Head of Õpilasmalev: We will find every young person a suitable task and fun group
Külli Tatter, head of the Õpilasmalev Foundation that organizes student summer camps, said on the "Terevisioon" morning show that the organization has set itself the task of making sure every student willing to go to camp finds suitable work and fun companions this summer. She said that traditional camp chores include picking berries and ground maintenance work.
Starting from May 9, young people all over Estonia can sign up for Õpilasmalev summer camps.
"We've created a few new groups. One of our new partner-employers is the Virumaa Museums Foundation (Virumaa Muuseumid). Young people will be helping out at the Palmse Manor grounds all summer, with maintenance and event organization," Külli Tatter said. "Others will go the National Archives to help systemize material and prepare it for digitization."
Tatter said that Õpilasmalev works with 70 regular employers. "Some take a break only to return a few years later. People are happy with us and happy to invite young people to work."
That said, it's not easy to find new partners. "Those who take the risk are usually happy with their decision at the end of the day, but giving young people work and paying them a salary is still quite a responsibility," Tatter noted.
Students are keen on going to camp, working and experiencing the life. "We've set ourselves the task of making sure that if a young person wants to come to camp, it's up to us to find them suitable work and a fun camp to go to," Tatter added.
Traditional summer camp jobs are berry-picking and grounds maintenance work. While some young people are happy to harvest strawberries for three weeks, others prefer more diverse assignments. They can help organize events at Palmse Manor this summer or work at a dairy in Põlva County, as Õpilasmalev has a wide range of jobs to choose from.
"The most popular groups are city camps for 13-15-year-olds. There are also more popular country groups. For example, students are always keen to go to the island of Saaremaa. The time summer camps are held is also an important consideration as young people tend to have packed summers," Tatter said. "In our groups, young people work four hours a day, which grows to six hours for students 15 and older."
The minimum hourly wage is usually €4.86, while some assignments can fetch a little more. "The highest summer camp salaries reach youngsters who work as Wolt food couriers, while it is hard work and requires one to accept a fair number of orders," she added.
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Editor: Annika Remmel, Marcus Turovski
Source: "Terevisioon"
