Our past full of achievements

Our organization's history

Take a closer look at how our organization’s inspiring story began!

key facts

For time-savers below, we present the dates and major structural changes that took place in A.C. Patria in history.

  • 1988-1989

    „Actio Catholica Patria“ organizacijos sukūrimas

  • 1991 April 16

    Oficialiai įregistruota Jaunimo organizacija „Actio Catholica Patria“ Teisingumo ministerijoje

  • 1994

    Įkurti „Jaunimo namai“ Kulautuvoje

  • 1993

    "Actio Catholica Patria" įtraukta į bendradarbiavimą kuriant Evangelizacijos centrą

  • 1996

    Sukurta Kauno socialinių nevyriausybinių organizacijų sąjunga (KSNOS)

  • 1996

    Įkurta Kauno jaunimo organizacijų sąjunga „Apskritasis stalas“

  • 1998

    Įkurtas Kauno nevyriausybinių organizacijų paramos centras (toliau - KNOPC)

  • 1996

    Sukurta socialinė programa moksleiviams „Įšok į ratus“ (vykdyta iki 2004 m.)

  • 2004

    Stiprinami ir plėtojami Europos savanorių tarnybos projektai

  • 2005

    Įkurtas atviras jaunimo centras „Vartai“

  • 2007 March 15

    Priimtas sprendimas Jaunimo organizaciją „Actio Catholica Patria“ pertvarkyti į to paties pavadinimo viešąją įstaigą

1988–1989

This organization started operating in 2006, when the student initiative group of Kaunas Medical Institute began to revive the activities of the student medical organization "Patria" which operated in interwar Lithuania. Initiative students wanted to prepare for the work of a doctor, based on Christian and humanistic attitudes. Young people did not want to limit themselves to theoretical knowledge, so they took up practical activities, in other words began to take care of old lonely people - to visit them at home, to transport hot lunches and to provide them with medicines for charity.

Gradually, more and more active young people, not only from the Institute of Medicine, but also from schools and later from Catholic groups, became involved in the activities. The initiative was supported by local and foreign supporters, and the first contacts were established with youth pastoral services from the dioceses of Dresden-Maisen and dioceses of Cologne in Germany.

1991 balandžio 16

The Actio Catholica Patria youth organization was officiallyregistered with the Ministry of Justice.

Partnerships with organizations in Germany not only provided financial support for the care of old single people, but also introduced them to youth activities. The work with the old people was mainly done by young volunteers, todėl buvo imta galvoti, kaip motyvuoti ir palaikyti savanoriaujantį jaunimą. Ieškant darbo su savanoriais formos, partneriai iš Vokietijos pasiūlė susipažinti su Vokietijos katalikiško jaunimo sąjungos (sutrumpintai – BDKJ) įgyvendinama „Jaunimo socialinių metų programa” And try to implement it in Lithuania. With the practical activity and education program and Andrea Mewaldt, a professional youth worker who has come to implement it, systematic non-formal education of youth policy, youth activities and youth is starting in Lithuania.

1994

Volunteers of the Youth Social Year Program took care not only of the elderly people cared for by A.C. Patria, but also worked in other social institutions in Kaunas. They also received experience discussion and self-development seminars. Such educational work required a suitable environment, which the organization itself, with the help of partners from Germany, undertook to create.

In 1994, a new centre began working:"Youth House"In Kulautuva, which could accommodate 28 people for several days: to cook, to use the premises for group work.

It was the first institution dedicated to non-formal education of young people in Lithuania.

1993

In 1993, A.C. Patria responded to Bishop S. Tamkevičius' invitation to cooperate in the development of a Evangelization Center, which would coordinate the activities of Catholic organizations and movements operating in the Kaunas Archdiocese. After discussions and the first attempts at a specific activity, in which A.C. Patria's representative Arūnas Kučikas actively participated, it was decided to focus on youth education and strengthen youth pastoral care and Catholic youth activities. Eventually, the Kaunas Archdiocese Youth Center was created and it gave rise to the establishment of similar centers in other dioceses, most importantly, this center laid the foundations for a systematic approach to youth pastoral care and Catholic youth activities.

1996

A.C. Patria was one of the first organizations operating in the field of social assistance in Kaunas, so cooperation with other social organizations and responsible institutions of the municipality was sought. The model of cooperation between umbrella organizations and the government seen in Germany was an opportunity to implement when Kaunas Municipality became involved in an international social policy improvement project. The social policy and social work professionals from Kent County (United Kingdom), who coordinated the project and presented their experience, recommended that the social organizations operating in Kaunas focus on and create a clear cooperation structure both with each other and with the municipality.

That's how in 1996, Kaunas Union of Social Non-Governmental Organizations (KSNOS)was established and Lina Stankevičienė, one of the leaders of A.C.Patria's organization, became its chairman.

1996

A.C.Patria, with the help of partners and consultants from Germany, initiated the creation of a similar cooperation structure in the space of youth organizations (although attempts have been made to mobilize Kaunas youth organizations before).

In 1996, the Kaunas Union of Youth Organizations"Round Table"was founded, the leadership of which was entrusted to the chairman of A.C. Patria Arūnas Kučikas. The establishment of the Round Table in Kaunas gave a boost to similar organizations in other Lithuanian municipalities. 

1998

In 1998, the Kaunas Non-Governmental Organization Support Center (KNOPC) was established by KSNOS and AS, umbrella organizations operating in the social and youth field. For several years, KNOPC has been active not only in Kaunas, but also in Kaunas region and at the national level. The people who worked for A.C. Patria were concerned not only with the youth and social affairs in which the organization operated, but also with the development of the entire non-governmental sector. In order to encourage the establishment of non-governmental organizations in Kaunas, to strengthen the capacities of various existing NGOs, their mutual cooperation and cooperation with the municipality and the profit sector.

1996-2004

In 1996, a"Jump into Wheels"social program was created for students, which ran until 2004. The goal of this program was to enable students to learn about voluntary social activities by transporting hot lunches to single, poor grandparents cared for by the ACPatria social service. 200–250 students from different Kaunas city schools participated in this program. 

Insufficient funding and difficulties in combining different target groups in one organization led to the discontinuation of support for social services for older single people in 2003. There is only one target group left in the organization - youth.

2004

They have been strengthened and developed European Voluntary Service projectsare being sought to replace short-term forms of volunteering to change the "Jump into Wheels" program, developing international partnerships and participating in international youth exchanges. For active, disadvantaged and unorganized young people, volunteering was not an attractive and appropriate form. Therefore, the search for other forms of youth work began. One of the most suitable in Lithuania was a completely new idea of ​​"Open Work"with young people.

After concentrating the resources of the organization in 2005, it was decided to establish an open youth center "Vartai".

2007

At this stage in the development of the organization, it have become very clear that it is impossible to ensure the continuity and quality of the activities carried out when they are organized and implemented by volunteers alone. So a lot of effort has been put into creating and maintaining jobs for professionals. Transition from volunteers to paid staff was a big challenge for the whole organization - we had to review the structure of the organization: positions, internal communication, decision-making, the order of activities.  

With the development of A.C. Patria's activities and services, it became clear that the main goal of the organization is not to attract as many young people as possible to members and organize activities for them, but to provide services for every young person. Therefore, on 15 March 2007, the General Meeting of Members decided to transform the Youth Organization Actio Catholica Patria into a public institution of the same name.