Our association's story

• The first president of our association was Anikó Reindl, who herself had been part of the work of the VDÖK. • This year our most important programme was organising the City Student Days, which included a sports day, a culture day and a "student party". • The 2nd Vekeri Lake Camp also took place, where besides team building we had the chance to evaluate the year and plan the next period. Even then we paid great attention to such community and planning occasions.

• Our other special event was called "Where We Are Heading – Europe", where quizzes, exhibitions and talks awaited participants. • This was the year we opened our doors to primary school students too. • We had the chance to attend the summer youth conference organised by EFYSO (European Federation of Youth Service Organisation) in Poland. • Perhaps the most important event of the year was that in Berettyóújfalu, during the Eötvös Days, HABIDISZ (the Association of Student Councils of Hajdú-Bihar County) was founded. • HABIDISZ was active already in its first year: we carried out the first Summer Youth Festival, NYIF for short, a programme series involving 6 settlements. During NYIF we generally organised events on several days of the last week of the school year in different settlements. At the venues the local school student councils came up with and carried out the programmes with the help of HABIDISZ and the Association, always based on local needs.

• We carried out our usual NYIF programme series together with the MAKOSZ team. • The 2nd DIA days also took place, again in Budapest, where we volunteered all day at a children's home. • Our organisation ran a one-week camp at the Zsuzsi train in Debrecen, during which we renovated the narrow-gauge railway and its surroundings. • Our first Charity Gala Evening took place, with the proceeds of which we supported the little residents of Reménysugár in Debrecen. Before the Gala we also visited them in person and spent a wonderful afternoon together with lots of games and laughter. • The team created a new dance, this time to the music of the film Dirty Dancing.

• We hosted several regional, area and county trainings, where young people could think and act together, and even volunteer at an animal shelter. • From this year our Association took on the mailing and poster-sending preparation of the KÖZÖD! programme, one of the biggest programmes of our partner DIA at the time. In this we prepared envelopes for posting for several hundred institutions across the country. • We organised one of our biggest children's programmes, Youth Day (Fiatalok Napja) in Debrecen, at the Kölcsey Centre. During the day not only crafts and performances took centre stage, but we also ran a Free Smile Campaign, since we believe in the power of a smile. On this occasion, with the participants, we also made a picture of a smile formed from people, which remains important to us to this day. • We launched an in-house training called "Then and Now", in which we trained our volunteers, each time on a different topic. • We also took a huge step forward internationally: we organised our own EFYSO (European Federation of Youth Service Organisation) summer conference. Lots of foreign young people, a huge buzz and a meeting of cultures characterised this programme. With the participants we visited Hortobágy, where they got to know archery and folk dance, and we also got to Eger. • This year the Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County Children's and Youth Council, SZSZBGYIÖK for short, was founded, with the aim that the young people of this county too could create wonders together.

• KÖZ-Pont Youth Association continued its persistent and value-creating work as a regional youth civil organisation, founded on many years of professional experience in youth work and events for young people. • The Debrecen Civilians volunteer programme kept expanding, to the point that up to 8–10 events took place in a month. • Our Association was again asked to prepare the envelopes of the KÖZÖD programme. • This year we carried out many youth and sports programmes. We also launched several events that became traditions for us over the years. These included the 3 Tusa Torna, where teams of three competed in three categories: running, cycling and a quiz competition. • Among our key programmes was organising the County Sports Days in both Nyíregyháza and Debrecen. Primary and secondary school teams could measure their skills in football, volleyball and basketball. • The Run in the Light! Sports and Family Day and the Charity Gala Evening took place again, and after a longer break the Summer Youth Festival was revived too.

• Our young people took part in several youth exchanges internationally, and our first EVS (European Volunteer Service) volunteer hosting also took place. The point of the programme was that we could host young people aged 18–30 at our Association, who helped our day-to-day work as volunteers. Our first volunteer helped with advertising the programme and organising our programmes. The programme provided, among other things, housing, board and travel for them. • We organised the TÓFESZT Volunteer Festival for the first time, a five-day programme. Each day was split into three parts: in the mornings participants joined various volunteer activities, for example at an animal shelter, a children's playhouse for small children from a children's home, the Free Smile Campaign or fence painting. The afternoons were about film clubs, talks and interesting conversations, while evenings were for entertainment and getting to know each other: with a folk dance house, a campfire and swimming. • One of the great moments of the year was opening our first community space in Nyíregyháza, on the first floor of Nyír Plaza. The space was named Community FACEs Youth Office and Community Space. Our team carried out almost all the renovation work: together we beautified, shaped and formed it to our own taste. From then on the SZSZBGYIÖK team also had a place to nestle in. • We made a giant board game that guided those interested into the topic of volunteering. The game worked on the basis of a well-known board game, and one of its main components was communication. • Our Debrecen Civilians Volunteer Programme kept going too: countless activities and a great many volunteers helped our work and that of our partner organisations. This year we received another important confirmation and recognition: after the previous year's county award we also won the Volunteer Programme of the Year award at national level. • We again organised the Run in the Light! Sports and Family Day, which this year too attracted a great many young people and interested visitors to downtown Nyíregyháza. • Our Charity Gala Evening took place again, which was also the first event of the Association's 10th-birthday event series. This year too we presented our Snail Award at this event. • Yes, this year our Association also celebrated its 10th birthday. This gave us a chance to pause, look back on our past and reminisce. We organised several events on this occasion, but the birthday celebration itself stood out among them all.