NULA
MTÜ Sa Suudad valiti kahe esitatud ideega NULA inkubaatorisse. Soovisime luua noorte ekspertide kogu (ehk arendada noorte nõukogu), kes jagaksid avalikult noorte kogemusi ja vajadusi, et nii spetsialistidel kui ühiskonnas laiemalt tekiks mõistmine noorte vajadustest ja nende riskikäitumise põhjusest. Teiseks soovisime luua kogemustega usaldusisiku programmi, kus noored, kellel on varasem riskikäitumise kogemus, toetaksid ja jõustaksid tänaseid noori. Kogemustega usaldusisikud suudavad noortega samastuda ja neil puudub võimupositsioon. Nii on suurem tõenäosus, et noortel tekib usaldus ja vastuvõtlikkus abile. Loe lähemalt siit.
Since the program development is very in-depth and time-consuming, we have focused only on the development of the peer mentor program within NULA. So far, during the development process, we have:
- Participated in 12 different NULA workshops.
- Conducted interviews with young people. In total, we carried out over 10 interviews with young people (ages 14-26) who have engaged in or are engaging in risky behaviors. The purpose of the interviews was to better understand the young people's experiences, what they have gone through, their expectations, including ways they seek help and their needs.
- Conducted interviews with peer mentors. In total, we carried out 4 interviews with peer mentors to understand what the current peer mentoring work looks like and what is important to keep in mind when developing the program ourselves.
- Mapping the client journey. We mapped the journey of the target group (young people), the peer mentors, and the NGO at a general level, from joining the program to actual program activities. We familiarized ourselves with existing similar programs both in Estonia and abroad, discussed with experts from Estonia and Finland in the field, and read and analyzed a significant amount of academic literature.
- Workshops with young people. We met repeatedly (and continue to meet) with seven young people who are interested in becoming peer mentors in the future. We introduced to them the insights from the interviews, the concept of the peer mentor program, its core principles, and vision. Together with the young people, we created the role description for the peer mentor, the value proposition, and mapped out the skills, knowledge, and personal qualities required to be a peer mentor.
- A prototype of the peer mentor program has been created, including the program's core principles, peer mentor role description, value proposition, profile (including skills) description, training methodology and content prototype, peer mentor support system description, recruitment steps, and initial impact evaluation methodology. Note! We believe that such a program can only be created together with young people and by constantly seeking their feedback, as we are designing it to meet their needs. The next step is to secure funding to begin testing the program in 2025. If you would like to learn more about the program, contact us at info@sasuudad.ee or on social media (@sasuudad).
CAB (project activities completed)
This was part of the "i-RESTORE 2.0" project, in which the Youth Council was created by the Social Insurance Board. The project is part of a broader international initiative that involved Romania, the Netherlands, Greece, and Estonia. The goal was to improve and make restorative justice services for children better and more accessible, as well as to involve children who have been in contact with the legal and social systems more in the processes that affect their own lives.
The Youth Council was established on March 2, 2023, and its official activities ended on December 31, 2024.
The Youth Council consisted of young people aged 16–21. At its peak, there were approximately 10 members, with 5 active members towards the end of the period. The council included young people with various experiences, all of whom had been in contact with the social, justice, and healthcare systems. Initially, we met with the youth monthly, where we discussed different topics (e.g., young people's positive and challenging experiences, creating messages for professionals based on these experiences; mapping the needs of young people, creating and running a restorative justice awareness campaign, and developing various restorative justice materials).
Activities carried out under the CAB framework:
- A total of 38 meetings were held (20 in person and 18 online).
- Organizing a summer school (with CAB council members)
- Creating a restorative justice game
- Creating a feedback questionnaire
- Õppereisidel osalemine (Rumeenia ja Brüssel)
- Providing input for the closed children's institution service standard
- Providing input for the development plan of the Child Protection Act
- Disseminating youth needs and messages at various training sessions for professionals
- The youth participated in training sessions, conferences, and shared their experiences, as well as their needs, desires, and recommendations with professionals.
- Creating and conducting a restorative justice awareness campaign, with the hashtag #noortenõukogu on the @SaSuudad Instagram account.
The aim of the Youth Council is, in their own words:
N.B. Many of the messages shared by the NGO Sa Suudad come from both the young people of the Youth Council and from other young people with whom we have discussed in the past or will discuss in the future. All the messages highlighted are 100% from the young people themselves and are of great and invaluable value to us!
We are currently working on securing new funding to relaunch the Youth Council! Want to be part of it or know someone who would? Reach out to info@sasuudad or message us on social media @sasuudad.