Youth House Karelia (Tacis project)
Funded by Euregio Karelia Neighbourhood Programme 2001-2006

Objective of the project

The purpose of the project was to promote the cross-border cooperation of youth and civic organisations.

Main activities

• to create a non-formal model for environmental education in youth work, which, in addition to the traditional methods, would also apply cultural methods to the environmental education of the youth.

Achievements

The start seminar of the project, planning the operations of the project, was attended by a total of 70 youth workers from both sides of the border. The cooperation with the Finnish youth workers was intense, and 9 out of the 14 accomplished camps during the project were joint operations with the Nuokka project. There were many Finnish partners attending the camps: Joensuu Office of Youth Work, Humak, Pohjois-Karjalan Nuoret Kotkat (“Young Eagles” of North Karelia), Joensuu 4H Association, Pohjois-Karjalan Partiolaiset (North Karelia Scouts Association), School of East Finland, Adult Education Institutes of Vaara-karjala and Joensuu region, Pogosta School from Ilomantsi, Vetävä project of the Myllyprojektiyhdistys Association, Joensuun Kauhojat Paddling Club and the Offices of Youth Work of Lieksa, Eno and Kontiolahti. The young Russians participating in the camping events were from the youth organisations of the Republic of Karelia and the youth centres of the cities of Sortavala, Segeza and Petrozavodsk. There were altogether 764 young people between the ages of 11-20 in the camps; 542 Russians and 222 Finns. The project also organise several other environmentally themed events, such as an environment forum and a youth fair in Petrozavodsk. There was also an environmental and cultural festival organised in Petrozavodsk, consisting of four events, which opened an environmental photo and graffiti competition and organised a theatre event for the young. The young people also cleaned up the environment in all events, both during and after. The festival was attended by 500 youth. The project promoted the environmental knowledge of the young people from the Republic of Karelia and cross-border cooperation. The experiences about the cooperation and environmental education methods were compiled in four brochures, which were distributed to youth workers in Northwest Russia and North Karelia. The project produced 5 audiovisual recordings about the activities of the project and the operations of the ecological youth organisations. The recording has been distributed in Karelia and North Karelia. Additionally, the young people made and produced a TV-programme called "After School" about the activities of the project, which was broadcast weekly on local television in Petrozavodsk. A camping centre for the young was renovated mainly on a voluntary basis near Petrozavodsk and will be used as a venue for nature camps and environmental education seminars as well as accommodation for youth groups. The project opened a total of four Internet centres for the young concentrating on environmental and nature-related matters in Petrozavodsk, Segeza and Sortavala. The centres reached approximately 500 young users per week. The project's homepage: http://eco.karelia.ru.