The project

Applicant:

• The City of Joensuu. Culture, Sport and Youth Services, Youth Department

Partners:

• City Administration of Petrozavodsk, Youth Department
• Union of Children and Youth Organizations of Karelia (SDM)
• Administration of Sortavala municipal district
• Administration of Segezha municipal district

The project is funded by the European Union, Euregio Karelia Neighbourhood Programme (Tacis funding).

The project is linked to the Interreg project “Nuokka”.

Duration of the “Youth House Karelia” project is 1 year and the period of implementation is March 2007 – March 2008.

Youth House Karelia is a joint youth work project of cities, municipalities and youth organizations in North Karelia, Finland and Republic of Karelia, Russia. The applicant of the project is Youth Department of the City of Joensuu. The partners in Russia are Youth Department of Petrozavodsk City Administration, NGO Union of children and youth organizations of Karelia (SDM), Administration of Segezha municipal district and Administration of Sortavala municipal district.

In the project activities will be involved the Cities of Joensuu and Lieksa, municipalities of Ilomantsi, Eno, Kontiolahti and Pyhäselkä (North Karelia, Finland) and the Cities of Petrozavodsk, Sortavala and Segezha (Republic of Karelia, Russia). Not less than 70 youth NGOs, institutions and groups will be involved in the project activities.

The aim of the project is to create a system of non-formal youth ecological education in the sphere of youth work in the Republic of Karelia.

A Network of youth groups, institutions and organizations aimed at environmental education of youth will be created. Partner relations between youth NGOs and other youth institutions, working in the sphere of environmental education of youth in the region will be established. Creating web site and opening youth ecological networking centres will develop information exchange between youth groups working on ecology background. Action plan of the Network for 2008-2010 will be elaborated.

Environmental youth activities in the system of youth work will be expanded. Partner ecological projects of youth groups and organizations from both sides of border will be implemented, including 10 ecological youth camps. Youth leaders will be trained in methods of organizing youth ecological activities. Experience of using active methods for ecological education of youth will be summarized, presented in brochures and disseminated during Youth Ecological Forum.

Cultural methods of environmental education of youth will be tested. Youth cultural festival and 2 cultural workshops ”Youth culture – ecological culture” will be organized. Ecologic actions with wide participation of young people will be organized during these events. Monitoring of effectiveness of cultural methods of youth environmental education will be implemented, results and methods will be summarized in special brochure.

Objectives:

1. Creating a Network of youth groups, institutions and organizations aimed at environmental education of youth.

During the project youth NGOs and other youth institutions, working in the sphere of environmental education of youth, will find cross-border partners and begin participating in information exchange. As a result there will be created a Network of youth groups, institutions and organizations aimed for environment education of youth.

Concrete actions in the framework of this objective are:

• contact-making seminars for youth leaders from Russia and Finland;
• creating youth ecological networking centres in Petrozavodsk, Segezha and Sortavala;
• teaching youth ecological groups and organizations using new information technologies;
• creating web-site ”Youth House Karelia” including materials about environmental youth activities in Karelia prepared by youth groups themselves;
• communication between youth ecological groups by Internet;
• developing Action plan of the Network for 2008-2010 at the end of the project.

2. Developing environmental youth activities in the system of youth work.

Youth groups and organizations from both sides of border working on ecology background will implement partner ecologic projects. In these projects young people will try to improve ecology situation in Karelia by their own efforts. These projects will be aimed at practical nature protection (ex cleaning shores of lakes and rivers) and promoting ecological knowledge among youth (ex creating of web-resources and TV films). Experience of using active methods for ecological education of youth will be summarized, presented in brochures and disseminated during Youth Ecological Forum.

Concrete actions in the framework of this objective are:

• ecology camps, visits, actions;
• teaching youth leaders methods of organizing youth ecological activities;
• Youth Ecological Forum;
• publishing methodical brochures.

3. Testing cultural methods of environmental education of youth.

Young people will get understanding of importance of ecological behaviour during series of special events in the sphere of youth culture. Participating in youth cultural actions on environmental background, young people will study basic ecological skills. Leaders of youth culture, such as rock-musicians, will promote ecological values to youth culture. As a result young people will improve their behaviour in the sphere of ecology, so that youth culture becomes more ecological culture.

Concrete actions in the framework of this objective are:

• cultural festival “Youth culture – ecological culture”;
• 2 cultural workshops on ecologic background in Sortavala and Segezha;
• organizing ecologic actions during these festivals and workshops with wide participation of young people;
• monitoring of effectiveness of cultural methods of youth environmental education.

Project activities:

Objective 1. Creating a Network of youth groups, institutions and organizations aimed at environmental education of youth.

Activity 1. Starting conference in Joensuu

Not less than 30 representatives from Russia will take part in the conference. They will be leaders of youth NGOs, specialists from youth centres and Youth Departments of the Cities of Petrozavodsk, Sortavala, and Segezha. Not less than 30 participants from Finland also will take part in the conference. The conference will be held in Joensuu for 2 days.

The conference’s participants will be familiarized with the plan of the Project. New participants of youth cooperation will be introduced to each other and will get acquainted with the activities of each other’s organizations. Questions of creating a Network of environmental education of youth will be discussed; additional activities to action plan will be developed.

Work of thematic groups will be organized at the conference. Organizations will discuss cooperation in specific spheres of youth ecological education and find partners. Each of the youth leaders will make out a scheme for the participation of his organization in the Project. Plan of youth ecological camps and visits will be developed. These camps and visits will be organized during the project implementation.

Additionally, system of youth work in the sphere of ecology in Joensuu will be presented to Russian participants. Excursions will be organized for Russian youth leaders to visit youth organizations and institutions of Joensuu.

Activity 2. Opening youth ecological networking centers

Youth ecological networking centers will begin working in the City of Petrozavodsk, Segezha and Sortavala municipal districts: 2 centers in Petrozavodsk, 1 center in Segezha and 1 center in Sortavala.

In the youth ecological networking centers, youth groups will be instructed in new information technologies, prepare materials for the web-site of the project, and participate in information exchange with their partners in the Project. To help them, there will be guidance in working in the electronic network, technical help in preparing materials for the electronic network, e-mail facilities, help in translation of messages and materials.

Thanks to youth ecological networking centers, youth cross-border communication on ecology background will be promoted. Youth groups will discuss with their cross-border partners by Internet plans of visit, camps, seminars, exchange plans and news and develop constant partner relations.

Youth ecological networking centers will also give to all young people free access to the web site of the project and other youth Internet-resources in the sphere of ecology.

In the youth ecological networking centers not less than 800 young people will be educated at the short-term courses for users and study computer skills. Not less than 3000 young people will use services of the youth ecological networking centers. It will promote information society development.

In Petrozavodsk one of the ecological networking centers will be located in the centre of the City, another one – in outskirts. It will allow giving the youth equal opportunity irrespective of their district. In each of the youth ecological networking centers 9 places for users will be created and provided with high-speed Internet connection. The Internet-centres will be created on the territory of municipal institutions, working with youth, which are governed by the City Administration of Petrozavodsk.

In Sortavala municipal district the ecological networking center will be opened in the municipal institution of children supplementary education “Children ecology and biology center”. The center is ready to give premises and specialist for organizing work of the youth ecological networking center. There will be 4 places for users with Internet-connection.

In Segezha municipal district the ecological networking center will be opened in school no 6. This school is actively developing programs of youth ecological education. An ecological center is working in the school. The school is ready to give premises and specialist for organizing work of the youth ecological networking center. There will be 4 places for users with Internet-connection.

The youth ecological networking centers will be used for developing non-formal youth ecological education and youth ecological activities based on IT.

Basing on the youth ecological networking centers the following actions on environmental education of youth will be organized during the project period and after the project ends:

• Youth ecological groups will communicate with each other by Internet, develop perspectives of common activities, planning common actions, meetings, camps and other events, and exchange best practices of environmental education of youth;
• Youth ecological groups will summarize their experience in the sphere of non-formal youth ecological education and publish these materials on the project web-site;
• Youth ecological groups will create and regularly update there web-pages on the web-site “Youth House Karelia”, so information about their activities will be available to Karelian youth;
• Young people will study materials about work of another youth ecological groups, published on the project web-site;
• Youth ecological groups will prepare multimedia presentations and videos, which will be used in their activities in the sphere of youth ecological education;
• Youth groups will prepare booklets and other information materials for their activities in the sphere of environmental education of youth;
• Basing on the youth ecological networking centers there will be seminars, meetings, workshops organized, so it will promote more professional work of youth leaders in the sphere of youth ecological education.

The main idea of the youth ecological networking centers is to expand information resource of youth ecological groups. There is a lot of youth clubs and organizations working in the sphere of youth ecological education. But their methods of work are not well-known because they don’t use new information technologies, besides they are working separately. Creating youth ecological networking centers will allow them to summarize and present their methods, find partners and exchange the best practices. Other youth organizations and clubs which are not professional in youth environmental education will get access to these methods and use them in their work with youth.

Activity 3. Web site “Youth House Karelia” opening

Web- site “Youth house Karelia” will be opened. This web site will work as information resource of the Network of environmental education of youth, which is created during the project.

The site will feature materials about environmental youth activities in Karelia. Also there will be materials about the Project. These materials will be available in Finnish and Russian, and in English, too. The site will promote communication among Karelian youth on both sides of the border on environmental background.

Youth groups themselves will develop web-site information. After ecological camps, visits, actions and other project events youth groups will prepare materials for the web-site, using their own texts, pictures and video. This work will be organized in youth ecological networking centers (see activity 2).

The project web site will promote partner making process and studying nature of Karelia. Finally, it will influence on youth ecological activities development in Karelia, cross-border communication and mutual understanding among youth.

Objective 2. Developing environmental youth activities in the system of youth work

Activity 4. Youth ecological camps

Series of ecological camps in North Karelia and in the Republic of Karelia will be organized. The partners for these camps will be searched during the starting conference (see activity 1). The themes of these camps are fishing and adventure, for example wandering, trips, orienteering, canoeing, nature knowledge and teaching to youth the skills for surviving in forest. Also there will be such themes as circulation, sustainable development, nature protection, for example planning the garbage disposal of camp center and also use benefit the terrain (ground) when keeping these camps (nature protection).

In these camps youth discuss environment problems, consuming, ecological alternatives, using energy so which load nature less, traffic pollution, pollution, and how everybody can affect positive way to the environment by own choices and actions. In these camps youth will practise sustainable development and circulation by their own actions; in these visits and camps won’t be able to use disposable dishes, will be able to circulation clothes and things and try to buy food from local producers. In the part of these camps youth will be able to get to know the multiple and richness of the nature; plants, animals, care for animals, pick up trashes, tidy the environment. In the project is possible to arrange some education for nature and adventure skills to youth leaders, for example nature protection. The youth leaders of the cities and youth organizations are able to teach each other’s. 

It’s important that the camps will be a good school of cooperation between Russian and Finnish youth ecological groups. This experience will promote youth cross-border cooperation in long-term perspective.

• During the project period not less than 10 ecological camps will be held.

Activity 5. Opening Youth Visit Center

Now visits of Finnish youth groups to Karelia face different problems. One of the problems is accommodation of youth groups. There is no youth camping center near Petrozavodsk, which can be regularly used for youth ecological camps.

For solving this problem Youth Visit center will be created. This center will be used for accommodation of youth groups all-the-year-round free of charge. So cross-border visits and camps become cheaper because youth groups can live there without payment and use visit-center when it is necessary.

The center will be integrated into the system of youth ecological education. There will be organized the following activities basing on the visit-center:

• Youth ecological camps;
• Youth ecological trips, excursions and journeys, other forms of youth ecological activities;
• Seminars on youth environmental education for leaders of youth groups and organizations;
• Free accommodation of partner youth groups coming to actions and events in the sphere of youth environmental education.

The center will be used on a free basis by youth ecological groups. The center will be used during all-the-year-round.

After the project Visit-center will continue give accommodation for youth groups visits. Creating of the Visit-center is of great value for sustainability of the project results. Youth groups will use it for the future ecological camps and actions. As it will be not necessary for them to rent any camping center on commercial basis, these actions will be cheap. So it will be possible for youth groups to organize such actions even by own resources.

After the project ends the Visit-center is supported by resources of Municipal institution of children supplementary education “Children and Youth center of Petrozavodsk”.

Activity 6. Youth Ecological Forum

Youth EcologicalForum will be the most valuable event of the project. Representatives of youth institutions participating in the project will be presented at the Forum. During the Forum youth leaders will get opportunity to exchange best practices tested within the project. Perspectives of long-term cooperation between participating organizations of North Karelia and Republic of Karelia will be elaborated. Also important issue is that the project will be widely presented to the citizens of Petrozavodsk, mass media, authorities, NGOs leaders, specialists on youth policy of Karelia etc.

The Youth EcologicalForum will continue for 2 days. Not less than 200 representatives of youth NGOs and youth centres of Karelia will take part in the Forum, not less than 20 representatives from Finland, not less than 30 specialists on the youth policy from Karelia and North-West of Russia, not less than 5000 visitors of the Youth Fair – citizens of Petrozavodsk.

Within the Forum the following activities will be organized

• Seminar for youth workers, aimed on new methods of non-formal youth ecological education exchanging, the intermediate project results discussing and long-term cooperation perspectives elaborating;
• Youth Fair – exhibition of youth ecological activities and projects (see details below);
• Youth discussions on environmental protection;
• Stage programme on ecology background prepared by youth creative groups.

Youth Fair has been held in Petrozavodsk every year since 2000. Attending the Fair citizens have an opportunity to learn different fields of youth activities. Youth organizations present their activities on the stands, show multimedia presentations of their projects and movies, invite young people to join their activities. The average number of citizens coming to the Fair is about 5000 people. This form was taken from Finnish partners’ experience and shown its effectiveness in Russian conditions.

The specifics of the planned Youth Fair is that it will be a thematic event focused on youth ecological education. Youth organizations and groups will present their ecological projects and activities and results of their participation in the project.

So the selection criteria are:

• Relevance to the item of youth ecological education;
• Participation in the previous project activities.

Plans of further development of activities having begun during the Project will be elaborated. During the seminar Action plan of the Network of environmental education of youth for 2008-2010 will be approved.

Activity 7. Publishing brochures

New active methods of youth environmental education will be summarized in 4 brochures:

• Brochure “Youth House Karelia” project – experience of youth ecological cross-border cooperation development” – this brochure will cover project actions and results, contain narrative report on project results. This brochure will be useful for youth leaders and other managers, which are aimed on youth cross-border ecological cooperation development;
• Reference book “Karelian Network of youth environmental education: who is who” – this brochure will contain information about youth organizations and groups of Karelia and North Karelia, working in the sphere of youth ecological activities;
• Brochure “Active methods of youth environmental education” – this brochure will cover new methods of ecological education tested during the projects. Brochure will contain description of these methods and materials about their effectiveness;
• Brochure “Youth culture – ecology culture” – this brochure will cover experience of cultural methods of youth ecological education tested during the project. There also will be materials developed by young people themselves (posters, slogans etc), which could be used in ecological education of youth.

The brochures are important in dissemination of project results. They will be published each in 1000 copies and disseminated to NGOs, municipalities, youth specialists of North Karelia and North-West of Russia.

Objective 3. Testing cultural methods of environmental education of youth

Activity 8. Cultural festival ”Youth culture – ecological culture”

A youth cultural festival will be organized. Participating in youth cultural festival on environmental background, young people will study basic ecological skills. Leaders of youth culture, such as rock-musicians, will promote ecological values to youth culture.

“Leaders of youth culture” are people popular among youth on the local level. These are such people as local rock-, rap-, folk- musicians, break-dancers etc. Youth department of Petrozavodsk and specialists on youth work of Sortavala and Segezha district administrations are constantly working with non-formal youth movements. Youth events in the sphere of non-formal culture are organized annually. So these “leaders of youth culture” are ready to support our project, they’ll participate in the cultural festival and promote ecological values among youth.

As a result young people will improve their behavior in the sphere of ecology, so that youth culture becomes more ecological culture.

Youth cultural festival will be organized by Youth Centre of Petrozavodsk. Different groups form Republic of Karelia and North Karelia will take part in the festival.

During the festival ecologic actions with wide participation of young people will be organized. Young people will draw posters, make slogans, clean areas near festival place etc. Youth ecology groups will teach young people skills of ecological behavior.

Questionnaires on the festival results will show effectiveness of cultural actions in promoting ecological behavior among youth. 

Activity 9. Cultural workshops ”Youth culture – ecological culture”

2 youth cultural workshops on environmental background will be organized in Segezha and Sortavala districts. Their topics are such as art, theatre, handicrafts, music, folk traditions on environment background. Partners in these workshops will be cultural and ecologic youth organizations and groups.

During the workshops ecologic actions with wide participation of young people will be organized. Young people will draw posters, make slogans, clean areas of cultural places etc. Questionnaires on the visits’ and seminars’ results will show effectiveness of cultural methods in promoting ecological behavior among youth. 

Activity 10. Producing TV-films

5 TV films covering the project and presenting project results will be produced. The films will be devoted to such actions of the project as:

• Cultural festivals
• Ecological camps
• Youth Ecological Forum

TV films are very effective method of ecologic education. Besides TV films are important in dissemination of project results. People will get information about the project, can participate in its activities and use resources created by the project.

Besides there will be produced not less than 3 TV films by youth themselves. These films will cover ecologic youth camps and will spread ecological knowledge among youth. Filming will be made by digital video cameras, which youth ecological networking centers are equipped by. Filmmaking process will be organized on computers of youth ecological networking centers. Consulting in this process will be given by Petrozavodsk organization Youth Union “Doroga”, which is producing own TV program for local TV during 3 years.

The TV films will be collected and disseminated on a special DVD disk in 1000 copies. Also these videos will be given to the local TV companies in Petrozavodsk, Segezha and Sortavala for free using in their News and other programs.

Project’s plan-schedule 

Contacts:

Denis Rogatkin, project coordinator, chairman of the Union of children and youth organizations of Karelia
Phone +7911 4365155; 774680; 525156.
E-mail: doroga@karelia.ru