“We want to show young people the broadest possible perspectives”

Egyesek Youth Association is working on creating a youth community space after purchasing an old nightclub in the center of Szécsény that is in dire need of renovation. We spoke with Janka Becsey, the project leader and a beneficiary of our Revitalising Small Towns Programme, about how to sustainably capture young people’s interest, transform them into an active community, and how youth work can spark dialogue between extremely different social groups.

Why did you feel that community organizing in Szécsény was something you had to do?

Because I saw that the locals have memories and experiences of a well-functioning community, which can serve as a foundation.

What was the community life like? Why did it decline?

According to what people say, the community was more vibrant because more people lived here, and there were more young people. Over the past 20-30 years, many have moved away, and the population has aged. Despite this, people still have a longing for community.

What local traditions do you want to build on?

Before the end of the socialist regime, large student gatherings were held here, sports clubs, schools, and workshops participated, and there were even parades in town. The deputy mayor shared this with me, as well as the story of a very similar project from back then: young people and friend groups came together to renovate a similarly rundown building with their own resources and local support. That youth center functioned successfully for several years. This, too, was a grassroots initiative led by young people—not something organized by the local cultural center, as is common in many other towns.

Why did you choose to work specifically with young people? Was it a personal connection?

Partly, yes. But I was also influenced by what I experienced in my hometown, where I saw many youth-oriented programs up close—festivals, student days, student councils, and student radio. Everyone supported us, providing space and funding whenever we wanted to make something happen. The municipality was also supportive. I had such great experiences that it was clear I wanted to do something similar.

How do local civic initiatives, young people, and the municipality react to your work?

The municipality supports us within its means. The deputy mayor, who is responsible for youth affairs and has a background as a teacher, leads a student theater group here in Szécsény. We have a direct relationship with him. We also have a great relationship with the student theater group and the local art workshop—our volunteers even model for their sessions. Among local civil organizations, we collaborate with and support each other alongside the Szécsényi Kőrösi Foundation, which also works on community organization, though they focus on all age groups, not just young people. Additionally, a few local small businesses have expressed their support.

Where do you find and reach out to young people?

One of the core activities of Egyesek Youth Association is local youth work. This mostly involves visiting educational and social institutions to conduct skill development workshops for children and young people, so many students already know us. We also have many personal connections with young people. When we decided to establish a youth house, we invited everyone we knew to join us for communal cooking, conversations, and meals at our volunteer house. These gatherings helped us find the young people who still come today and are actively involved. Interestingly, we wouldn’t have reached them through our usual activities because they attend schools we don’t normally visit.

What do you do together, and what do you envision for the future?

Over the past few months, they cleared the garden and dismantled the fence. The heating works now because one of the boys, who learned about boilers from his father, came and turned it on—something I couldn’t figure out myself. They are incredibly active and independent. It’s not just us organizing things and telling them what to do; they come up with ideas and even bring tools from home. That’s how we ended up grouting and having cookouts together.

We’ve also started some other programs as well as part of a youth participation initiative. The goal is to develop community projects together, such as a board game club or a summer youth festival. We also launched an English club—not a traditional language course, but more of a conversation practice space where each month we choose a topic and create content like writing, videos, or podcasts. The goal is to regularly discuss topics that interest them, in English and for free. We want to continue board game nights because they make it easy for newcomers to join, even alone, without friends. We’re also planning afternoon parties, from 5 to 10 PM. Our first event, a Halloween party, exceeded expectations—we anticipated 8-10 attendees, but around 30 people showed up.

Right now, my main goal—aligned with my colleagues—is to reach more people and grow the core group that actively uses the space. We also want to get them increasingly involved in organizing activities themselves. The ideal, utopian vision is that we don’t have to do anything—meaning that they come up with and organize events themselves while we provide funding and connections. We want to empower them and show them broad perspectives. Besides, there will always be at least one adult present as a resource.

In your grant application, you mentioned that youth work can foster connections between extremely different social groups.

This is a difficult topic because I see huge social divides.

Between whom?

There’s a divide between Roma and non-Roma people, but more visibly, it’s between those living in poverty and the middle class. You can’t avoid this issue here; it comes up in every conversation by the second sentence. Schools are also segregated—some have 90-95% Hungarian students, while nearby village schools have 100% Roma students from segregated communities, many of whom are functionally illiterate. These children almost never meet, except perhaps to fight.

I’ve noticed that prejudice exists toward groups, but not as much toward individuals. When people get to know someone personally, biases tend to fade. I think we can work with this.

How do you ensure that young people from all social backgrounds attend your programs?

By getting to know them personally and, for example, reaching out via Instagram to invite them. That’s how it works now. We first invited those we saw were already active in the community, open to conversations, and easy to engage. Over time, we will reach out to those who are less open.

Is bridging different social groups an explicit goal of your youth work, or does it just happen naturally?

It’s not something that has to happen. Honestly, it would be much easier if we only worked with young people from stable backgrounds. But I feel it’s crucial because if we don’t take this path, the situation won’t improve. If we only worked with privileged youth, they would go to university and never come back. Plus, they wouldn’t gain a broader perspective. However, if we engage multiple social groups, they experience what it’s like to work together, which could lead to local opportunities since many of them might stay here.

How did you find the Roots and Wings Foundation’s grant? Why did you apply?

One of my colleagues monitors grant opportunities and found it. Another colleague knew the foundation and highly recommended it. We loved the grant’s vision and purpose. Since I’m primarily responsible for the youth house project, I applied. This was actually the first grant application I ever submitted on my own (laughs).

What do you expect from the foundation’s professional support?

Our organization has many experienced members, and we exchange ideas and inspiration. But having an external perspective—like a supervisor—is what I value most.

How will you use the financial support?

Right now, our priority is securing funding for renovations—fixing the roof, electricity, heating, and so on. My focus, however, is on the content—what functions the space will have and how it will be furnished. I envision using the foundation’s support to shape the interior and activities. In the first year, we’ll set up a small kitchen.

We’ve seen from experience—including insights from a recent youth worker conference in Spain—that the best way to attract people is with food and free time activities. We already offer both.

You can follow the daily life of the Szécsény youth house on Facebook and Instagram.