Youth club on the boath
01 Sep 2010 Leave a Comment
There are more things that I like about the Youth club “Saloon” in Brugge. One is, off course, the fact that it’s on the very old boath, renovated and addopted so that it could become a safe place for young people to hang out, spend time together, play, have fun and learn. The other is that it’s very youth friendly equiped and coloured (which would be visible on the pictures). And the third, and probably the most important, is visible in the community based approach aimed at targeting young people (with fewer opportunities mostly), inviting them to the Saloon, providing different kind of opportunities for them, spend time with them, introduce them to different people and services they can use, and so make their lives safer, easier and funnier. In practise it starts with street youth worker who is hanging with the youngsters at the street, getting to know them and earning their trust after what he invites them to the youth club. Unusual look of this youth place is also helping as being attractive by utself. In the Saloon, youngsters are wellcomed by youth workers and youth cauncellers from cooperating organization – Youth Information and Advice center. This is as they say, ” to give a face to the organization”. Youth advicer would also spend a day or two in the Saloon, hanging out with young people and being there in case of a need.
Again a simple approach but created with a lot of care for young people’s wellbeing.
just fun….
30 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
The simpliest solutions might be the best ones. Why do we keep forgething this? And when it comes to youth work and youth information work, complicate approaches and methodoligies make us proud of how smart and dedicated we are, the question is how young people relate to them. Can they make a use of them? Would they be attracted by them ? 
In Balkans, in Youth Work we are dealing with many different problems… Systems for Social Care and Wellfare are not very youth-friendly, and they are occupied with many different target groups. So often care for young people well-being is in youth workers hands. Therefore, sometimes we forget that having fun with young people is, or should be, one of our goals. Not saving them but entertaining them. Fun fore pure purposes of having fun. That should be enough sometimes.
something about the approach
26 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
It is written in In Petto’s documents that “their goal is to capture signals sent by young persons that point to an amount of ‘unwellbeing’ and to transform this into actions that increase the wellbeing of all young persons”. I was wondering how they do it? What is specific and different in the way In Petto is dealing with this topic?
As I was explained, first step is always sensing the needs and problems of young people. The way they do it is through research but with high level of participation of young people. Positive approach is something that is always present, for instance, research on life conditions and problems of young people was called “Hip Hip Happy” and is rather called research about happiness of young people. When results of research were promoted under the label of happiness, I am very sure more young people were interested in hearing them. After research, there is always some kind of publication following, to make results visible. Sometimes it’s a magazine and othertimes someting else more appealing to young people, like a short movie or similar. And the final step is to make an outcome, a product with an educational goal, so that wellbeing of young people could be improved based on the research results. Most of the outcomes are social games or similar educational but fun based products. Fun is very important here . If you want to work with young people, better know how to entertain them. Off course, we would all say that fun is important in our work and we all know how to attract and entertain young people, but who here has never saw a perfectly equiped youth center of youth house, without any sigh of young people there? Games, movies etc that In Petto is creating for young people’s wellbeing are always fun, playfull and joyfull. This is a must. And, as they say, if young people feel a bit better, as a result, society will profit from it as well.
something about In Petto
25 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
As I promised yesterday, I’m posting some information about my host organization-In Petto. So, this is what In Petto staff says about their organization and its work 
In Petto’s goal is to capture signals sent by young persons that point to an amount of ‘unwellbeing’ and to transform this into actions that increase the wellbeing of all young persons. These actions are principally characterized by their capacity to increase the competence of and to enlarge participation by the young persons involved. In Petto consequently influences young people’s wellbeing. And if young people feel a bit better, as a result, society will profit from it as well.
In Petto informs ‘environment figures’ and ‘authorities’ about signals of unwellbeing pointed at by young persons. It convinces both parties to value young people’s competences and to provide them with more chances of participation. In Petto also tries to organize direct contact between ‘authorities’ and young people.
In Petto has a superregional range within a worldwide context, and operates in the ‘mixed area’ between three sectors: youth work, welfare and education.
In Petto focuses on three relevant target groups: young persons, environment figures and authorities.
In Petto’s themes
Wellbeing is principally a question of ‘being lucky’, materially, physically, socially, relationally as well as psychologically.
In Petto has a set of criteria to select themes. The themes are delicate and difficult to discuss;
- The themes deal with the personal and social development of every young individual;
- Each young person uses a different definition of the subject involved, lays other accents, has different solutions;
- The themes are (sometimes) looked upon by parents, school, media, publicity… from a different angle;
- The themes deal with the development of values, standards, skills and knowledge of young persons.
In Petto deals with (welfare) themes within the area of tension between problems of young persons, and problems with young persons.
In Petto’s actions
Improving chances of participation, competences and wellbeing of young persons necessitates the availability of objective and relevant information. Indeed, information is an essential condition for self-development and contributes to the structuring of society. There is also a need for sufficient and good channels to improve young persons’ participation and to offer them the prominent place in society they deserve.
Most of In Petto’s activities place information and participation in the focus of attention. It goes without saying that young persons are involved in the conception of these activities, before as well as after.
This results in:
- The distribution of information. Young persons are actively involved as regards content and the process as a whole (involvement in the beginning, middle, end);
- The development of methods and channels to improve and optimize young persons’ participation (friendship as a means of prevention, peer inquiries, website, training, research…)
In Petto is different because…
Information is defined differently
In Petto is concerned about young persons’ wellbeing. In Petto principally focuses on information and participation.
Information as developed by In Petto starts from a holistic approach, in which the theme is considered in its totality. The information provided does not limit itself to a purely juridical framework, but also takes into account the emotional scope. This general approach answers the expectations of young persons. They want more than a strictly juridical answer to a question regarding their wellbeing, since indeed more elements are involved.
The only way to do deal with this, is to involve young persons in the entire process. We are not dealing here with structural participation (youth councils, pupils boards), but the process is structure-oriented. We consider it vital that young persons are involved at the start, in the middle and during the evaluation.
Most of the national youth organizations have a largely local range. In Petto is different, because it operates less regionally and associates itself mainly with other superregional organizations. Young people today feel part of an international and multicultural environment. In Petto consequently honours that evolution.
Ok, this is what I want to explore and learn about. In following days, you will read here what I have discovered and learnt, with the help of In Petto staff.
Short introduction about my organization
24 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
Hi folks,
my name is Tamara and I work for ONO -Omladinska Nevladina Organizacija in Novi Sad, Serbia. For the next two weeks I’ll be doing a Job Shadowing in In Petto organization, here in Antwerp, Belgium. This would be my blogg.
To beggin with, I have to present my organization but in shortest posseble way. So, ONO is nongovernmental, independent, nonprofit organization, which started its work in year 2005, with the aim to realize activities for young people and improve the quality of youth work.
MISSION of ONO organization is improvement of youth work and realization of activities for young people that will answer to their needs.
VISION of ONO organization is the society in which young people are active participants with equal rights, who can show their potentials, whose human rights are completely respected, and who can be independent decision makers in decisions that are concerning their life and education. Our basic VALUES are equal opportunities for young people, tolerance, respect of human rights, and possibility for education for all people. ACTIVITIES of ONO organization:
- nonformal education of young people (youth work and youth info work);
- profesional empowering of people which are directly or indirectly working with young people.
More about us you can find on our webpage http://www.ono.org.rs/index1.html
More about In Petto I will post soon.
The reason that I am here, in In Petto, is that youth information work in Serbia is still in very basic and developing phase (nicer way to say undeveloped and unstructural, at least so far), and as we want to work in this area we need to use the knowledge and experiences of our experienced European partners. In Petto is known for it’s youth-friendly, modern and interesting ways of attracing young people and providing information to them. So, this is what I’ll be doing in next 14 days: learning how to sense the needs of young people and then how to respond to those needs by using methodology that is interesting and appealing to young people, such as games, online tools, magazines, social networks and so on. Here, you’ll have the opportunity to learn with me. So, read you soon… it’s now time for belgian chocolate…or wafel… or…. )
Good morning Belgium!
24 Aug 2010 1 Comment
I live upstairs!
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