"Jaunatnes Čemodāns" is a non-governmental organization. It was founded on the 27th of September 2013. It is a youth organization - youth platform - which is led by 3 specialists and active young people united around the idea of creating opportunities for youth who want to be active, to learn something new, gain experience and knowledge to their personal and professional development. The webpage/b
log of the youth organization - http://jaunatnes-cemodans.blogspot.com ; FB -https://www.facebook.com/jaunatnescemodans
The association pays attention for such issues like environment, active and healthy lifestyle, civic activity, social development and awareness of the EU. The association has organized different activities in Rezekne: “Big clean up activity 2014/2015”, during which our members cleaned territory next to Rezekne river, “In memory of the fallen”- cleaned the memorial place for Jews killed under N**i rule. The organization organized different local projects for youngsters “Geocaching Rēzekne” and “Healthy lifestyle base” (the creation of a table game), “Musically-theatretical competition “Pop-ielina”” within Rezekne municipality project programmes. Moreover, youth of the YC realized such local projects as “ZUPA – unition of national societies in Rezekne through a soup” (2016), “Joy is the best doctor” (2017) – drawinf the walls in children department in Rezekne’s hospital, Children Orthodox summer educational seminars (2017) (2018)
In 2014 the association took part in Latvian contest “Labie darbi” and won it. As a price our association could make renovation works in our old classrooms. In 2015 the association has finished the renovation works and opened the Youth Platform. Since 2013 NGO has been working with children with special needs from the NGO “Angels with us” (summer camps, meetings, conferences)
What is more, YC has implemented several international youth projects:
1. International youth initiative project “Connected by rivers” (2013 - 2015) (http://connected-by-rivers.blogspot.com ) within the EU programme “Youth in Action''.
2. EVS project “Youth Platform” (2017 - 2019) (2 EVS volunteers from Spain and Armenia worked in YC) The blog of the project: http://jc-youthplatform.blogspot.com (Erasmus+)
Main themes of the activities were creativity and culture, youth work and health. The goal of the project was to popularize EVS projects among youngsters and support youth initiative and active participation. Youth leisure time activities, youth initiatives, outdoor activities were main project activities. Different educational activities based on non-formal education were organized during the project. For example, educational expeditions, expedition with canoes, interactive activities and lessons at schools, summer children camps, educational seminars for children and youth, presentations about the project, EVS, Erasmus+ and Solidarity Corps, thematic and creative workshops, activity “Human Library”, project photo exhibition “Latvia in our hearts”, dance and guitar classes, activity “European language day”, national and cultural afternoons, discussion club (about EU, environment and renewable energy, security and human rights, European elections 2019, youth employment, migration and integration, etc.), language clubs (English, Spanish, German), the creation of blog, planting trees, building bird houses, etc.
3. YC also has sent a volunteer on EVS to France to work in the city council of Ville de Vienne
4. Several youth exchange projects in Poland (“Get Photo”, “Powering Creation”, “We create yourself (2019)”, “PRZESTRZEN WOLNOSCI” (2020)) (Erasmus+)
5. “American days in Rezekne” (2018) supported by American Embassy in Riga
“Jaunatnes Čemodāns” was recognized in a contest “Work with Youth 2014” organized by Latvian Ministry of Education and Science and won the nomination “The steepest jump for new organization”. The organization was also recognized as one of the best organizations for youth in Rezekne “Rezekne city Youth driving force organization 2014”. And in 2017 the organization got the nomination from the Ministry of Education “The Volunteer of the Year” in Latvia.
