Patriotic education program
Patriotic youth education program – what is it?
The Patriotic Youth Education Program (IHP) has been established in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence. The aim of the program is to promote patriotic values among youngsters of basic school age and give them the opportunity to participate in civic education focused on Kodutütred and Noored Kotkad, such as: national defence, Estonian history and culture, first aid, orienteering and hiking, survival in the forest, nature education skills for life. Thanks to the open organization of patriotic camps, the youth organizations of the Defence League – the Young Eagles and the Kodutütred – increase their communication with society and are valued as the implementers of national defence hobby education.
Opportunities of the program
The program encourages the opening of new groups and the encouragement of existing groups. The program provides financial support for group activities upon application to provide them with a more adventurous and diverse experience and to support their training.
The groups have had the opportunity to organize diverse forest and co-operation camps, where the requirements of the ranking plans are studied in order to raise the ranking level of youth. The usual training camps have been transformed into study days, which involve foreign trainers and experts from different companies. For example, a simpler first aid lesson has become concise first aid trainings conducted by doctors and ambulance workers. Thanks to the program, young people have visited museums that support Estonian history and cultural studies. The most popular places to visit include Estonian National Museum, Open Air Museum, Seaplane Harbour Maritime Museum, Police Museum, Wittenstein Time Centre, War Museum and Valga Military Park.
Previously, only the group leader or group chief had the responsibility to take care of young people’s knowledge and experience, but now it is possible to use the help of foreign trainers to enrich the trainees’ knowledge. To this end, the Tartu Vocational Education Centre is involved, which offers exciting etiquette trainings. Various tour guides who know Estonian forests and bogs and can take young people to places they have not visited before. In addition, water centres, where the basics of water safety and rescue are taught by skilled instructors.
Patriotic education program and youth leaders
Tänu Noorte isamaalise hariduse programmile võimaldatakse vabatahtlikele noortejuhtidele koolitusi väljaspool organisatsiooni. Koolituste korraldamine on oluline ühtse meeskonnatunde tekitamisel ja teadmiste ühtlustamisel. Lisaks on loodud võimalus anda silmapaistvatele noortejuhtidele stipendiumit. Aastal 2018 jagati esmakordselt stipendiume 10 vabatahtlikule noortejuhile.
’Spekter’ Big Camp
Within the framework of IHP, Noored Kotkad and Kodutütred organized a large ’Spekter’ camp in the summer of 2018. A total of 764 young people came together. Among them, young people and participants from various Estonian companies and organizations who speak Russian as their home language. On the opening day, 1,010 people stood in line. The aim of the big event was to organize an open camp for young people of basic school age. Through active activities, the field of activity of the youth organizations of the Defence League was introduced to hundreds of young people participating from outside, and patriotic values and an active lifestyle were promoted among youngsters. The success of the ‘Spekter’ ensured the arrival of a new big camp in 2020! Summer, friends, adventure – it’s SPECTRUM!