Summer Youth Work Camps Officially Start
This year's traditional summer work camps for youth, also known as malevad, will get their ceremonial kick start in Tallinn today.
Youth camp groups from across the nation are expected to participate in the opening ceremony, which takes place in the capital's Town Hall Square, ERR radio reported.
Participants will then start work on manual labor projects, usually lasting two to three weeks.
In Harju County alone, 750 people aged 13 to 26 years are participating in the camps, 24 of which take place in rural areas and 17 in the capital.
According to Maarja Saavik, head of the Õpilasmalev Foundation which organizes the project, the participants are offered a variety of jobs to do. "We are mostly offering maintenance work, where young people can help with landscaping and easier farm work," she said, adding that there are still vacant spots available.
"In the beginning, the groups filled very quickly, but in the last month and a half there have been some people who have given up their places [...] We have reopened registration in these groups on our website," she explained.
Ingrid Teesalu