Youngsters On the Air 2013 Estonia is a youth exchange project under Youth in Action programme, continuing the projects which took place in 2011 in Romania and in 2012 in Belgium.

The organizer in 2013 is Estonian Radio Amateurs’ Union. Teams from 15 countries attend (Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden). Most of the participating organizations are members of International Amateur Radio Union (IARU).

The youth exchange event will take place in Tartu (Estonia) on August 5^th-12^th, 2013. 
Special callsigns ES5YOTA and ES9YOTA will be active during the event. 
The main objective of the project is to promote technical education among the youth.

Technical disciplines are often perceived as difficult to learn. In spite of more and more technology in our everyday lives, less and less people want to know how this technology actually works. Youngsters opt for soft disciplines in further studies, resulting in overproduction and unemployment in these fields. At the same time, technical disciplines suffer from lack of people, resulting in labour shortage in these areas.

The aim of the project is to show to youngsters that technical fields may be fun and a good tool for broadening one’s mind, in addition offering excellent career possibilities. Communication with kids and elder people having similar interests, but with different cultural background and languages, gives international experience, self-assurance and the most important, friends with kindred spirits.

The participants will be involved in activities implemented with the support of non formal education tools such as presentations, games and exercises, workshops, debates, outdoor activities, meetings with the youngsters and technical professionals from Estonia, which will give them the learning space to raise their tolerance and solidarity spirit toward diversity, to raise the understanding between them, to develop their volunteering spirit and to develop the initiative and entrepreneurship skills. The relationships and experience developed during the youth exchange foster networking activities, which give start for further initiatives. The project community membership in Facebook grew to over 100 actively communicating members in less than two years. The youth network is co-ordinated by IARU and national youth co-ordinators, enabling to communicate with stakeholders easily.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.eir tolerance and solidarity spirit toward diversity, to raise the understanding between them, to develop their volunteering spirit and to develop the initiative and entrepreneurship skills. The relationships and experience developed during the youth exchange foster networking activities, which give start for further initiatives. The project community membership in Facebook grew to over 100 actively communicating members in less than two years. The youth network is co-ordinated by IARU and national youth co-ordinators, enabling to communicate with stakeholders easily.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. 

The Estonian society ERAU hosted a preparation weekend for Youngsters On The Air 2013 which will take place from 5 till 12 August. In the weekend 5 – 7 July teamleaders from Finland, Latvia, Italy, Slovenia, Ireland, Croatia, Belgium, The Netherlands and the Estonian organization discussed about subjects as the program and brought a visit to the campsite. Together with the preparation activities ERAU’s hamfest took place in Vaibla, Estonia. The group picture was made after the closing ceremony. In front are the present team leaders. 

Last Saturday, 29^th of June 2013, the 2^nd International Youth meeting took place at the HAM Radio in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Several lectures where given. Dutch JOTA-JOTI coordinator Remko Welling PE1MEW pointed out three pillars are needed to have success with organizing scout radio activities: communication, technics and working together. He was also highlighting internet is not dangerous for amateur radio.
Finnish youth coordinator of SRAL Mari Nikkilä OH2FPK showed youth events as training camps, communication camps and youth dx-peditions. About 25% of the participants in youth training camps remains being radio amateur. At the moment more than 46 schools were visited and more than 1000 kids heard about radio amateurism. She told clearly problems with gaining new young radio amateurs and gave interesting solutions for these problems.
Tommy Degrande ON2TD youth coordinator of UBA showed electronic building kits used in Belgium, JOTA-JOTI and Youngsters on The Air 2012 which was held last summer in Eeklo.

As surprise Gerrit Herzig DH8GHH found time to show pictures of Fichtenfieldday. This is a weekend fieldday for young hams with following parts in the program: electronic kit building, using HF radios, Foxoring, geocaching and other games. This year, last year he also was attending the youth meeting, Alexander Banbury KE7WUD updated us about progress in youth and amateur radio concerning on emergency. Emergency is at his home QTH, Mercer Island USA, a main issue as floods, earth quakes and tornados are common. This is also a reason for youth to become radio amateur to help and assist when telecommunication infrastructure fails.

Date: Saturday 29^th of June, 2013
Time: 2:00 PM
Place: Room Berlin, Conference Center East.
With lectures from:
Tommy Degrande ON2TD, Belgian Youth Coordinator of UBA: Youth activities in Belgium
Remko Welling PE1MEW, JOTA-JOTI Coordinator The Netherlands: Jamboree on the air and scout activities, successful JOTA-JOTI in The Netherlands with over 200 scoutings participating every year.
Mari Nikkilä OH2FPK, Finnish Youth Coordinator of SRAL: Youth activities in Finland