The Youth Self-Expression Centre – VAJE is the 1st youth center in Vilnius district municipality, providing professional youth work services in urban, rural, remote, and socially more vulnerable areas.
The activities of the youth centre are focused on young people’s personal growth, the development of self-awareness, strengthening independence, and active participation in the community.
The youth council operating within the youth centre is actively involved in activity planning and decision-making processes, ensuring that the activities respond to the real needs of young people.
It is a place where work is carried out with young people by creating opportunities to participate in activities that respond to their needs and encourage the development of self-awareness, with a particular focus on involving inactive young people and those with fewer opportunities.
Here, it is believed that conscious and independent young people create a sustainable society.
FORMS OF YOUTH WORK IMPLEMENTED
- Open work with youth in Vilnius district municipality, Vilnius city municipality.
- Mobile work with youth in Vilnius district municipality.
- Development of youth practical skills in Vilnius district municipality, Vilnius city municipality.
- Youth work in schools in the Vilnius district municipality.
DEPARTMENTS OF THE YOUTH SELF-EXPRESSION CENTRE – VAJE
- Pagiriai youth self-expression centre – VAJE
- Vaidotai youth self-expression centre – VAJE
- Vilnius youth self-expression centre – VAJE
- Avižianiai youth self-expression centre – VAJE
- Youth space at the Vilnius agroecology training centre
- Youth space at the Pagiriai gymnasium of Vilnius district
SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS
- VAJE Facebook: www.facebook.com/jaunimocentrasVAJE
- VAJE Instagram: www.instagram.com/jaunimocentrasvaje/
- VAJE TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@jaunimocentrasvaje
Since 2023, the Youth self-expression centre – VAJE has been an accredited hosting organisation for youth volunteers, accredited by order No. 18P-40(5.52E) of the director of the Youth affairs agency under the ministry of Social security and labour, issued on 10 February 2023
Since 7 October 2023, a youth council has been operating at the Youth self-expression centre – VAJE. Its function is to address issues relevant to the youth centre’s visitors and provide recommendations to Ne imti, bet duoti regarding the organisation and implementation of activities that correspond to the needs and opportunities of young people at the youth centre.
PRINCIPLES OF OUR WORK WITH YOUTH
1. Mutual respect - youth center employees and volunteers must respect the lifestyle chosen by young people, which may differ from their personal values, adhere to the principles of confidentiality and professional ethics.
2. Active involvement - youth gets involved in the joint decision-making of youth and staff regarding the organization and implementation of activities, this is the method and result of open work with youth.
3. Open and informal communication - the relationship between a youth center worker or volunteer and a young person is based on mutual trust, equality and learning from each other by participating in activities.
4. Openness - the activities of our youth center are open to changes in the social and cultural situation (environment), various life situations, conditions, worldviews of young people and are focused on the needs of young people.
5. Cooperation - Youth Center employees encourage the cooperation of institutions, organizations, state and municipal institutions and engage in already existing intersectoral or interdepartmental cooperation (we conduct non-formal education classes in schools, invite guests of various specialties to the youth center, etc.).
6. Joint activities - during the activities of the youth center, people are learning how to solve problems in a group, how to make decisions in cooperation with other, how to share work and/or responsibilities with them.
7. Individuality - work with youth is organized taking into account the needs of each young person with whom we work, individual consultations are carried out.
8. Confidentiality - information related to the help provided by the youth worker and personal information shared by the youth with the youth worker is not disclosed, collected, or transferred to other institutions and third parties without the consent of the young person.
9. Learning from experience - work with young people is based on the young person's personal experience and self-evaluation.
10. Referral - a young person, taking into account his individual needs, is directed to state and/or municipal institutions and/or institutions, other entities that can provide him with the necessary assistance and/or information.
11. Focusing on the needs of the young person - when carrying out the activities of the youth center, we focus on the needs of the young people, their life situation and conditions, we solve those issues that are of interest to the young person and are important to him.
12. Provision of help that meets the needs - youth workers and volunteers inform the young person about the possibilities of receiving medical, social, psychological or other help, but the help can only be provided with the person's consent.
13. Accessibility - the youth center's activities and offers to young people do not depend on their membership in the youth center, there are no participation fees, requirements to be able or able to carry out youth work activities, or other factors that may limit the possibilities of youth involvement in activities. All youth work activities are carried out in a place accessible to the youth in their free time. Information about youth work activities is made public by means and methods available to the youth and the community.
14. Building a relationship - working with youth builds a trusting relationship between a youth worker or volunteer and a young person. The task of a youth worker and volunteer is to establish a relationship with a young person, focusing on his daily life.
15. Safe environments - conditions are ensured for a young person to learn, act, and implement ideas safely without experiencing physical and psychological violence.
16. Voluntary participation - work with young people is based on the voluntary decision of a young person and their involvement in activities without experiencing any form of discrimination.
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