Daniels is a resident of Riga who calls the Salvation Army Day Centre for Children “Shelter” his second home. As he says, he is a veteran of the centre, because even though he celebrated his 21st birthday in November, he still comes here often to meet his teachers and friends.

Daniels is currently studying at a vocational school, where he has already learnt to be a turner and a locksmith, and is currently studying arc welding. He also attends Riga Reinholds Schmeling Secondary School, where classes are held in the evenings, and now he is in his last year of study.

A social educator from the school told about the Children’s Centre

Daniels says that he still vividly remembers the first day at the children’s centre “Shelter” (Patverums). The school social pedagogue encouraged him to come here because he had noticed how much – and not for the better – the behaviour of a pupil in the first grade had changed. Mum agreed. Daniels remembers sitting there with his head hanging down, but to his surprise, when he looked up, he saw all his friends in the room. The centre was close to home, and no children from the neighbourhood had told me they were coming.

Daniels believes that he has changed a lot – encouraged by his teachers, he has started to take on leadership responsibilities. Later, all his brothers and sister came here too, because they grew up in a family of four children, and the children were of different ages. Daniels recalls that the children were not divided into age groups, but they tried to make sure that everyone was involved – everyone worked together. The centre was open from 9am, but everyone mostly came after school. It used to be quite strict – you had to show your diary, study and then you could play sports or games. If there were children with more rude behaviour, they understood quite quickly that there are rules to follow. In the beginning, there was a system of motivation or points – for both good and bad deeds, which worked well because everyone felt cool in the centre, so they didn’t want to break the rules.

Daniels says that he actively visited the centre until he was officially 18, but even now he comes here often because it is like a second home.

Involves sport and useful leisure activities

The most vivid impressions for Daniels are the many leisure activities – various handicrafts, theatre performances, sports on the sports field of the school next door – all available every day, and with supportive friends during the school holidays when the camps were held. Unlike school clubs, they organise themed weeks, for example in crafts, cooking and life skills.

The board games were particularly exciting, with Latvia being the most popular. Here, record after record was broken, and by the end of the game, they could have played it in five minutes – they already knew the answers to all the questions from half a word. But summers are associated with going swimming regularly here in Riga and longer summer camps in the countryside, like the one in Bernāti, where you could swim in the sea every day. At the same time, it was also useful life experience – sleeping in sleeping bags, doing various household chores. Being away from their parents teaches independence, as well as taking responsibility for the little ones, Daniel concludes.

The Centre’s teachers are an invaluable support for learning and everyday life

Daniels particularly highlights the professionalism of the centre’s tutors, who have been able to help with studies at secondary school level, such as chemistry and physics, but most importantly, they always sense the children’s mood. “We are so close here and it feels like coming home. Here, you’ll tell us how you’ve been, listen to how others have been. Here you can enjoy it, and maybe if you don’t get it in your family, you can get more support here. Without even saying it, the carers will often see that you are upset, put a hand on your shoulder and ask you what’s wrong. Then we go to another room and talk about the situation. Even as an adult, there are situations when you need to talk. It gives you a different perspective. Here you get a like-minded, more experienced opinion,” explains Daniel.

On stage today

The biggest event during the festive season, mostly Christmas and Easter, is the theatre. This year, 18. In December, the small cast of the theatre company, where Daniels has been known for years for his role as the Deer, will return to the stage. There’s also a Princess, a Snowman and a new character this year – Dusty. To feel the magic of the show, Daniels invites you to watch the recordings on YouTube. The Christmas-time play Beyond the Scent of White Roses is staged with a lot of ambition – musicians, sound and professional direction. The children mainly show the performances for their families, but the big performances are well attended – there have even been a hundred or more visitors. Daniels says that the most important thing is that everyone has the opportunity to be involved, and the feeling that comes with the preparation – the rehearsals, the laughter, the time spent together and, of course, at the end, the performance itself and the satisfaction that everything has worked out.

Salvation Army joins hands to help family after fire

Talking to friends, Daniel sees that people know very little about the opportunities and support offered by the Salvation Army. Many people may not think, know or find it difficult to ask for help, perhaps even seeing it as shameful or a sign of weakness. Daniels knows from experience that no one here will look at you with a jaundiced eye – if you are in a difficult situation, come and the experts will find a way to help.

Daniels was convinced of the organisation’s ability to help at a very tragic moment – Daniels’ family had their apartment burnt down due to an electricity short-circuit and could no longer live there. During the day, the whole Salvation Army, with the help of the day-care centre teachers, literally joined hands to help – they brought the washing machine, collected the dishes, prepared the food, helped find a place to move to.

Daniel recalls the morning of the fire – he wanted to watch cartoons and then noticed smoke coming from the next room, where his little sister and brothers were sleeping. By this happy coincidence, they made it through a few days in hospital, but the support they received from their friends was indescribable. Daniels emphasises that it gives a great feeling of security when you know that if something happens, you will have a strong back to support you.

The Salvation Army invites you to donate today for a more valuable tomorrow

We invite you to support the Salvation Army Latvia’s fundraising campaign “Time is Value!”. Peer support in the run-up to the holidays will help organise camps for families with children and provide soup kitchens and other social services for vulnerable people throughout the coming year. You can donate on the organisation’s website www.pestisanasarmija.lv, as well as at the special “Christmas Kettle” campaign locations at supermarkets in Riga and elsewhere in Latvia.