Problem addressed

In 2019, there were 20 700 people between 15 and 29 ‘not in employment, education or training’ (NEET) (9.8%) in Estonia. When looking at 15-24-year-olds specifically, 8 600 were categorised as NEET (i.e. 6.9%). In comparison, these numbers have changed over the following years, showing an overall increase in both age groups.

In particular, there were 24 300 (11.7%) youngsters aged 15-29 in NEET situation in 2020, whereas this number has decreased to 22 200 (11.2%) in 2021 – still showing an overall increase compared to 2019. The increase of the percentage and number of young NEETS is especially visible among the younger age group, as there were 12 200 (9.7%) 15-24-year-olds in 2020, which grew to 13 400 (10.9%) in 2021 – meaning a 3% increase compared to 2019. Like many other countries, the COVID-19 crisis has substantially affected these numbers.

2019 figures presented the lowest percentage of young NEETs since 2012, a number that has grown again since then. Statistics also show that it took Estonia 10 years to recover from the 2009 financial crisis. Unfortunately, having little to no work experience and/or an insufficient level of education lowers the competitiveness of young people on the labour market and increases their risk of unemployment. Young NEETs remain a target group for support with (re)entry into education or the job market, which is a cornerstone of a sustainable society.

Innovative solution

The Youth Prop-Up Programme has four key innovative elements:

1) Connection and activation of a broad network of partners to reach out to young NEETs who are not aware of available support services or youth work available to them. The network helps beneficiaries to solve individual, day-to-day problems.

2) It is a low-threshold service without preconditions for participation, and NEET young people are offered support even if they choose not to disclose any personal information. This means that confidentiality of personal data and support is provided to any young people aged 15-26, also in the case if they do not wish to share their name, date of birth, etc.

3) Implementation of individualised mobile youth work throughout various regions, combining individual aid, street work, group and community work. The core of this concept is that instead of expecting potential beneficiaries to seek help at youth centres, qualified youth workers work where young NEETs are, such as gyms, parks, cultural centres, shopping centres, skateparks, bus stations or the beach in the summer, etc. Youth workers do street or outreach youth work, but they also work on the Internet, provide youth work services in other regions, as well as at youth hangouts. Mobile youth work provides young NEETs with support unique to their situation by equipping them with skills they could use to help themselves, and it can also serve as a pillar connecting NEET youth with relevant support services.

4) The aim is to establish a trust-based relationship with young NEETs and help them to identify their ambitions and future plans. An individual action plan is tailored to their needs, and they are supported by a youth worker to complete the plan. Providing individualised aid is a key aspect of Youth Prop-Up, as it empowers young people according to their specific motivation.

The Youth Prop-Up Programme was developed by the Association of Estonian Open Youth Centres (Estonian OYC) and launched by the Ministry of Education and Research under the ESF project ‘Inclusion of youth at risk of social exclusion and improvement of youth employability’. The Ministry also oversees the programme.

The Estonian OYC is responsible for implementing the Youth Prop-Up Action Plan 2015-2022, together with a large network of partners that reach out to, and inform young people about youth work possibilities and support services:

- Estonian youth centres;

- Ministry of Social Affairs – helping young people registered as unemployed through the services provided by the Public Employment Services (PES);

- Pathfinder centres – providing careers information, career counselling, speech therapy, psychological guidance, socio-pedagogical guidance, and special educational guidance;

- Schools;

- Local municipalities;

- Partners in the youth sector.

Youth workers are essential to the success of the programme. Supported by the Estonian OYC, they empower young people to increase their capabilities and build their cognitive and behavioural skills through non-formal education, thereby facilitating their entry into the labour market.

4) The aim is to establish a trust-based relationship with young NEETs and help them to identify their ambitions and future plans. An individual action plan is tailored to their needs, and they are supported by a youth worker to complete the plan. Providing individualised aid is a key aspect of Youth Prop-Up, as it empowers young people according to their specific motivation.

The Youth Prop-Up Programme was developed by the Association of Estonian Open Youth Centres (Estonian OYC) and launched by the Ministry of Education and Research under the ESF project ‘Inclusion of youth at risk of social exclusion and improvement of youth employability’. The Ministry also oversees the programme.

The Estonian OYC is responsible for implementing the Youth Prop-Up Action Plan 2015-2022, together with a large network of partners that reach out to, and inform young people about youth work possibilities and support services:

- Estonian youth centres;

- Ministry of Social Affairs – helping young people registered as unemployed through the services provided by the Public Employment Services (PES);

- Pathfinder centres – providing careers information, career counselling, speech therapy, psychological guidance, socio-pedagogical guidance, and special educational guidance;

- Schools;

- Local municipalities;

- Partners in the youth sector.

Youth workers are essential to the success of the programme. Supported by the Estonian OYC, they empower young people to increase their capabilities and build their cognitive and behavioural skills through non-formal education, thereby facilitating their entry into the labour market.

The Youth Prop-Up Programme was developed by the Association of Estonian Open Youth Centres (Estonian OYC) and launched by the Ministry of Education and Research under the ESF project ‘Inclusion of youth at risk of social exclusion and improvement of youth employability’. The Ministry also oversees the programme.

The Estonian OYC is responsible for implementing the Youth Prop-Up Action Plan 2015-2022, together with a large network of partners that reach out to, and inform young people about youth work possibilities and support services:

- Estonian youth centres;

- Ministry of Social Affairs – helping young people registered as unemployed through the services provided by the Public Employment Services (PES);

- Pathfinder centres – providing careers information, career counselling, speech therapy, psychological guidance, socio-pedagogical guidance, and special educational guidance;

- Schools;

- Local municipalities;

- Partners in the youth sector.

Youth workers are essential to the success of the programme. Supported by the Estonian OYC, they empower young people to increase their capabilities and build their cognitive and behavioural skills through non-formal education, thereby facilitating their entry into the labour market.

Key results and benefits

The Estonian OYC use the Youth Centre Logbook, an electronic monitoring instrument for youth centres to collect and share daily data. The Logbook enables youth workers to document their daily activities with participants.

A key programme output is the 2017 Report on the statistical data analysis of the youth centre logbook ‘Noorte Tugila/Youth Prop-Up’. The report analysed 2016 logbook data to give an overview of participating young NEETs’ profiles, and it has shown that the largest group of youth involved in the programme was younger men with acquired or discontinued basic education. This is not representative of all the non-working, non-studying youth in Estonia though, as it was also not the purpose of the Youth Prop-Up to gather representative data. At the time of the report, the programme had gone on for over a year. During this period, over 2 000 young people have joined the Youth Prop-Up and the firsts have successfully reached the end of the programme and no longer have the NEET-youth status. The findings of this report were used to evaluate the effectiveness of programme implementation and guide improvements. A number of further evaluations were also carried out and are available in Estonian.

Key results at the end of 2021 included:

- 13 543 young NEETs were offered support, of whom 9 945 participants have completed the programme.

- Taking into consideration the 6 444 young people (out of the above 9 945) who have completed the programme for six months or longer, 4 586 were in a positive situation six months after their exit, i.e. in employment, education, or both. Some were completing the compulsory military service, while others were on maternity leave.

- Improved collaboration between various stakeholders in supporting young people at risk of becoming NEET or already in NEET-situation, i.e., between youth work organisations, schools, PES, etc. The European Social Fund’s mid-term evaluation also confirmed this aspect.

- Stakeholders outside the youth work sector (PES counsellors, social workers, etc.) have become more knowledgeable about youth work and youth workers, and also of their contribution and role in supporting young people. The better understanding of each other’s roles and opportunities also facilitates better collaboration.

- Improved competences of specialists working with young people in NEET-situation, supported by various training opportunities.

Moreover, the concept of individualised and mobile youth work proved crucial for three reasons:

1) It helped to reach the target group, who did not have to meet any specific criteria other than an age limit between 15-26 years.

2) It provided young NEETs with a unique support targeted to their situation, by equipping them with skills they could use to help themselves.

3) It served as a pillar connecting NEET youth with relevant support services.

If possible, please include short testimonies from citizens or their families to illustrate the main outcomes of the project and their experience of it. (150-200 words).

The Estonian ESF mid-term evaluation (conducted in 2019-2020) includes testimonies from youth workers implementing the programme:

‘I agree 100% that mobile youth work is how you reach out to NEET youth’ (youth worker, focus group).

‘Some young people refuse help. Our starting point here is that we let them refuse three times, but we will come back in six months. We will let them reflect on what is offered’ (youth worker, one-to-one interview).

Potential for mainstreaming

Possible transferable elements are the following:

- The concept of individualised and mobile youth work, which can help connecting young NEETs with the relevant support services that are available for them;

- The electronic monitoring Logbook, which can be used also in other contexts to keep track of young people’s progress;

- Networking (coordinated work between different stakeholders) can support the identification of appropriate services for the users.