Transcript Document
History of Youth Work in Estonia - A Struggle Between Actors Marti Taru Presentation contents • The core concepts of the seminar – „Golden triangle“ – Autonomy • Few cases from the history (of youth work) of Estonia • Final thoughts The triangle • A form of cooperation: joint planning, joint decision making, joint action, legislation, financing, standards, quality • 2 core elements: – Actors: • Policy makers • Youth work practice (NGOs, youth organisations) • Research institutions, researchers – Relationships: • More or less permanent not only ad hoc – Advisory board … , Cooperation between …, Youth policy council, … • The „golden triangle“ as a sensitizing concept • Not as an adequate description of social and political reality, of real processes, of real actors Autonomy • the condition of creating one's own laws, whether as an individual, as a community (YW?) or as a whole society. – Auto: 'for' or 'by itself' – Nomos: 'law,' • What are the „laws“ of / for youth work? – Goals, aims (third socialisation environment? A space for experimenting? Personality development? to struggle (intergenerational transfer of) social inequality (incl minorities)?) – Methods (youth organisation, youth center, counselling service, hobby education, …) – Professional standards, education and training, access to the field • Where from do youth work „laws“ come? – From actors in the field; independence, autonomy – From actors outside the field; dependence, heteronomy – Through cooperation; autonomy through dependence? Questions • What does reality tell about „golden triangle“ and autonomy – How many actors? – How, by whom are aims, methods, standards, resources determined? History of Estonia • Part of Russian empire since 1710; Baltic landesstaat • Independence I 1918-1940 – Multiparty parliamentarian regime til 1934 – Presidential authoritarian regime 1934-1940 • German occupation 1941-1944 • Soviet occupation 1944-1991 • Independence II 1991-… Cases: school hobby groups • Hobby groups in primary and secondary schools – The decision to kick start the hobby group system was taken by Ministry in cooperation with teachers’ organisations, early 1920s – The Act of Secondary Schools 1922, hobby groups under teacher control and supervision – 2(?) actors: the ministry and teachers – Decisions on starting the groups, goals, format and methods – The groups became popular; a success story Cases: CURY • Countrywide Union of Rural Youth – National Agricultural Association started establishing youth clubs in early 1930s plus an umbrella organisation – was managed by adults – employed paid instructors to carry out activities for young people. – main activities: training courses in agricultural and farming skills, study trips and agricultural contests, “summer days” and other leisure activities – Actors: 1 actor – Decisions: to start, format, goals, methods Cases: pupils’ societies • Pupils’ societies – Pupils societies in schools, 1917 – personality-development activities – The Act of Secondary Schools 1922: teacher control over the societies – the societies dissolved by 1927 • 2 actors: ministry and pupils’ societies „Estonian youth“ • The Act of Youth Organisation, October 1936; Amendments to the Act, March 1938 – President as the head of youth organisations, Ministry of Education as the executive hand • 1938: debates and discussions – Actors: the ministry and representatives of youth organisations – No consensus • 1939 statute of a single youth organisation „Estonian youth“ adopted (+ other YOs disbanded); to be commenced in 1940 – WWII Soviet occupation 1945-1991 • Estonian youth work functioned as a part of allUnion system – Under control of CP and komsomol, also large enterprises and sectors of economy • Students’ and pupils’ work brigades – Created as a part of all-Union system, 1960s – Actors: Communist Party / Komsomol, enterprises • Hobby education, including sports – Created as a part of all-Union system – Actors: state, enterprises Independence II, 1991-… • Defence League Boys and Girls Corps – Restored in 1989 (early 1990s) – Currently a special organisation of DL – „In-house“ youth leader training system – Actor: Defence League • Political party youth chapters – Early 1990s – Actors: political parties, youth groups Independence II, 1991-… • Youth centers – Started in 1998, currently approx 250 – Actors: municipalities, youth workers, ministry • Hobby education – Continued on from Soviet times – Actors: municipalities, the ministry and NGOs Independence II, 1991-… • Strategic documents – Youth field development plan 2014-2020 – Involvement of a range of actors and interest groups • National Youth Policy Council – Representation of different actors Recurring patterns • How many actors? – 1? 2? 3? many? • The number of significant actors has increased – Where are researchers? • One strong dominant actor – A big organisation, municipality, the ministry • Configurations are context specific – Strong influence of political regime – More actors on national level, less on lower level even if big and significant organisation