On April 11th, the "My Lääne-Viru" youth hackathon took place in Rakvere, organized in collaboration with Tallinn University of Applied Sciences and Lääne-Viru Association of Municipalities, with the goal of finding solutions to challenges related to the living environment in Lääne-Viru County. The event encouraged young people to address the issues that matter to them and consider how they can help to solve those.
As the Mayor of Rakvere, Maido Nõlvak, mentioned at the start of the event: “The future of Lääne-Viru is in the hands of the youth – our home county needs young people and their innovative ideas. The hackathon is a great opportunity to make your voice heard and share your ideas with others.”
It was great to see participants from all over the county, representing various educational backgrounds and ages (from basic school students to vocational school students). Though they represented different regions, the students had similar concerns. The hackathon provided a platform to discuss these issues.
Young participants discussed several important issues. First, they brought up that bus transportation is poor and needs a better analysis of people's movement patterns so that bus schedules can be improved. Other challenges that youth pointed out: the overload of emergency medical services, low exam results at local schools, limited job opportunities for youth, and the lack of entertainment options (including issues with nightlife). At the event's end, participants voted on the most urgent issue needing attention, and the winner was the poor quality of school meals. Solving this problem will require cooperation between school management, student councils, and local governments.
The youth also came up with many useful ideas, such as starting a company to help young people find jobs by connecting them with employers and helping them to improve their CV-s. As a solution to the emergency medical services overload, the youth suggested that local emergency department could employ a specially trained individual who could assess the necessity of visiting the ER. For improving entertainment and nightlife options, the youth discussed using urban spaces more creatively and organizing different exciting events, but this would require deeper analysis of the problem and mapping potential partners and sponsors. To improve exam results in local schools, the youth proposed enhancing educational quality by applying different learning methods and raising awareness of learning strategies.
The hackathon helped young people gain important skills and experiences. They learned to share their thoughts and engage in discussions about improving their community. The event encouraged them to step out of their comfort zones and communicate with new people, which they did very well. Many said the event helped them see things from new perspectives and understand that good solutions require careful analysis. Besides improving their communication skills, participants made new friends and learned how to present their ideas confidently to the audience. This hackathons was a valuable experience that helped them understand the importance of working together and solving problems thoughtfully.
Hanno Tikkerbär, one of the mentors, highlighted that such events help young people gain more confidence and show that the youth of Lääne-Viru are a strong force with fresh and innovative ideas.
“Young people are used to sharing their thoughts, contrary to the common belief that the digital generation doesn’t know how to communicate,” said Hanno.
Mentor Virve Linder stated, “The hackathon helps young people understand problems more complexly – they realize how many parties are affected and who should be involved in implementing solutions. This is the value of the event. It creates awareness around the problems.”
Mentor Rivo Neuhaus emphasized, “The hackathon is very necessary for the youth as it encourages them to communicate with each other, while also fostering dialogue across generations. The young people were very clever and offered practical and feasible solutions. Our role as mentors was to guide them to think about what they themselves could do for the community.”
Mentor Kaspar Eevald noted that similar events should also be organized for local entrepreneurs to generate new ideas and promote cooperation, as mentors could help businesses think differently.
Overall, it was an exciting day full of positive energy that broadened the horizons of all participants. We truly hope that the valuable ideas from the youth will not just remain on paper...🌟
A huge thank you to all participants and mentors Katrin Kuusemäe, Monika Ehand, Kaspar Eevald, Rivo Neuhaus, Hanno Tikkerbär, Virve Linder, and Liisa Käiväräinen, and the organizing team! 👏🩷
Photos: Jaana Siik and Triin Roo
The hackathon was part of the PEEK measure project “Development of Industrial Areas in Lääne-Viru County and Raising Entrepreneurship”, co-financed by the European Union.
