at transferring skills – in photography, digital design, playing music instruments.
Big part of activities has a form of socializing events, among which cinema projections and clothes swap sessions are currently the most popular ones. Many of these activities have a multicultural character, as international volunteers hosted in long-term stages, are taking care of language and cultural exchange – informally by joining the activities as well as in the form of independent events.
Guided by the team of youth workers, structured learning opportunities for young people are on schedule regularly, in the form of trainings and workshops on diverse topics, such as communication, youth leadership and facilitation of nonformal youth activities.
On the other hand the Center’s programe leaves space for those that just want to enjoy the a cup of tea or a game of chess with a friend – or maybe prefer a loud group session of joungle speed, the most popular game in the center’s ludoteque.

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Young people cand drop in whenever they want, during opening hours: Tue – Fri 14.00 – 18.00, Sat 10.00 – 19.00.
We are organizing specific activities based on young people’s proposals. We are organizing and implementing rather large projects based on Young people’s expressed interests and needs. Young people are organizing a range of diverse activities following legality and morality norms. The centre is open to anyone within the age range.

Staff: 4 full time.
International Volunteers: generally at least 4 hosted in the same time.
Local volunteers: around 50
Facilities: Old house in the village, 2 rooms for office and activities, 1 room for guests – 4 beds toilet, 1 summer lounge with computers for a larger number of ppl in the same time in the centre, outside garden for activities, almost fully equipped woodworking workshop, barn cinema in the attic of the workshop.
Materials and equipment: a large collection of boardgames (approx 70), a library with over 2000 volumes, 2 sets of outdoor movie projection equipment (laptop, projector, speakers, 3x4m screen), small size theatre and concert equipment, office equipment, 4 cars, etc.

“The atmosphere of Curba de Cultura is unique. While entering in the main room, which is the library, you feel the story of this youth center and the good vibes floating in the air. The place is cosy and warm, full of books and boardgames, both allow young people to have their own time reading or to spend time playing with others. Our youth center is welcoming locals and international volunteers in many ways. We organize activities and events for and with them; for the locals, we give them the opportunity of taking part in youth exchanges in Romania or abroad, and also they have the possibility to organize activities or events by themselves that they would like to see happening in their communities. For this last point, we propose them all the resources they would need to organize and implement things, meaning human, materials, space and financial resources. As well, in general idea, we are providing support, advice, and listening if they have questions about anything.
Our youth center is full of stories from approximately 62 international volunteers of 25 different nationalities, with anecdotes, projects, smiles, energy and adventures. And all that, we are sharing with our young people around the area as much as we can, in order to give them the opportunity of meeting foreigners, learning different cultures, acquiring or developing their language skills and other competences, being supported for their professional and personal development and opening their mind to get the better of themselves.
As a youth worker in Curba de Cultura, each day is different and makes me realize the amazing opportunity of being here and taking part of all those things happening for our young people.”

“I go to my youth center because it helps me develop myself and I also get to meet and socialize with people from different cultures and countries, with different beliefs and visions of the world”. Andrea

“I come to Curba de Cultura because it is a place where I can relax after a hard day, make new friends, interact with a lot of people and learn new things. I like being part of such an incredible team ready to help and inspire you when you need.” Georgian

“I come there because I can be myself. I feel safe and the people around me makes me happy.” Maria

“I usually come to my local youth center because in this I find a way to change my daily routine, by meeting new and different people from abroad, the fun activities, and the non-formal education received.” Adriana

“I come to Curba de Cultură because it is a good way to develop myself, have a lot of fun and help others.” Daria

https://www.facebook.com/iywwcurbadecultura/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoZBMuFnUN93TckaaRAKmtg/videos

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Youth Centre Mansarda Resita

Caras-Severin County Youths and Sports Directorate

The youth centre is located in Resita, on a main street, close to one of the most renowned high schools in the county. Resita is located outside main commercial highways/ routes, it does not represent a highway, national roads or railroads hub. It is a monoindustrial area that has known development until the 1990. Following the regime change and massive reorganization, poverty and unemployment came. Most of the financial resources are being directed towards social issues and less towards education and youth.

01.12.2005

public, regional entity

The Ministry of Youth and Sports is securing an anual activity budget (14.000 lei for projects and 4000 lei for maintenance in 2019). The municipality of Resita is offering the space for the centre free of charge and is as well covering for utility costs while the Volunteering Centre Resita is offering the human resources for workshops coordination.

14 to 35 years old.

All.

Most young beneficiaries are high school students that would like to do something else and not just going to school. We also have a small percentage of University students or locally employed young people that participate in activities.

Mission: Stimulating personal development for young people in Resita
Objectives: developing knowledge and competencies through nonformal education programmes that would help young people attaing individual performance according to real life needs.
Offering a safe framework, a space for socializing as for the young poeple to make their ideas come to life, to practice their knowledge, to manage resources or to work in project teams.

Workshops: Creativity with recycled materials, handme crafts and jewlery, music therapy, indoor climbing and sports, pottery and ceramic, street animation, meetings with diverse range of professionals, documentary film / videos and photography, other relevant workshops.

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Materials and others: 3 PCs, 2 laptops, 2 printers – 1 color, 1 A3 copier, fusball table, biliards table, electric pottery wheel, over 50 musical instruments (djembe, maracas, guitars, oceandrums etc.) WiFi amp, photo camera, steady cam, badges press etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHROIL-T64E

https://www.facebook.com/centruldevoluntariat.resita/videos/1677876908900282/
https://www.facebook.com/centruldevoluntariat.resita/videos/1677878108900162/
https://www.facebook.com/centruldevoluntariat.resita/videos/1677880435566596/

https://voluntariat-resina.ro/

https://www.facebook.com/centruldevoluntariat.resita/

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Youth Center of Târgu Frumos / A.C.T House

SUPER TINERI (ASIRYS) Association

Our youth center is located in Târgu Frumos, a small town in Romania, in space provided for free by a company. During the years we changed different locations, for one year our youth center was located in two public institutions, but when we couldn’t afford the rent, they kicked us out.
At the begining, we had moments in which we did not have a phisical space, so we organized our meetings in public spaces (cafeterias), schools, short-term rented places or friends. The moment in which we decided to settle down, was in 2015, when we received funding from EEA Grants, so we bought many materials and equipments needed for a youth center.
This year, in February, we will move in a bigger and modern space, which was developed after a long term effort. The new youth center, that will be called ACT House, will allow us to develop our youth center sustainability.

26.02.2009

NGO, association

In the last three years, our funds came mostly from Erasmus+ programme. This year we will have in implementation an ESC project. Another fund that allowed us to open the new center, came from Start-Up Plus Programme.  

10 to 35 years old.

All.

We work with children, teenagers, students and young teachers. In general, the youth coming to our center are from rural area and most of them with fewer opportunities, within the center they feel accepted and supported. The youth interested of our services are willing to develop soft skills, interact with foreigners, travel via Erasmus+, get involved in organizing festivals and cultural events, attend workshops about different topics and play board-games.

The mission of our youth centre is to engage youth in order to develop them into leaders of positive and sustainable change for their communities. We promote nonformal education, volunteering and active citizenship, the values Erasmus Programme encourage us to share.
Our motivation consists in having in our small and “unattractive” town, an active, safe, creative and productive environment in which we can all learn and develop ourselves. Our hidden desire is to start a positive wind of change in small communities, become a model and inspire other youth and organisation to invest their time voluntary based in building peaceful and enriching communities. 

Well, this is hard to define because we always change the program based on the needs, ideas, resources of the youth coming in. In the last 6 months, we provided dance, photography, chess, basketball, guitar, digital education, archaeology, English, Greek, multiple intelligence, gender equality, non-formal sports, intercultural events and workshops. It is a huge diversity and we encourage youth to develop their own ideas, workshops and events. 

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It is high if we compare it with other youth center in the area, but of course, there is much more to be done. We need more prepared youth workers to reach our youth and give them personalized support. From 10 youth that are coming to our centre, only 2 or 3 will develop their own activities. In the last years we managed to increase the engagement of our active volunteers to 3 years, at the beginning was for 6-7 months. 

We have around 40 types of board games, all office supplies needed for activities, paints, crafting tools, sport equipment, photo-cameras, 2 laptops, a library with newest books (we buy the books our youth want to read), tents, video-projects, microphone & music system, in the new place we will have even shower, a fully equipped professional kitchen, a gym, a theater scene. With the help of a school at 10 minutes walk from our youth center, we have access for free to a big sport room. In general, in time we managed to buy all the things youth needs for creating their own activities. 

“We are the only one in the area, we are really open to partnerships, ideas, events and activities, even sometimes we kind of burn-out because of the lack of capacity. Even though we have a bad relation with the public authorities from the town – they don’t actually understand why and what we are doing, in the last years we managed to find public partners from the villages near-by and from the schools, which increased our impact. We are champions in productivity! 🙂 Our youth center worked so far mostly based on volunteering work, we had only one employee, for two years, in the last eleven years. And with the budget our city hall organized one day artistic event, we did in one year 370 events engaging 120 volunteers and 6000 beneficiaries.”

https://www.supertineri.org/search/label/testimoniale
https://www.supertineri.org/search/label/Nikolia_Papadopoulou

www.supertineri.org

https://www.youtube.com/user/supertineri

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Community Centre

Group for Children and Youth “Indigo”

The Community Centre is located in st. Dusana Popovica bb, across the street from the Roma settlement “Crvena Zvezda”, in Nis, Serbia.

01.10.2013

The Community Centre is open for different people and supports the ideas and initiatives that contribute to the development of children, individuals and the community. The Community Centre aims at enabling different actors and participants to cooperate, network and actively contribute to the community development.

NGO, association

Group for Children and Youth “Indigo” is funded by the donors. Our main donors are UNHCR, UNICEF, REF, Open Society Fund, H.E.Stepic Charity etc.

10 to 35 years old.

All.

Most of the participants are children and youth. We are also open for other people who wish to use a computer or Internet, who need assistance or who come with an initiative. We also regularly organise parental meeting, different workshops, and other activities.

The mission is to involve different actors in the work of the Community centre and the life of the local community by teamwork and with networking with the relevant institutions and the local community.

Typical activities in the Community centre include assisting the children with their homework and studying. We also regularly organise psychosocial and educational workshops with the children, youth and parents. What’s more, we organise different activities that contribute to the sense of solidarity and belonging, as well as those that create opportunities for children and youth of different backgrounds to meet, interact and socialise.

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The children and youth are active participants in the design, implementation and evaluation of the activities organised in the Community Centre.

All the relevant facilities are available in the Community Centre. We have a room with Internet access, a kitchen with hot water and a toilet. We also have a swingset, a seesaw and benches and tables in the yard.

https://www.facebook.com/GrupaZaDecuIMladeIndigo/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCylpRadO8OQWEwFiYV_j8kA

https://www.instagram.com/gdmindigo/

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Mestni Mladinski Svet Maribor

Municipality of Maribor

The Maribor City Youth Council is the youth council of the local community. It is located in the second biggest slovenian town Maribor. So it provides activities and opportunities for many young people in the region os Styria (Štajerska).

28.11.2002

The Maribor City Youth Council (MMSM) represents and unites youth organizations in the Municipality of Maribor. We were established in 2002 with the aim of presenting the basis for the participation of young people in the local community as the holder of youth work and youth policy at the local level.

Local youth council.

Our main priority is to defend the interests of young people at the Municipality of Maribor. According to the Youth Councils Act, we have the right to give opinions on all matters dealt with in municipal bodies that concern young people. As an organized form, we also have the possibility of organizing various activities and using various forms of obtaining funds for operation and development (municipal tenders, the Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Youth, the Youth in Action Program, etc.).

15 to 29 years old.

All.

The Maribor City Youth Council is led by young people (15-29 years old), who are elected by MMSM member organizations at the MMSM assembly, and at the same time we include new young people in the team of volunteers who are interested in this kind of experience. other areas).

A large part of our work is represented by 23 member youth organizations. We also cooperate with many organizations (Municipality of Maribor, Office for Culture and Youth, Youth Council of Slovenia, Youth Councils of other local communities, University of Maribor, etc.).
We systematically encourage the development of information and counseling for young people, which is one of the most important mechanisms for increasing and promoting the social participation of young people, their social integration, personal development and autonomy.

The City Youth Council of Maribor systematically encourages the development of information and counseling for young people, which is one of the most important mechanisms for increasing and promoting social participation of young people, their social integration, personal development and autonomy. Goals:
to achieve a greater degree of cooperation between youth organizations in Maribor, Slovenia and abroad and thus strengthen the role of youth and youth organizations in the local community;
to offer young people the opportunity to actively co-create everything that happens to them and for them in the local community;
encourage the involvement of young people in decision-making processes and the adoption of legislation in areas affecting young people;
to provide an environment that encourages the creation, creativity, motivation and recognition of the individual potential of young people so that they can find their life goals in the environment and implement them in society;
to influence the creation of an environment through the participation of young people in all life processes, which will be a source of motivation and life optimism and will ensure the rewarding of knowledge and work on an equal basis;
provide young people with a place in the information society, access to information and communication channels and increase the role of information technology;
to contribute to the awareness of the importance of environmental protection and the personal physical and mental health of each individual by cooperating with other institutions.

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We live in the youth-friendly Municipality of Maribor, which offers free rental of space to the City Youth Council of Maribor and thus opens the doors of the House of Youth to many young pupils, students, young entrepreneurs and all others aged 15 to 30 years. The Youth House has opened its doors to all young people looking for a space other than home or school. Young people can use computers and printers, make staples, play board games, learn or just hang out. Youth organizations in the facility that do not yet have their own premises can use these premises free of charge.

The House of Youth, as we named our premises in the center of Maribor, came to life in April 2018. Although our youth council has been living in these premises for almost 10 years, we thoroughly renovated the premises in 2017 and in 2018 we opened the doors to all youth organizations and young people. We were able to do this mainly thanks to the volunteers, as we did most of the renovation work ourselves. We will never forget how my team and I spent days, sometimes late at night, painting the rooms, moving and dismantling the furniture, coming up with ideas for what the individual rooms would look like and what was supposed to happen in the House of Youth (President Matic). Today, the Youth House is a modern gathering place for all young people, youth organizations, it hosts almost all major events of youth organizations (members of MMSM and others), we have arranged a support center for youth organizations (administration, production of promotional material, etc.). mainly regular activities. Every Wednesday we host psychological counseling for young people (organized by MC Indijanez), on Mondays young girls “colleagues” gather in the House of Youth (performed by the Nefiks Institute), we also offer teaching aids for young people, and various courses from foreign languages ​​to multimedia workshops . I am proud that my team and I managed to turn the original idea of ​​the House of Youth, as an open space for young people with various activities, into reality after almost two years and countless volunteer hours.

“If I’m joking, we in Maribor have always been a little more rebellious. I honestly believe that in such organizations a lot depends on individuals, on young volunteers who are willing to invest their free time and energy in such activities. In 2015, we were lucky to set up a whole new world with the youngest team in the history of our youth world and give it a ‘new wind’ and to this day its reputation and recognition as one of the most active youth councils not only in Slovenia, but in this part of Europe. In my opinion, the lack of support is crucial for the decline of the role of youth councils in Slovenia in general. Let us remember that years ago the tender of the Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Youth was abolished, which provided at least basic financial resources to youth councils, but municipalities are not obliged to provide them, so we youth councils are often left to ourselves.”

“I like to visit the house of youth because it offers The hall or lecture room, equipped with several chairs, a computer and a projector, its a multi-purpose living room, which we call simply a ‘living room’, intended for movie nights, playing board games, ‘brainstorming’ or just socializing. Because we really feel like at home. In the back room there are toilets and an ecological corner, a kitchen and an office.”

http://www.mmsm.si/?fbclid=IwAR2tqmV1Ilkcl2t6ChaiBNAb

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MIKK Murska Sobota

MIKK Murska Sobota

The youth center is located inside the Castle of Murska Sobota, which is located in the middle of the City park of Murska Sobota.

21.12.1995

The youth center has been established by the City municipality of Murska Sobota with the intention of providing a place for young people to express their ideas, creativity and fullfill the need for entertainment.
MIKK is also a strong proponent of alternative youth culture and is a very well known venue for live alternative music.

Public, municipality.

Main source of funding is the City municipality of Murska Sobota. Activities of the youth centre are also cofunded by the Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Youth under the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport. MIKK`s music programme is funded by the Ministry of culture.

10 to 29 years old.

All.

We are open to everyone. Most of our users are older schoolkids, highschoolers, students, employed and unemployed youngsters from the local area and the region of Pomurje. Our goal is to connect people from all types of backgrounds and environments.

The mission of our youth centre is to offer equal opportunity to young people in the local community and region in the fields of nonformal education, access to culture, youth policy and entertainment.

Activities in our youth centre range from lectures, debates, round tables on interesting and current topics, live concerts of alternative music, gaming nights which include video games and board games, music workshops (you can learn how to play the drums, guitar or sing), art exhibitions in our small gallery, workshops for developing employment skills in the fields of audio engineering, film, photography, use of graphic design software (Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator) and video design and editing software (Adobe Premier, Adobe AfterEffects) or just sitting down and relaxing while drinking coffee in the lovely park.

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A yearly plan of activities is prepared by the employees with the help of a yearly survey amongst young people and request by the young people or youth organizations. Through the whole year, young people have the ability to express their ideas and realize them with the help of youth workers. They are also provided basic funding for the realization of the idea/project.

Our facilities entail a gallery, lecture hall/workshop room, club room which contains a cafe and a fully outfitted stage with stage lighting and PA. Rest of the facilities contain office spaces, storage areas and a coworking place. In warmer months our activities are also carried out in the castle courtyard and the entailing city park.

http://www.mikk.si/

https://www.facebook.com/mikk.ms

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYrl5-us6i8eodp-Rm_p8xg

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Gornja Radgona Mladinski Youth Center

Zavod Kultprotur

Gornja Radgona, a town of fairs and sparkling wines, lies in northeastern Slovenia and borders neighboring Austria along the Mura River. Vineyards are planted in the municipality along the most beautiful slopes and ridges, which give the wine-growing region above Gornja Radgona a particularly beautiful appearance.

01.02.2014

The Gornja Radgona Youth Center participates in several national and international programs, intended primarily for youth organizations and informal youth groups.

Public, municipality

Gornja Radgona Youth Center was selected in a public tender of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport “Employment in the field of youth work in the youth sector” to co-finance the operation “Employment in the field of youth work in the youth sector – 1”, co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia and the European Union from the European Social Fund. As part of the tender, we hired one youth worker.

15 to 35 years old.

All.

In addition to MC employees, our volunteers also play an important role, as they have been involved in various fields within the activities of the youth center for a long time. A team of volunteers is currently actively working to help implement the annual program of the youth center.
Volunteers defend the interests of individuals and various organized and unorganized groups of young people from whom they come. They represent a supporting and complementary pillar of operation in the youth center. Young people who work as volunteers also actively participate in most of the activities and events that we prepare in the youth center. Volunteering is of great importance for the development and for the future of the individual as a wider society. It contributes to the development of existing systems, to the development of values, solidarity, social and other progress of society, so it needs to be nurtured and properly valued.

The Gornja Radgona Youth Center acts as a logistical and functional center for young people in the field of development, information, education and social, cultural activities, entertainment and social inclusion of young people and young at heart. We offer advice on mobility opportunities, non-formal education, training for youth work, assistance in applying for youth tenders, planning youth projects, assistance in planning and organizing events for young people, assistance in establishing and statutory activities of youth clubs, associations, the possibility of volunteering within the youth center (promotion, events), provision of information by the municipality and other local institutions on issues that affect the lives of young people in the local community.
Objective of the operation: The objective of the operation is to encourage and ensure greater employability of young people from the target group of young people in the public tender, which increases the chances of their employment after the operation and contributes to reducing youth unemployment.
The measure to achieve the goal is an incentive for the employment of a young person from the target group of young people in a public tender in the youth sector as a youth worker in the field of youth work.

In addition to MC employees, our volunteers also play an important role, as they have been involved in various fields within the activities of the youth center for a long time. A team of volunteers is currently actively working to help implement the annual program of the youth center.
We organise: workshops, concerts, lectures and seminars, cultural events, sporting events.
– informing the public (working with a computer: publications via the website, mailing lists, social networks, preparation of trailers, leaflets, posters, etc. promotional material).
– assistance in preparing the premises (for information, meetings and implementation of individual events).
– assistance in organizing events.
– activities in the field of informing young people and youth work, additional assistance in the implementation of annual program activities.

7

We believe that the organizations and associations that, in addition to our youth center, mostly deal with young people (Student – Youth Club Klinka, Youth Council of Gornja Radgona, scouts, etc.) perform their mission very well and can be taken as an example by many municipalities. only in Pomurje, but also much wider. The results of many years of thoughtful and active work of individual organizations are clearly visible, as evidenced by the Strategy for Youth in the Municipality of Gornja Radgona 2017-2021, which was adopted last year and is already being successfully implemented. As a rule, young people connect mainly within the mentioned organizations and societies (we should not forget the older young people, who mostly gather in Kud Zrak, Kud Bunker, KGD Insane and the Tenzin Association), and the youth center itself offers them its program cooperation. premises and technical equipment for the purpose of meetings and realization of ideas and projects. We are also susceptible to informal or. officially unrelated groups of young people, as well as individuals who occasionally turn to us with some initiatives and suggestions. Of course, we try our best to help them as much as possible. One of our priority goals is to try to connect these “unorganized” young people, and at the same time actively involve them in the operation of the youth center.

The youth center offers space for various activities and performers. There is a club space (Concert and Conference Hall) of the youth center.
The spaces and rooms of the youth center can be used free of charge by: primary school youth, pupils, students and other young people up to the age of 30, non-governmental organizations, schools, kindergartens and individuals in the field for whose organization and implementation the youth center operates, and NGOs and individuals from the fields of culture, education, sports, social and other social activities namely for: for independent, educational, research, creative work and spending free time in the premises of the youth center, for the organization and implementation of its own program contents, within the annual work plan of the youth center, which are accessible to all interested users and visitors of the youth center (events, events) under the same conditions, for the organization and implementation of their own program content, which is free for users, for all non-commercial activities, use of premises exclusively for the operation of non-governmental organizations, meetings and other forms of association meetings for the purpose of operation of the organization.
The technical equipment of the Youth Center Gornja Radgona includes: demountable stage, stage lights,
speaker set: 2 bass, 2 satellites, 4 monitors, a pair of portable speakers, smaller and larger audio mixing desk, 3 microphones, drum microphones, associated audio cables, drum set (Mapex, without cymbals), drumsticks, mounted projector, possibility of projection on the wall or screen (SiOL TV connection, computer …), Laptop, beverage refrigerator under the counter, backstage beverage refrigerator, beverage cooler for sale (commercial sale), coffee machine, table tennis table, computer for public use, darts, men’s, women’s toilet, mixed toilet – “backstage”.

“We are a really great team, so I am very satisfied when it comes to personnel matters. Especially now, when we are significantly strengthened in this area as well (three employees). When I came last September and took over the management of MC, I was the only worker, so I “breathed on my gills” for quite some time. However, if the MC wants to further develop and grow, additional job systematization will be needed in the very near future, as only some temporary forms of employment (public works, projects) that merely patch up the essentials cannot ensure truly continuous, quality and varied program, as Gornja Radgona wants and deserves.
If we touch our visitors, it is more and more obvious during the daily visit, as well as at individual events, and, as it was recently written to your media, that we are increasingly becoming an intergenerational center instead of a youth center. Which I find great. During the day, for example, children from a nearby primary school stay with us the most, and in the late afternoon and evening, and especially on weekends, the older generations predominate. It’s nice to feel the positively relaxed and connecting “rocker” spirit that branches within the club space itself with the immediate surroundings.”

“I visit my youth centre mostly so I can attend concerts with my friends, but I also enjoy going to the clothes exchange fair and donate toys or school suplies for kids in need.”

“Mainly almost everyday after class we hang out with classmates at the youth center, because its very nice and we can do a lot of different activities. We can also organise our own activities. Sometimes we also prepare some food and almost all the time we listen to music. The youth center is very connected to music and art and thats why I like to come almost every day.”

https://www.kultprotur.si/sl/mcgr

https://www.facebook.com/mcgornjaradgona

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Youth worker testimonial



Youngster testimonial#1


Youngster testimonial#2

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Mladinski center Ormož

Ljudska univerza Ormož

Youth centre Ormož is based in a small town Ormož on the Croatian border. It lies in the east part of Slovenia. The town is surrounded by a rural environment, which is full of vineyards, since this is a wine-making region. There are also a lot of bigger farms around the town. The population of town Ormož is about 2000 people. The town has a rich history and beautiful nature. Today it is lacking more sophisticated institutions like theaters, but smaller organizations offer various events for youth and adults. Although Ormož is a town it is closely connected with nature.

24.06.2004

It was opened to prepare quality programs for youth, since prior to its opening there weren’t any available. Besides preparing events for youth, it also presented a meeting point for youth, a place to find help and information about any topics significant to young people.
In 2015 it became an organizational unit of Ljudska univerza Ormož (Adult education centre Ormož), but the focused stayed the same as before. Nowadays it represents a connecting point for young and old to create and develop various activities, it offers informal education and training for youth and offers prevention topics.

Public body.

The Youth center is co-financed by the Municipality Ormož, but it is not enough for our activities and work we do. For this reason we apply for different projects that are available. The main on is published by Office of Youth, Ministry of Education, Science and Sport. We also apply for projects published by our national agency Movit, by the local Development Agency and many others.

15 to 29 years old.

All.

Our Youth centre is available to all young people who want or need our services. The main focus is on youth from 15 to 29 years old, but we extend our work to reach to younger children and adults. Our youth are students, unemployed young people, local young farmers and entrepreneurs.
We work with local primary and secondary schools. We also work with Student club Ormož, Alternative Music Club, local Employment Agency and other organizations that work with young people.

It represent a focus point where young people of all ages and views, without distinctions and exceptions, get a chance to create and develop various activities while they are also presented with an opportunity for involvement in preventive activities, non-formal education and youth training at the local level. Together with other institutions in the Municipality of Ormož, we strive to improve the quality of life of young people and we develop the following fields of youth work: the creative use of free time, non-formal education, youth mobility, volunteer work, active citizenship, informing and counseling. Our main activities are: coordination of youth activities and events, organization and implementation of school activities, organization and implementation of non-formal youth educational programs, organization and implementation of events of wider significance and obtaining funds for them, offering organizational and technical assistance to organizations that carry out youth activities, and gathering and providing information. Designed entirely on the needs of young people, we use exciting activities as a hook to engage individuals, using this opportunity to address serious issues, which helps facilitate personal, social and educational growth enabling them to reach their full potential in society. Our work builds resilience in young people as well as provides a safe place to engage in not only life changing experiences but fun, informative, social and educational opportunities.

We offer various activities and it is difficult to pinpoint to just one typical activity. We prepare and organize concerts, photo exhibitions, discussions, creative workshops, language workshops, travel lectures, trivia quizzes, sewing courses, art workshops, presentations of local farmers and entrepreneurs, festivals, preventive workshops for youth, modern technology workshops (3D printer, graphic tablet), opportunities for international and local volunteering.

5

Based on our experiences there are a lot of young people who are interested in working with us and attending our activities, but on the other hand there are also many of them who never attend any of our activities. A lot of primary and secondary students attend our activities because we work with schools, otherwise they do not attend. On the other hand many of them come to our youth centre to have a place for socializing.

We are based in the castle. We have a big multi-purpose room, which is equipped with a small kitchen, computer and projector, desks and chairs (which can be removed based on the ongoing event) and sofas. The entire place is covered by free WI-FI connection. We also have a table tennis, table football, darts and many board games available.
We have an office for four youth workers which are equipped with desks, chairs, computers and printer.
We have a utility room where we store all materials needed for various workshops, speakers, sewing machines, panels for photo/drawing exhibitions and other things.

“We are a small youth center and for this reason we have a more personal contact with all young people. Our activities are various and cater to the needs and ideas of young people. We have the opportunity to ask them what they want or need and we can provide this.”

“I work with the youth center as a volunteer. I like the diverse range of activities I can participate in. I like the relaxed atmosphere and varied activities. I always find some interesting activity for myself.”

“After class we hang out with classmates at the youth center and wait until training. There is always something to eat in the kitchen. Sometimes we prepare warm sandwiches and something to snack on. Sometimes we do nothing, sometimes we play table football and listen to music.”

https://www.mco.si/

https://www.facebook.com/mcormoz

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYegnj7ERNmblWZsX9kPyfA/featured

https://www.instagram.com/mcormoz/

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Youngster testimonial#1

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RISKO Youth Centre

RIS Mansion Rakican

RISKO Youth Centre is located in the Rakican Mansion Research and Education Centre, which is placed in the clearing near a beautiful park. The location is very calm and peaceful, since this is a fairly rural environment and is around two kilometres away from the city of Murska Sobota, which is one of the biggest cities in this area.

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public, municipality

The youth centre is a part of a public institution RIS Mansion Rakican, which was founded by the Municipality of Murska Sobota and The Association for Technical Culture of Slovenia. The RISKO youth centre is co-financed by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport.

14 to 20 years old.

All.

Young people that come to the youth centre are between 14 and 20 years old. In most cases, they go to high school, some of them already study at a faculty. Most of them live at home with their parents or relatives; in case they study outside of their hometown, they live in a student’s dorm or share an apartment with other students from different regions of the country. Young people usually dedicate all their time to school and their free time activities.
They mostly like listening to music and they like to be active, which means that they play or train different kinds of sports. During weekends, they like to go out and hang out with their friends at different kinds of social gatherings (concerts, smaller house parties, going for drinks at the bar etc.). They dedicate a lot of their time to the use of different kinds of social media, especially Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Young people are usually not interested in politics and don’t know a lot about what’s going on in their environment in that area. On the other hand, they are normally curious and want to learn new things, especially the things that are currently in trend in other parts of the world.

The main goal of our youth centre is to improve the knowledge level of key competences and skills of young people, including those with fewer opportunities. We therefore want to especially encourage them to be active in their environment and society in general. We provide them with facilities, where young people can discover their capabilities, enrich their experiences, as well as learn new things in a relaxed and safe environment, under the supervision of our qualified and experienced youth workers. RISKO youth centre also organizes ERASMUS+ youth exchange programmes, which are co-financed by the European Union. Through these, young people get a chance to learn different new things; get to know different cultures, languages and people; improve their social, language, communication and other skills.

RISKO youth centre organizes different kinds of activities for young people. The activities fall in the category of ecology and environment, personal growth, entrepreneurship, sports, culture, internet and media. We organize different kinds of lectures, round tables, practical workshops, language courses, movie nights … In the mansion, we also have a possibility of using different types of facilities, such as a computer room, outside park and playground area, big hall … One of the activities are: workshops on developing a positive self-esteem, encouraging voluntarism, healthy nutrition, intrapersonal communication etc.

7

Young people come to our youth center twice a week on average. Most young people come to us through youth project, for example Erasmus+ Youth in action. We try to include more young people from the local area to come to workshops and events for them. 

The institution, where we organize most of our activities, gives us an opportunity to use different kinds of facilities, such as the big hall, computer room, conference hall, big dining room, spacious outdoor area … Most of the funding for all of our activities are provided by the Municipality of Murska Sobota, which is also the founder of our organisation, as well as the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport.

“Our youth centre is located in a beautiful mansion from 14th century which makes a unique location and for sure a uniqe youth centre. Our centre offers more different local, national and international programs for youngsters. We are especially proud of our Roma and family program, where different youngsters can meet, have workshops, can reach for help or just hang out.
Our youth workers have many different competences and experiences in the field of youth work. In last year we are also investing a lot of new education and time for our staff to get more experience with Roma youngsters.”

“For me youth center is like my home, because I’m really conected to it. They implement activities which are close to my interests. I found a lot of friends there. I am also happy that there are many spaces for young people to use for various activities (sports, music).” Mario

“At first I came to the youth center because I was studying and doing homework, but now I come to various workshops and events for young people with my friends. As it is an informal gathering, I am sure that I will come to the youth center again in the future.” Brin

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Scale of participation and self-determination (0 – not existing / 10 – full self-governed youth centre)

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Youth worker testimonial

Youngster testimonial#1

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Espai Jove Can Rull

Taller d’Art, Cultura i Creació (TACC)

The youth centre is located in the city of Sabadell, at the neighborhood of Can Rull. This is a working class neighborhood of around 20,000 inhabitants, where families from different backgrounds live.Our space is located in the community centre of Can Rull, a municipal facility that offers a wide number of services to the citizens of the neighborhood.
There are different entities in the neighborhood, such as the school of functional diversity Xaloc, and they work in a network. They also run some inter-generational activities with the elderly people who go to the civic centre.

14.12.2004

The youth centre is located at the second floor of the civic center of Can Rull, a municipal facility where there is attention to the citizens and a meeting room for the elderly, an access connection point, an auditorium, and a place for different workshops. Also it is operated by us an NGO.

NGO, association.

Main source of funding is the municipality. By means of a performance contract, they finance almost all costs of the youth centre, and with this budget, TACC pays the personnel costs and materials for activities. The building maintenance costs are covered as part of the municipal facility costs.

12 to 29 years old.

All genders.

Most of the young people who go to the youth centre are youth aged 12-18 years old, who are in high school and who belong to the geographic environment of the youth centre.
They are coming from different backgrounds: Moroccan, Senegalese, Roma community…, and also young people from social services. It is a working-class neighborhood, and there are many families with somewhat difficult economic situations. Some young people go to the youth centre because they don’t have WiFi at home.

The mission of the youth centre of Can Rull aims at:
– Bringing young people a model of leisure, culture and art with different tools and activities.
– Internationalizing the socio-educational activity of Can Rull, with the support of European volunteers in the dynamization of activities, and participation of the young people of the space in youth exchanges organized by TACC.
– Offering a proposal of activities designed by young people.
– Using art and culture as a tool for training and social inclusion.
– Offering and facilitating a meeting space for young people.

– English workshop (cineforum of films in English, debates, etc).
– Classic board game tournaments.
– Cineforum on different topics: feminism, racism, etc.
– Sport and free time activities (ping-pong, playstation).
– Different group dynamics.
– Geo-location activities, tournaments, gymkhanas, nature.
– Space for homework.
– Some artistic disciplines’ workshops (dance, painting, handicrafts…).

8

Young people could design the activities they would like to do at the youth centre, and the youth workers facilitate them.
Currently, with the measures of the covid, the number of young people allowed daily in the youth centre is 10. Before the existence of the covid we had a capacity of 50 young people, which every day we met the full quota.

The youth centre consists of a single room where everything needed to perform the different activities is centralized. Our facilities have:
– Computer space to make consultations or homework.
– Tables and chairs to be able to develop different activities.
– Ping-pong table.
– TV with playstation.
– International mobility advisories.
– Academic advisories.
– Labor advisories.
– Other types of advice.
– Chill-Out Sofas.
– Social networks and contact for any questions or queries.

“It is important to know that the youth centre of Can Rull is in a neighborhood of Sabadell that is not very large in terms of inhabitants. This helps us to cover practically all the young people in the neighborhood and we can have a much more personalized attention. We believe that this is an important step in terms of a youth space, to be able to dedicate the necessary time to each moment and each young person. The link that exists between young people in the youth centre is very positive even though there are different young people, different ages and motivations, we always find the same link.”

“After all morning in high school, I come to the youth centre to have a good time with the people I know. The activities every day are different and I like that we can talk about everything while we do them. They are also always fun and entertaining and I would rather be here than in the park.” Thalia, 14.

“I come to the ‘espaijove’ because at home I don’t have Internet and I need to do my homework somewhere. When I finish, I take advantage of them and do the activities that I like the most, such as playing ping-pong or doing debates while watching some movies.” Ayoue, 12.

https://web.sabadell.cat/xarxa-d-espais-joves

https://es-es.facebook.com/espai.jovecanrull

https://twitter.com/jovescanrull

https://www.instagram.com/espaijovecanrull/

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Brief Description

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Mission of the Youth centre


Typical activities

Scale of participation and self-determination (0 – not existing / 10 – full self-governed youth centre)

Description on the participation / self-determination of the youth centre

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Youth worker testimonial

Youngster testimonial#1

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Espai Jove El Casal

Taller d’Art, Cultura i Creació (TACC)

The youth centre is located in the municipality of Polinyà, close to Sabadell and Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, and it has around 8,500 inhabitants. It is a dormitory town based on industry and rural area. The youth centre is in the old town, close to the church, but at the same time, at the beginning of the ‘city’. The building was in the past the school of the town. The youth centre is a place for gathering all youth from Polinyà and also youth from the neighborhoods Poble Nou and Torre Romeu that belongs to Sabadell but are on the limit.

01.01.1997

The place where now it is located the youth centre was a school from 1975 to 1997, and then, once it was build another school, the city council decided to use this building as a youth centre to address the young people’s needs.

NGO, association.

Main source of funding is the municipality. By means of a performance contract, they finance almost all costs of the youth centre, and with this budget, TACC pays the personnel costs and materials for activities. The building maintenance costs are covered as part of the municipal facility costs.

12 to 29 years all.

All genders.

Most of the young people who go to the youth centre are youth aged 12-17 years old, being more boys than girls. That’s why the youth workers of TACC made a survey to feminize the space and to provide activities for everyone. From this survey there were implemented more artistic workshops and volleyball activities, in which more girls participate, and they remain as well dynamic and participatory activities, in which usually boys participate. It is a working-class town, and some families have difficult economic situations.

The mission of the youth centre El Casal aims at providing an alternative leisure activities to youth from the town, as well as a space where they feel it is theirs and where they can do their projects. It also offers the young people advisories on the ocupational and training / educational field.

– Sports tournaments.
– Culture and artistic activities.
– Workshops about visual arts, theatre and dance.
– Cooking workshops.
– Magic workshops (punctually).
– Pilot test of SCRIPT project (theatre & podplay).
– Music recording.
– Free time activities (ping-pong, climbing wall…).

7

The design of the activity program of the youth centre is based on a participatory process in which youth can decide what to do in the daily activities. Youth are also encourage to run their own workshops as an engine group (some youth decided to create a dance workshop in which one of them was leading the sessions), and youth workers are open to listen to the youth’s proposals, such as doing a scape-room.
Currently, with the measures of the covid, the number of young people allowed daily in the youth centre is 100 for outside activities (before the quota was up to 400), and 6 people per room (before it was 20). The regular number of youngsters that go to the youth centre is around 20 people, while without the covid it was 40 youngsters.

The youth centre was a former school, and therefore, it consists on 2 modules (with 2 rooms in each module) and 1 playground.
At the module 1 there is the information point for youth, the room for study and a polivalent room for different activities, as well as a music studio for recording.
At the module 2 there is a dance room and the music / concerts room with a sound system and a room for workshops, where they can do visual arts workshops, but also there is a kitchen with a hob, fridge and a grill.
At the playground, there is a sports field with a big and two small football goals, a basketball cage, a volleyball net, a ping-pong table and a climbing wall.

“We believe that what makes this space special is that young people see it as a meeting point, a place to practice alternative leisure, chat or meet friends. It also makes it special because of how diverse and versatile it is by having 4 room spaces, including one for music and dance, another for workshops, another for leisure and another as an information and advice service; and a playground with a large capacity.”

“Coming to the youth centre makes me distract myself from negative things, have a good time and it’s also cool to use the rehearsal room to do choreography”. Miquel, 17.

“For me, El Casal is the place where I go to enjoy and where I spend a large part of my time without feeling any kind of obligation. Also, there I will be able to find the support of the facilitators and a good company.” Xavi, 17.

https://polinyajove.cat/

https://www.instagram.com/polinyajove/