Last February the Ķekava New Ideas Centre (JIC) hosted a RE-ACT workshop to discuss working with young people in crisis. During the workshop, representatives from Murcia (Spain), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Athens (Cyprus), Sibenik (Croatia), Turin (Italy), Kreisofenbach (Germany), Suceava (Romania) and the municipalities of Ķekava presented their experiences of working with young people during the COVID-19 pandemic, lessons learned, conclusions and recommendations for future work.
Opening the workshop, Juris Žilko, Chairman of the Ķekava City Council, underlined the importance of the exchange of experiences in order to: bring new knowledge and initiatives and strengthen the capacity and skills of municipalities to face similar challenges in the future. Mudīte Juhna, Secretary General of the Latvian Association of Local Governments, emphasised the role of local governments: it is they who know best the situation and needs of their city or region and who can find the most appropriate solution for their citizens, analysing and learning from the experience of their colleagues from other parts of Latvia and abroad.
The presentations and discussions of the project partners highlighted a number of important aspects that are relevant for working with young people, both in crisis situations and in everyday life: skills and possibilities to adapt services to a remote format during the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of psychosocial counselling, the active participation of young people themselves in cooperation processes with the municipality, working with different target audiences and stakeholders, the role of volunteering, socialisation and leisure activities, the importance of sport and physical activity, etc. The municipality of Ķekava shared its experience by presenting the JIC activities, the activities organised by the municipal sports agency for families and people of different ages, and the support provided by the Social Service for young people. According to Agnese Mence-Katkeviča, Head of the Social Service, it is especially important to reach out to those young people who need additional support and specialist help to get out of the crisis and regain motivation for a fulfilling life.
The panellists agreed that the measures implemented during the pandemic must be sustained in the long term, even in “normal” times, to provide effective support to young people.
After the workshop, the project partners gathered for a mini carpet bowling tournament at the Bultas Sports Club. And the next day, the guests visited the Riga Teen Resource Centre and familiarised themselves with its activities and services.
