Jaunimo karjeros centras (En. Youth Career & Advising Center (YC&AC) is a non-profit‚ non-governmental institution established in 1999 by the Open Society Fund-Lithuania and Vytautas Magnus University with a strong focus on educational programs. The Center is located in Kaunas‚ Lithuania‚ and has a client-centered‚ well equipped academic and educational community based resource and advising center in Vytautas Magnus University campus. Location of the Center and collaborative relationship with the university model and enable cooperation between YC&AC and educational institutions in Lithuania and abroad.

Youth Career & Advising Center has a strong network of trainers‚ experts‚ consultants and advisers who provide services all around the country. Through this network of people the Center is informed on the newest youth guidance and development‚ violence against children‚ active civic participation issues. Based on this learning the organisation constantly develops perspectives on how to integrate and solve these issues in the society.

YC&AC is:

  • An accredited in-service teacher training institution (accreditation given by the Lithuanian Ministry of Education and Science)‚
  • Authorised TOEFL iBT (Test of English as Foreign Language) testing center‚
  • Authorised EducationUSA center.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

YC&AC aims to meet public needs through educational‚ scientific‚ cultural‚ social and legal initiatives and to carry out activities in order to realize the following objectives:

  • To develop educational‚ social and cultural initiatives;
  • To create and improve the system of career guidance services;
  • To stimulate actions of academic community;
  • To initiate strategic projects for change in educational system and integration into EU environment;
  • To provide information about study opportunities in Lithuania and abroad;
  • To provide guidance on career decision making process and personal realisation;
  • Provide educational programmes for youth and adults.

TARGET AUDIENCE

  • Students: secondary schools‚ VET institutions‚ universities and colleges;
  • Adult learners: job seekers‚ parents‚ etc.;
  • Youth with special needs: children and youth living in child care‚ homes‚ offenders‚ people with disabilities;
  • Educators: teachers‚ psychologists‚ social workers‚ school managers‚ youth workers;
  • Other organisations: NGOs‚ youth organisations‚ community organisations‚ employers‚ etc.

Youth Career & Advising Center deals with different typologies of publics. The Center provides information‚ counseling and educational services for students from secondary schools‚ vocational education and training institutions‚ colleges and universities. YC&AC also provides educational services for teachers‚ psychologists‚ social workers‚ school managers‚ parents. The Center has also developed special services for children and youth living in child care homes‚ young offenders‚ people with disabilities.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

  1. Providing information and counseling in order to enable people to become responsible for their lives and make important decisions;
  2. Providing non-formal education programmes for youngsters to acquire skills and attitudes for successful self-expression (career planning‚ communication‚ conflict management‚ team building‚ leadership skills development‚ project management‚ active civic participation);
  3. Providing optional courses on life skills development for university students;
  4. Providing in-service training courses for educators and schools community members on approaches and methods for successful development of life skills;
  5. Initiation of programmes and projects in order to introduce new approaches and methods for successful development of life skills.

FIELDS OF INTEREST

  • Career development and guidance – the Center provides career development and guidance services for school and university/college students: provides information on study and research opportunities in Lithuania and abroad‚ provides service on assessment and interpretation using Holland’s self directed search‚ provides seminars for career planning skills development for school students and optional courses for university students. YC&AC also participates in development of career guidance system in Lithuania. It works in curriculum development for schools and college/university students‚ development of training materials for career counselors‚ school teachers and parents in Lithuania. YC&AC is interested in development of innovative products for improvement of quality of career guidance system in Lithuania.
  • Effective communication and life skills – YC&AC provides educational programmes for students and in-service training for teachers‚ psychologists and social workers on development and improvement of effective communication and life skills. Experts of the organisation develop curriculum materials for working on different methodologies‚ e.g. play therapy‚ peer counseling‚ negotiation‚ etc.
  • ICT in education – YC&AC is a part of several projects applying ICT into education. It has also prepared several in-service training courses connected to using of ICT in educational process. YC&AC is interested in development of online training courses and ICT-based tools for different target groups and on different topics.
  • Development issues and global citizenship – YC&AC actively participates in implementation of European development policy. The Center is an active participant of Development Education Forum (DEF) and LITDEA – Lithuanian Development Education and Awareness Raising Network. YC&AC participates in EuropeAid supported projects for introducing development education into school curriculum in Lithuania. YC&AC is interested in international awareness raising projects‚ as this field is not developed properly yet in Lithuania.
  • Language learning/teaching – YC&AC has experience in development and realisation of specialized language learning courses for various target groups. It has been a part of few curriculum development projects for language learning/teaching. YC&AC is interested in development of new methods and approaches for introducing various topics through learning and using of language.