Nuokka – Environment and Cultural Project of the Karelian Youth (Youth House Karelia)
Funded by Euregio Karelia Neighbourhood Programme 2001-2006

Objective of the project

The purpose of the project was to increase the environmental knowledge of young people in North Karelia and the Republic of Karelia through mutual nature and cultural camps, meetings and pursuit events and to promote young people's cultural cross-border cooperation.

Main activities

• to develop youth work by giving youth instructors in North Karelia and the Republic of Karelia the opportunity to exchange information and experiences as well as transfer and develop working models and methods. • to increase cross-border cooperation and the networking of such youth influence groups as youth councils, organisations and associations.

Achievements

During the project, 18 environmentally themed nature and experience camps and 11 camps themed around manual skills and culture were organised in Finland and Russia. The content of the camps varied from wilderness skills to paddling and from recycling to manual skills; all activities considered environmental issues as well. The participants were young people involved in open youth work, school pupils and young people from various organisations. Environmental issues were approached in the camps through practice, games and play. The instructors varied the methods of environmental education in the camps. The project also included cross-border cooperation in theatre activities, including Ilomantsi Institute of Adult Education, Joensuu Region Institute of Adult Education, Russian Rostok Theatre, Russian Cellar Theatre respective to the Joensuu Student Theatre. The project also organised photo competitions, band events and nature club activities for the young people. The projects web pages http://www.nuokka.fi contained plenty of image material and travel journals from the youth camps, and the pages will also be an information channel for future trips. The pages were implemented as based on the Uusi Yhteys pages of the Interreg III A Karelia project. The four environmental seminars organised by the project were attended by the representatives of almost all partners. The themes varied from negotiations about the implementation of cooperation to methods of environmental education and general exchange of experiences about the state of the environment. The development of civic organisation activities was highly successful: all operators found a Russian partner. The project organised altogether 49 camps, seminars and events, with a total of 1213 participants. There were 10 distinct partnerships in Finland realized between various youth operators. The project increased not only activities and partnerships across the border but also regional youth work. The simultaneous Youth House Karelia Tacis project enabled more intense cooperation, which included more joint events. The project increased young people's interest in the Russian language, culture and environment, reducing prejudices and increasing the opportunities for cross-border cooperation.