Cross-border Citizen Scientists (SE425)
Funded by South-East Finland - Russia ENPI 2007-2013

Objective of the project

The overall objective of the project was to promote active cross-border citizenship and people-to-people links in the cross-border area of Southeast Finland and Northwest Russia.

Main activities

- Collect a Finnish-Russian group of students (comprehensive school level) from one Finnish school and one Russian school to be trained into “Citizen Scientists”, experts of their own cross-border area. - Explore themes that have high relevance to their own cross-border surroundings (environment, joint history, business and mental borders) with the help of scientific methods of collecting, analyzing and disseminating information.

Achievements

The Cross-Border Citizen Scientists project provided science education to a group of twelve Finnish and Russian schoolchildren. The project lasted two-and-a-half years and included a preparation and kick-off period, four study periods with different themes (environment, history, business and mental borders) and a closing period. The project was successfully completed with a total of 960 student contacts and a group of teachers and researchers. A concrete output of the project was the publication of the Cross-Border Citizen Project Manual along with lecture and seminar materials. Results of the project will be further exploited in the Borders or No Borders (RajatOn, funded by the Finnish Ministry of Culture and Education) project implemented by the University of Turku and Lappeenranta University of Technology during 2014-2015.