Latvian scouts and guides awarded youth participation prize

Photo: Jūlija Bebre

Latvian Scout and guide central organization awarded “Best in youth work: strengthening participation on the national level” for the second year in a row.

The annual award ceremony of the National Youth Council of Latvia took place on 28 December 2021 in Riga, Latvia, celebrating the successes of the Latvian youth organisations. “Latvian Scout and Guide Central Organization is like a factory of participation. Many of us who have gathered here today, have seen them not only promote the participation of young people, but also unite other Latvian youth players to be active in the field. I think we can all get a great source of inspiration from them! Congratulations!” said Raivis Tauriņš, project manager of the National Youth Council of Latvia, presenting the award.

The element of participation is included in the goal of the scouts and guides movement – to raise active and responsible citizens. Youth participation is important in our organization; “learning by doing” is one of our methods that we also use for civic education.

Even when youth work activities were severely limited during the pandemic in 2021*, we found a way to continue scouting and guiding activities by providing opportunities to participate on various levels by:

Photo: Sintija Kupča
  • standing up for clear legal framework for youth work in Latvia during Covid-19 pandemic;
  • organizing 3 national level camps for our members;
  • providing opportunities for socializing also to children and teenagers who aren’t scouts or guides;
  • making a documentary film Leave No Trace for young people about exploring nature responsibly, inspiring young people to go outdoors and explore Latvian nature and themselves;
  • promoting healthy and active lifestyle among young people and youth workers, highlighting the importance of physical and mental health in our well-being;
  • continuing to lead activities in 25 local scout and guide units allover Latvia, organizing trainings and various other activities in person and online;

We also want to say thank you:

  • to all our volunteers — scout and guide leaders who selflessly work with youth at the local level!
  • to our small projects team that guides and advances us at the national level;
  • to all our partners who are ready to get involved in implementing valuable initiatives!
  • to all the supporters and donors who help us make the world a better place!

Congratulations to everybody else who received an award!

Thank you to the jury members of the “Best in Latvian Youth Work 2021”!

*In Latvia during the school year of 2020/2021, lessons in schools took place online for 7 out of 9 months; youth work could not take place indoors (and for a few months also not outdoors)

More about the award: https://www.izm.gov.lv/lv/jaunums/apbalvoti-konkursa-labakais-darba-ar-jaunatni-2021-laureati


Comments are closed.