Summer brigades give teens abroad a chance to work in Estonia
While the Estonian Foreign Ministry has so far organized language camps for Estonian children living abroad, this year teenagers were sent to work for the first time. Young people who came from far away are very happy with this kind of Estonian summer.
It might seem that when summer break is much shorter than in Estonia, working during the summer would be the last thing young people living abroad want to do. But when the Foreign Ministry offered the opportunity for the first time, plenty signed up.
"I really like it. I've spent the whole summer looking for different ways to work, either at a café or at a family business, but the brigade helps find a job and makes it easier," said Anna, a participant from Abu Dhabi.
Anna's summer break lasts six weeks, and she spends only half of that time in Estonia. That makes it hard to find a job, but she considers getting work experience important.
In Belgium, students must work for a month without pay in tenth grade to gain work experience.
Maurits, who joined the brigade, said he is luckier than his friends because the brigade is fun, he can complete the required work hours, and he also gets paid.
"I didn't expect this at all. I didn't know I'd be doing theater work. I thought I'd be picking strawberries here, but this is much better than I expected. I'm very happy with the job I got," said Maurits, a participant from Brussels.
The most important part of the brigade, according to the young people, is making new friends, and they are very happy with their group. But the money also comes in handy.
Anna is saving money to visit friends she met while living in Washington.
"I'm buying GTA VI for my brother and myself. I'll probably also do something with my computer, it needs repairs," said Maurits.
Gete, who lives in Madrid, is a third‑generation brigade participant. Her grandmother and parents were in the brigade and made lifelong friends there. Her parents strongly encouraged her to join.
"I think it's been a bit of a culture shock because everything is different, people act differently. I've learned new words and learned to work in a different way. Things I didn't know before, like how to take care of horses and how work is done in a stable. I've never been in the countryside like this," said Gete.
The idea to invite young people living abroad came from the Foreign Ministry in cooperation with Estonian language teachers working overseas.
"There are about 12,000 young people [with Estonian roots] aged 13 to 18 living around the world. We try to find different opportunities so they can get something more than just a language camp or a visit to their grandmother," said Liina Viies, adviser at the Foreign Ministry's Department for Global Estonians and Cultural Diplomacy.
Parents sign their children up for language camps, but young people wanted to join the brigade on their own.
Nineteen applied for work, and 12 made it to the brigade. Some backed out when they learned they could not quit halfway. Others had to give up because, unlike Estonian children, students in Europe must still attend school in June and in some places even in July.
--
Editor: Valner Väino, Argo Ideon
