This year, Šiauliai City Municipality continues to promote youth initiatives, and one of the priority areas this year is the promotion of youth leadership. To implement this goal, the Šiauliai branch of the Lithuanian Samaritan Society has initiated the project “Awaken the Power of a Leader” . The project is designed to develop leadership skills in young people and will include several stages with specific activities.

In the first phase, project participants will have the opportunity to participate in theoretical and practical training sessions . These sessions will address key topics of leadership, teamwork, effective communication and social responsibility. Young people will be introduced to the principles of leadership and will gain the knowledge necessary for effective leadership and the ability to mobilize teams for a common goal. The first phase will also include seminars and group sessions , during which the development of participants’ competencies will be encouraged. It is planned that young people will learn from the success stories of experienced leaders and try out various team, creative and experiential activities.

The second phase of the project will focus on the practical application of the acquired knowledge . Participants will be encouraged to contribute to the development and implementation of social projects in their communities. This phase will provide an opportunity to practically apply the knowledge acquired during the training and further improve leadership skills. It is planned to initiate various projects, such as social campaigns, community events or assistance to socially vulnerable groups. By working in teams, participants will strengthen their sense of responsibility and ability to effectively cooperate in achieving common goals.

The third stage includes a symposium for leaders . During this event, teenagers and young people will have the opportunity to share their experiences and insights related to leadership, social responsibility and community. During the symposium, participating teams will present their implemented social projects, share their experiences and reveal how the application of leadership principles has helped them improve and have a positive impact on their communities. This event will be dedicated to reflecting on youth achievements, strengthening self-confidence and inspiring other young people.

During all stages of the project, methodological material will be collected and systematized . This material will be used for further work with young people, aiming to consistently develop their leadership skills and competencies.

Šiauliai City Municipality has allocated 3,000.00 euros in funding for the implementation of the project “Awaken the Power of a Leader”. It is expected that this project will become an important impetus for the leadership development of young Šiauliai residents and their active involvement in community life.

Danutė Kratukienė, Chairwoman of the Šiauliai Branch of the Lithuanian Samaritan Society

In 2024, the Lithuanian Samaritan Society, together with the Young Samaritan organizations, implemented the Šiauliai City Municipality Youth Initiatives Project “Know Your Neighbor Near You”. This project was aimed at adolescents and young people, with special attention paid to those who have fewer opportunities or are less motivated to engage in extracurricular and community activities.

During the project implementation, a camp was organized, which attracted great interest, and the number of participants was impressive: a total of 116 young people participated. The Young Samaritans actively contributed to the organization of the camp and invited their peers, especially those who experience social exclusion. The camp’s activity program was adapted to the needs and interests of the young people. During the camp, a friendly and supportive environment was created, in which the young people felt accepted and valued. The participants gained more confidence in themselves and their abilities, learned to communicate and cooperate better with others, and understood cultural, social, and personality differences and similarities.

The project organized engaging lectures aimed at developing various competences of the participants. In creative workshops, young people could express their creativity through art classes, theater classes and creative writing lessons. In social-emotional training, emotional intelligence skills were developed, young people learned to recognize and manage their emotions, avoid stereotypical attitudes, recognize their uniqueness and uniqueness, develop empathy and strengthen self-confidence and trust in others.

The project also helped reduce social exclusion, fostered community connections and integration. The methodological materials collected will be used further to develop youth competencies and organize trainings and seminars for teachers and youth leaders.

This project was a big step towards developing young people’s competences in informal settings and promoting their active participation in community life. The success and continuity of the project shows that we can achieve even more if we constantly look for different ways and forms of educating young people. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of this project!

DANUTĖ KRATUKIENĖ,
Chairwoman of the Šiauliai branch of the Lithuanian Samaritan Society

in 2024 On April 27-28, the youth camp “Get to know your neighbor near you” was held. This camp is in Šiauliai. part of the youth initiatives project financed by the municipality. The goal of the camp is not only to have a great time, but also to encourage young people with less opportunities to participate in creative, familiarizing, team-building activities and classes so that the youth understand that although we are all different and have different opportunities, we can complement each other, spend meaningfully time and develop competences needed in life. The leaders of the camp groups became the students of Šiauliai Julius Janonis Gymnasium, who gathered the youth for active experimental activities. These young leaders created the program themselves, discussed what activities would encourage young people to act the most, considered what challenges young people face and looked for ways to properly analyze these issues during the camp. Through various creative and practical activities, lectures and discussions, the participants had the opportunity to strengthen self-confidence, teamwork, communication and cooperation, discussed stereotypes, the uniqueness of their person, self-confidence and others, and other issues relevant to young people, and developed resistance to negative environmental influences. We can safely say that the camp fulfilled all expectations, most of them promised to come to this kind of camp next year and invite even more young people to spend their time meaningfully.

Danutė Kratukienė,
teacher at Julius Janonis Gymnasium in Šiauliai,
chairperson of the Šiauliai branch of the Lithuanian Samaritan Community

Šiauliai branch of the Lithuanian Samaritan community in 2023 implemented the project “Good emotional mental health – the real power of a leader” financed by Šiauliai city municipality. The main goal of the project is to strengthen the emotional and mental health of teenagers and young people, involving as many young people as possible in active activities, developing leadership and social-emotional intelligence. In order to achieve this goal, engaging lectures were organized on the topics of self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, development of social skills, and leadership. Lecturers gave lectures on various topics. One of them is “What is my self-esteem and self-image?” In this lecture, young people looked into their self-image, strengthened their personal self-esteem and looked for ways to properly shape their personality. Another lecture “How do I feel in the team?” Essential principles of team formation” made it possible to work in a team, to recognize one’s strengths and aspects to be improved. The principles of team formation helped to perform practical tasks in teams, to try new methods and methods, to make decisions, to be more confident in oneself and others. During the summative lecture “How does my emotional-spiritual health relate to leadership?”, practical, self-reflection tasks encouraged young people to look for connections between their emotional-spiritual health and leadership. During all meetings, teenagers and young people not only listened to lectures, but also completed practical tasks. Each young person could get to know himself better, communicate with his peers, and look for ways to cooperate with other young people. The acquired methodological materials and tools will help to further strengthen the emotional and mental health of young people, create opportunities for young people to continue activities and join support groups, to form responsible and active young people who take responsibility for themselves and the community.

Danutė KRATUKIENĖ, chairperson of the Šiauliai branch