The Estonian Worldwide Youth Network (ÜENV) is organising an online course on digital archiving for Global Estonians on 24 October and 7 November 2026 (25 October and 8 November in Australia). This course will be held in Estonian.
Anyone who has ever helped sort through an Estonian society’s archives, or inherited a collection of family photographs and documents, will know that preserving history isn’t always straightforward. What should we keep? How should we organise it? And how can we make sure future generations will be able to find and understand what we’ve saved?
The Estonian Worldwide Youth Network (Ülemaailmne Eesti Noortevõrgustik, ÜENV) is offering a two-part online course exploring how to collect, organise, digitise and preserve the cultural heritage of Estonians living outside Estonia. Participants will learn practical approaches to looking after photographs, documents, videos, audio recordings and personal memories.
The course will also introduce existing Estonian diaspora archives, collections and digital databases, helping participants understand what resources are already available and how their own collections might fit into the bigger picture. Importantly, this isn’t just a course about theory. Practical exercises will give participants an opportunity to apply what they learn to their own family, organisation or community archives.
Event details
📅 Dates: 24 October and 7 November 2026 (25 October and 8 November in Australia)
🕐 Time: 1.00 am Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra time on 25 October (first session), 2.00 am Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra time on 8 November (second session)
📍 Location: Online via Zoom
🌍 Language: Estonian
🔗 Registration link here
Why does this matter?
Across Australia, Estonian societies and community organisations hold decades of history — sometimes carefully catalogued, sometimes tucked away in cupboards, boxes and filing cabinets. These collections tell stories of the people who built our communities, the events they organised and the traditions they carried with them from Estonia. They hold some of the puzzle pieces that help us understand where we came from and who we are.
However, preserving that history involves more than simply keeping everything. Knowing what is historically significant, how to document it and how to make it accessible to future generations requires knowledge and sometimes difficult decisions.
About the organisers
The Estonian Worldwide Youth Network (ÜENV) connects young Estonians around the world, represent their interests and helps them maintain ties with Estonia. The organisation brings together young people from different countries through networking, educational activities and collaborative projects. Among its initiatives is a youth delegate program, launched in 2026, which connects young Estonians with one another and their local communities.
