Contact making tour...

Finally a bit time to update.... Time after RAB Murmansk has been running out really quickly partly because of spring holiday and partly because of everything at work. May is as always busy month with summer activities planning and all.

But at first after holiday I started from the same which was on table in Murmansk. One part of Connecting Young Barents -Project has been an effort to create new contacts. During Rajarock 2013 in Tornio we already had a contact making session at Aineen Taidemuseo. For the same reason we invited in January our Mr Pink and Huset youngsters to make presentations at Lapland Youth Forum in Sajos Center Inari to youth parliament members from different municipalities. That was the one reason to have Laura from youth theatre Narri Helsinki with us in Murmansk and so on...

In fact we tried to organize this kind of event for non-governmental youthorganizations in Rovaniemi already an year ago. That time we had to cancel because of stupid visaproblems.

Now we had a two day contact making minitour. It was a part of our Russian partner's studytrip to Finland and Sweden. Thanks to marvellous ladies Raija (Rovalan Nuoret), Anne (City of Rovaniemi), Kaisu and Päivi (Lapland University of Applied Sciences Kemi) and Pirkko (Human University of Applied Sciences Tornio campus) our network, especially our Russian friends, could meet pretty many persons.

Really cool excperience in all dimensios. Especially the Kemi event was something: big auditorium totally full of students and teachers. Think Mental Fashion -project and Mr Pink Youth House raised a lot of interest. And why not: Natasha, Ira, Anna and others did again marvellous work. Presentations came straigth from heart and gave no possibility to anyone at present to be cold...

Drawing dreams for better world with chalks to street was cool too. In the middle of Rovaniemi it was interesting to follow: "Hey, now there is the licence to draw on street....!!!" - "Aaaaa, nice but I'm so busy, my meeting starts...." and everything like that, so Finnish, so normal. But those who stopped had a nice moment at least so I understood it.

Somebody once asked why all this. In principle it's simply because we live so near each other . On the other hand the future of Kola Peninsula or the future of all North is a big common challenge and possibility for all of us. We have frontiers and four different Barentsian countries of cource but still we all face the same challenges: people moving to south, there is lack of work possibilities, there are lots of challenges with living conditions and wellfare etc.

With these contact making events, with common doing on generally, with making reports to media (thanks to Lapin Kansa Olli) and internet, our network tries to give information about possibilities to constructive co-operation.

I have been thinking a lot about the reasons why when doing youth work this kind of common doing with nearest neighbours is not so popular. One reason is that people don't know. There may be some second thoughts and oltime thinking still existing. People simply don't know about new NGO-systems like Mr Pink and the ideas and the efforts of new Russian generation on generally.

Of cource we have good channels like BYCO (Barentsian Youth Co-Operation Office) and BRYC (Barentsian Youth Council) and official structures but still. We up in the North are far from the EU -based youth change to Middle and South Europe. One big reason for that is CIMO organization with knowledge, information and supportive euros. Of cource it seems to be also more sexy to co-operate with Italy or Spain than Finnmark or Murmansk Region.

When thinking people doing youth work: of cource there is lack with money and a lot of important local issues to do. I also know that there are already municipalities, which have denied almost all travelling. And it's true that projectbased work makes all possible, but at the same time it demands a lot. Our CYB -project with Alta - Murmansk - Inari - Tornio is an ENPI Kolarctic supported project. And for instance financial reporting is really blackmetal: complicated and time taking.

Implementing the events like Rajarock or Rock Attacks Barents takes time too. But anyway: worth to do. For youngsters practical change has always been a cool possibility, the feedback is always the same, always.  There are no exceptions during my so-called caree, 20 years youth change with North-western Russia.

Sometimes the official work for Barents and between regions from different sides of frontiers seem to be more planning and talking than doing. Speaking about Russia: co-operation between Lapland region and Murmansk Region seems to have had a couple of year sleep.

Maybe it's time to try again. So the Rovaniemiladies Anne and Raija + me have something to present in the beginning of June.  Lapland regional youthwork has called the responsible municipal and ngo youthworkers to their normal work meeting. It's cool that there will be three of us telling about our experiences

Skoeoe