Youth work in rural territories: Lithuanian case Nerijus Miginis, Institute for Policy Research and Analysis
Steps of youth policy development • 2000 – how to involve young people? Promote participation? • 2005 – how to involve youth who doesn't’t join NGO’s? Open youth work? • 2006 – funding & support for open youth centers at state level. • 2015 – how to reach the unreachable? • 2018 – funding & support for mobile youth work and detached youth work at state level.
Who is using mobile work strategies? • • • • • • • • •
Yellow school bus; Shopping malls; Library bus; Blood donation bus; Circus and Luna park; Banks; Shops on wheels; Priests and church; Other…
Mobile youth work in rural territories
Mobile youth work • Mobile youth work is one form of youth work, aimed at young person and enabling them to participate in activities that are carried out in accordance with their needs and his or her living environment were Youth Centers does not exist.
Hidden agenda of mobile youth work • Do you need a youth center? • How to create understanding what youth work is? • How to show the need for a youth center? • How to help communities to start developing mobile youth work? • How to assure quality of service provision?
A mobile youth center • • • • • •
2 youth workers; 5 villages 10-30 km away from municipality center; From 15:00 till 20:00; Groups of 7-20 young people; 10 000 km per year; Activities in library, community center, culture center and other… • Budget less then 20 000 euro per year
Mobile youth work principles • To develop young people's social and life skills. • Create a secure, open, informal, non-binding environment that a young person can come to have friends with and interact with peers. • Help young people to identify their needs, feelings, fears, learn to recognize them, understand and learning to manage it. • Empower young people – help to discover and identify the resources and talents of young people. • Assist and counsel young people: advise and inform, assist in problem situations. • To provide individual youth work services. • Helping young people develop local initiatives to solve daily problems they face. • Reliability and confidentiality - the foundation of mobile services.
Mobile youth work results • • • • •
Is it realistic to implement a youth project? Less is more; Social skills; Success stories; Other.
Mobile youth work challenges • Doing the same thing in 5 communities; • What works in one community does not apply in other; • How to understand if it is needed; • Who will pay for electricity?; • Give us money we will solve everything by ourselves…
Importance of networking • Building up a network and directing youth to existing services. • One of the youth workers should spend about 20% of his work to devote cross - sectorial cooperation and networking in the communities.
Push and pull factors • • • • • •
State funding up to 10 000 Euro Youth work research Youth work quality standards Municipalities need to cover all territory Youth initiative guarantee implementation Youth work and youth policy is a part of municipal strategies • Lack of creativity
Cost of not having youth work • 1 mobile youth center costs the same as 1 person in a prison for 1 year; • 1 euro invested in to youth work saves 1,20 euro in the future; • Mobile service saves municipality money as covers big territory, equipment is more used; • Opinion leaders can sell the idea…