Today in Hungary, youth work is carried out in three thousand different ways across three thousand settlements. Every municipality is responsible for what it does for its youth. In Békéscsaba, the Táliber Community Development Foundation asked: how do 12–25-year-olds become a real community, and how do children become responsible, active citizens who know their rights? They launched a joint initiative called Go free! with the Dr. Baly Hermina Mental Hygiene Foundation, building a community while helping them become conscious and active young adults.
They gave them the opportunity to explore public life topics, understand how democracy works in daily life, and participate in training sessions, forums, and school activities. During 17 months of joint work, it was important for the youth to feel both safe and free, becoming capable of having a say in things that affect them. The task was clear: lift them out of passivity and move them from the "it's pointless" attitude to a "standing up for myself and others" mentality.
The results speak for themselves: in the Liget Community Space in Békéscsaba, more and more young people are appearing; in 2024, they registered more than 7,000 visits from some 90 surrounding settlements. Successful programs included the City Youth New Year Kick-off and the Garabonciás Days student festival. The city also has a youth parliament and student mayoral elections, where recurring topics include school life, career choices, school fatigue, and social media.
Discussions were organized on topics such as entertainment opportunities for youth in the city, with the participation of local venue managers.
In addition, action and peer-help groups were formed at school and settlement levels. Through a series of extraordinary school lessons using experiential pedagogy methods, they learned about EU values, conflict management, and stress management.
Alongside the youth, they connected local professionals through community discussions and workshops. One workshop invited everyone who has been an organizer of local youth work since the 1990s.
Another meeting brought together school social workers, nurses, and psychologists to share experiences regarding sexual health, online safety, data protection, cyberbullying, and mental well-being.
These meetings provided a basis for renewing Békéscsaba's youth strategy, which expires in 2025, ensuring that plans for 2026–2030 take into account as many perspectives and professional insights as possible.
The Táliber Community Development Foundation was established in 2004 in Békés County. They focus specifically on the advocacy of young people, building youth communities, and mentoring professionals, as well as helping to build the youth dialogue systems of settlements. In 2022, the Municipality of Békéscsaba created an urban youth community space named "Liget," the operation of which and the organization of the professional network built around it are carried out by the foundation.
