Dovilė Vainorė on Youth Support in Regions: Helping Others is the Best Way to Reduce Exclusion
Photo by Aldona Katilienė
“University is the place where we make one of our first choices as adults—out of a plethora of options, we choose what is the most important, while simultaneously learning to take responsibility for our actions. It is wrong to assume that the knowledge and experiences you acquire during studies have to immediately provide you with specific benefit. Perhaps it will help you develop a new hobby or get acquainted with interesting people whom you’ll meet again at a later stage of your career, which in turn will open up even wider professional opportunities”, Dovilė Vainorė, co-founder and head of the nongovernmental organisation Om-lėtai, says.
She explains that the knowledge of sociology she gained while studying at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), as well as the environment there, helped her clarify the direction of her future career. According to Dovilė, an education based on the principles of liberal arts (artes liberales) does not just help one become a more interesting conversationalist but also integrates well into various activities she pursues.
The teachers gave important life lessons too
“When I was still in school, I realized that I’m most interested in social sciences and the humanities. Thus, in the 10th grade, I started considering psychology studies. However, when I was filling out my university application, I was drawn to the joint Psychology-Sociology study program that was available at the time. It stood out because, for the first two years, you are taught subjects of both fields, and later on, you can choose which direction you prefer. So, even though I’d spent a long time thinking about psychology studies, I realized at the end of my first year that sociology was closer to my interests”, Dovilė notes.
At the start of her studies, she remembers frequently facing the question of what she would actually do after graduating sociology. However, the practical assignments during lectures helped Dovilė get closely acquainted with various research conducted in this field. “This allowed the students to narrow down the job position that would meet their needs. I myself recognised that I prefer to have a face-to-face conversation with people, to hear somebody’s story”, Dovilė elaborates. Professionally she has tried out her hand both in the field of personnel as well as nongovernmental organisations.
Discussing what she had found most memorable and impressive at the university, Dovilė highlights its teachers.
“They were able to teach us, young people, while maintaining friendliness, but also preventing the boundary into over-familiarity from being crossed. As a student, this helped me to see that they are authority figures: people with experience who can make jokes and share personal experiences during lectures. I remember that one teacher addressed us as “colleagues” during lectures; once, a student addressed the teacher using the same term while making a point in a discussion, but it didn’t come across in the best tone.
Then, the teacher explained the difference beautifully, why she can “promote” us to colleagues while addressing us, but we do not yet have the power to address her in the same way. This helped me see that, for instance, if you do not fully comprehend the environment that you are in, you risk ending up in an uncomfortable situation”, Dovilė recalls the life lessons she received from her teachers.
Helping others gives meaning to work
VMU graduate points out that the preferred direction for her career became clear during the third year of bachelor studies. At that time, she became interested in the sociology of deviance and the areas that explore exclusion, when one social group is in the position of power, while others are in need.
“While examining these “invisible” groups, I started looking for one that was still largely overlooked by society. This was how I became interested in the fates of incarcerated women raising children in prison. For my bachelor thesis, I conducted interviews at the Panevėžys Women’s Correctional Facility. I was incredibly intrigued by how it was at all possible to raise children in such a place, what challenges the women faced, and what the regulations and restrictions were prevalent there”, Dovilė remembers her first experiences.
Her interest in the needs and survival strategies of a closed-off community which lived literally behind a fence encouraged Dovilė to pursue a master’s degree in applied sociology at VMU. During her studies, she completed an internship at Pravieniškės Correctional Facility and later at the Kaunas Remand Prison. After graduation, she received a job offer from the latter. This is how, later on, her interest in marginalised social groups brought Dovilė to the National Association against Trafficking in Human Beings.
“After studies, I had a go at working in human resources, but eventually I returned to working with marginalised groups. However, while interacting with victims of human trafficking—men, women, and children—I realized that I was absorbing their experiences too emotionally, which would make me a poor social worker. So, I chose the preventive side of this work—as I explored the reasons why people become victims, I saw that it is crucial to provide them with as much information as possible, so that they would not end up in such situations”, Dovilė explains.
Even though she no longer works at the organisation, she continues spreading awareness about this pressing issue by helping regional NGOs and specialists recognise the causes of human trafficking and develop preventive measures for schools and municipalities.
Dovilė Vainorė (second from the left) with colleagues from Varėna (photo from personal archive)
“We work directly with young people, engaging in conversations and looking for ways to share information with people of different ages in a manner that would not frighten them too much. I chose a career path that allows me to not just be active in this field but also contribute according to my skills and competencies. Here, I combine the skills I’d gained during studies—the analytical ability to understand the cultural and social aspects that influence people’s choices and the ability to analyse a problem and propose the best possible solutions, while leaving the final choice to the individual”, Dovilė states.
She says she has found her purpose in helping young people in regional areas develop various initiatives and projects. To further this goal, she established her own non-governmental organisation, Om-lėtai.
“I’ve always been fascinated by life in the regions—the places that have no large international companies but full of incredibly interesting people who have their own concerns, joys, and problems, and organise beautiful cultural events.
I believe that helping these people implement their ideas is the best way to prevent exclusion. While some say that regions are declining and that unemployment is prevalent there, I eagerly get involved in new activities. I’m happy to be useful and support people who are making, producing or cultivating something”, explains Dovilė, co-founder and head of an organisation that was born out of a desire to provide more opportunities and spaces for youth in the regions.
The Importance of Responsible Choice
Dovilė’s activities are incredibly diverse, but, in her view, they come together nicely into a cohesive whole.
“I think that I could not live with just one task. Moreover, each of the projects that I’m working on requires different competencies. In order to implement a project, you need to be able to determine its plan and budget, have a sense of who needs what, and have the courage to seek help. This isn’t about becoming “a one-man band” but rather the ability to understand different things. I’m glad that I had the opportunity to learn all of that at the university. The multifaceted nature of different disciplines, the broad perspective that you are provided with, and the possibility to choose freely—in my opinion, all of that truly helps you to better understand your true self. Often, we associate freedom with chaos or with rejection of a system, but to me, freedom of choice is connected to responsibility”, Dovilė claims.
She believes that university is precisely the place that reflects a combination of freedom and responsibility and teaches young people to understand and accept the consequences of their actions. “I am glad that the university’s environment taught me this. The actions that each of us do will determine how you will construct your future: whether you will go towards opportunities or exclusion. This mix of freedom of responsibility is highly important to me because when we start talking about responsibility, people often get angry and think that their freedom is being restricted, but that is not true”, VMU graduate notes.
According to Dovilė, when providing young people with the freedom of choice, it is important to not just encourage them to use it responsibly but also to remember to support them in this complex process of choosing a career.
“In my final years of high school, what I most needed were peace and assurance that, no matter what decision I made, everything would be okay. Just a nudge forward and support. Not through criticism, though I did not face any, but rather assurance and encouragement to choose what was relevant to me. There’s a belief prevalent in our culture that if something does not go according to the original plan or if someone changes their mind, others will criticize them. But a single choice doesn’t define anything, because maybe it will be followed by a better one. Perhaps the first choice is just a stepping stone? After all, everything is up to each of us”, Dovilė concludes, offering words of encouragement to young people.
