The Youth Prop Up programme is an action plan for NEETs that has been implemented in Estonia. The Association of Estonian Open Youth Centres is the organisation responsible for the development and implementation of the Youth Prop Up action plan.
The main aim is to provide advice, support and enforcement for young people in the target group, as well as prevention work to prevent young people from entering the NEET status. The programme attempts to assist them in realising their potential and return to become a productive member of society as quickly as possible, raising their confidence and self-esteem.
The NGO Estonian Open Youth Center Association prepared the Youth Support Action plan for 2015-2018. In 2017 Estonian Open Youth Association gave out an instructive document, which summarizes the nature and practice of the The Youth Prop Up programme. The program will continue in 2019-2021 and it currently supports about 8,800 individuals who meet these criteria.
The centres implementing Youth Prop Up are located throughout various regions within Estonia. The country is divided into zones, and within each zone are several local municipalities. The programme is currently being implemented by approximately 35 youth centres since the beginning of 2015. Each centre has the facilities to support up to 30 participants each month. One of the overall aims of the programme is to ensure that at least 53 to 70 individuals will receive help and advice through Youth Prop Up each year.
The Youth Pop Up Program provides the opportunity to act flexibly, at the appropriate time and place for the NEET, it also enables to use an individual approach for each person.
In cooperation with NEETs, it is important to take away the tensions associated with the word NEET (snowflake, self-righteousness, non-fulfilment of obligations etc.). Every young NEET has a special story that requires to find a special solution. While young people seem to be confident, they still have the fear of coping and therefore it is important that and adult supports and understands them individually.
If the NEETs do not receive any help from the government in finding a job then they may no longer want to be in Estonia and prefer to go abroad. The Youth Pop Up Program helps NEETs, who come back from abroad, to find jobs in such a way that they do not lose motivation.
80% of the NEETs who have participated in Youth Support program have found a suitable solution.
Find out more on: https://tugila.ee/support-program-youth-prop/