On 8 October, young people from the cities of Valga and Valka came together at the Valka Cultural Centre under the auspices of Garage48. Together, they reflected on the biggest challenges facing Valga-Valka and how they could become new opportunities!
The young people were welcomed by representatives of both cities, who stressed that Valga and Valka are not two small towns - but one big, cross-border community.
Laura Gredzens, the project leader, said that “Hack the Border” is a unique project, as it has never brought young people from Estonia and Latvia together in this way before. “Even though we live in twin cities, we don't yet have a strong enough community. That is why it is important for young people to get to know each other, share their ideas and find ways to make life in Valga-Valka even better. Young people see the world with fresh eyes and can have lots of bright ideas for the development of the twin city. So it is very important to make young people's voices and ideas heard - who knows what great solutions might grow out of this project.”
The project will next move to Käärik, where already at the end of October a hackathon will take place, where a core group of young people from Estonia and Latvia will develop their ideas. In Käärik, ideas will be developed with the help of experts and mentors.
According to Piret Talur, Senior Specialist for External Projects in Valga Municipality, the ideas of young people will be an indispensable input for the new Valga-Valka strategy to be developed in the coming years. “Garage 48 is an experienced organiser of hackathons and will certainly be able to bring out young people's vision on how to further leverage the potential of the twin city. Both Valga and Valka are peripheral regions in their own countries, but acting together they can be a unique example of cross-border cooperation.”
The project involves students from Valgamaa Vocational Training Centre, Valka Jānis Cimze Gymnasium and Valga Gymnasium.
For our part, we wish young people a flight of fancy and inspiring ideas for the future!