1. NGO ÖÖKULL
Astrid Mats
Miina Tariq
Estonia
2008

2. Main goal
 To help and evolve children an youngsters
without parental care and also help their
parents/custodian in order to prevent
criminality.

3. Target group
 Children under the age of 18, who have
lost their home, family or safe living-
environment-those who are just with
problematic social background.

4. Main activities
 Children and youth centre: youth work,
catering, camps, cultural and educational
evenings from Tuesday to Saturday etc.
 Projects: drug abuse prevention, social
skills training, creativity development, film
class, hiking etc.
 Rehabilitation: counselling, family work,
group work.

5. Main activities
 Voluntary work and European
Voluntary Service: trainings, youngsters
own projects, events etc.
 Developing network: cooperation in
local, national and international level.

6. Girls Club
2002-2008 (6 years)
 Target group: girls who belong to high-
risk group in Öökulls centre, Christian
home, “Tartu shelter” aged 13-17. In one
group there are usually 12 girls, both
Estonian and Russian speaking
youngsters.

7. Characteristics of the target group
 Problems in studying
 Emotionally-socially-economically risk families
 One parent, stepparent or institutions
 Lack of confidence
 Violence experience
 Gangs
 Substance abuse
 Starting sexual life early
 Young mothers
 Negative self-concept, low self-esteem
 Lack of info about helping possibilities

8. Backround of the project
 Financed by Tartu County, World
Childhood Foundation
 The benefits of group work
 Positive feedback

9. Methods
 Forum theater
 Group work and discussions
 Quarterly meetings with mothers
 Visiting different institutions
 Practising voluntary work
 Creative methods
 Participants working folder
 Games
 Culture activities
 Different information materials and tests
 Documentation
 Analysing the work 1 time per month

10. Situation in Estonia
 Politics
 Interview with Liia Hänni
*biggest barriers to women running for public office
*participation in political parties; legaslative and executive
*opinion about global network
 Issue of quotas
*former communist countries
*instrument to enlarge women´s political representation

11. Estonian female politicians and quotas
 “Gender quotas are humiliating” (Lauristin 2007: 133)
 “Definitely not supporting” (Kivi 2007: 225)
 “Not supporting any artificial means” (Saks 2007: 242)
 “Not in Estonian conditions” (Ojuland 2007: 270)
 “Jes, I support gender quotas” (Hänni 2007: 160)
 “Not whether woman´s political representation should
be enlarged, but rather how it should be done?”
 Liisa Vask 2007

12. Research among girls and young woman
summer 2008
 64 answers
 Results:
*Does girls and young women need mentors?
*Main topics to to get guidance about?
*Already recived help?

13. Institutions/Projects
 The Estonian Women´s Studies and
Research Centre (ENUT) Only women´s resource center in Estonia
• To increase awarness of gender equality
• To encourage women to participate in different spheres
of social, economic, politycal and academic life.
• First specialised library on women´s and gender issues.
• Promotes human rights, emowerment of women
• Funded by European Union´s PHARE Macro Democracy
Program
• Femina Baltica network

14. Institutions/Projects
 The EAS (developmental department of
enterpreunership)
“The mentorship program for the starting
enterpreneurs”
• For business who have been given starting
funds by EAS
• Counseling, guiding, supporting,establishing
connections
• 25-30 successful cooperative pairs
• Partners- Tartu Business
Consultancy&Female Training Center

15. Institutions/Projects
 Estonian Agricultural Chamber of Commerce
Cooperation with University of Agriculture of Scotland
“Women up the career ladder”
• Enlarge the importance of women in making economical
decisions
• Capacity to develop their career
• Promote modern buisness methods
• For female managers
• Main stress on personal development
• 9 out of 10 mentors were males

16. Institutions/Projects
 Caritas
“ Mentoring”
• Piloting project with other special youthwork institutions
• For youngsters 12-15 who are sent by Juvenille
Comission
• To help youngsters back to school
• To teach law obediance behaviour
• Help to solve other problems

17. Institutions/Projects
 NGO Children Support Centre
“Big Brother and Big Sister” project
• International
• Started 1997 in Tartu
• Support persons for children and youngsters
• For one year
• Activities once a week

18. Institutions/Projects
 NGO Johannes Esto
Mother and child shelter service
• For pregnant women
• Mothers under 3 years old children
• 4 rooms with shower and kitchen
• If the staying is longer than 24 h ,Social Aid Departement
is being notified

19. Institutions/Projects
 NGO Good Start
Family-visiting service for riskfamilies with infants
• The mission is to help to create better possibilities of
developement for Estonian children in their infanthood
indipendent of their variates
• For families who have problems with raising a child
(alcoholism, disability, people from orphanage) by the
decisoin made Social Appartement
• Visiting families once a week
• Project based

20. Institutions/Projects
 Estonian Union For Girl Scouts
Youthleaders, preparation for life
• Free time activities ( camps, orientating,survival skills,
first aid)
• Support system
• Leaders are former participants
• NGO

21. Institutions/Projects
• “Mentorship Club”
*communication amongst entrepreneurs
• “Breaking stereotypes”
* enlarging the potentcial of women in the fields of
science and technology
• “We friends”
*Conference “Let us help to develop employment of
woman”

22. National workshop
 General info:
• In two parts: 30th of August & 2nd of October
• 10 participants
• Mostly dealing with girls and young women with
a problematic social backround

23. National workshop
 Expectations:
• Defining mentoring
• Learning new methods
• Situation in Estonia
• Positive feedback

24. National workshop
 What they learned:
• About training mentors
• Group-mentoring
• Situation in Estonia
• Future cooperation

25. National workshop
 Methods in use:
• Mentor to mentee
-guiding, homework, practical skills, role-model, trust-
relationship, teamwork, feedback, involving in the
community
• Mentor to mentor
- Sharing know-how, motivating, giving a judgement

26. National workshop
 The problems:
• Problems with financing(project-based, periods)
• Unawareness, prejudices
• Lack of interest in the voluntary work
• High price of the necessary trainings
• Scarce cooperation
• Lack of personal contacts and time
• Labor turnover

27. National workshop
 The needs:
• Easier and continuous financing
• Notifying community, generating interest
• Value more the voluntary work
• Contact making
• Cooperation with other countries, sharing know-how
• Roof- organization for better communication
• Better feedback from NGO-s about the problems

28. National workshop
 European level:
• Examples of caseworks
• Conferences
• New literature, methods
• Workshops
• Exchanging experienses and the know-how

29. Thank you!
NGO Öökull
Uus 56 Tartu
Estonia, 50606
E-mail: ookull@ank.ee
Tel: +372 7380 350
www.ookull.ee

30. Institutions/Projects (III)
 Caritas Estonia
“Mentorship Club”
*communication (Tallinn)
*January-May 2004
“Breaking stereotypes”
*science and technology
“We friends”
*conference 19.04.2008 “Let us help to develop
employment of woman”