The name of the project: Living in a world with peace: national policy, civil society and public diplomacy

Project implementation: January 2016 – November 2016

Partners:

• Karelian resource Centre of NGOs

• Centers for Interethnic Cooperation

• Petrozavodsk City Administration

• The Ministry of the Republic of Karelia for National Politics, Relations with Public and Religious Associations and Mass Media

• Directorate of the Federal Migration Service of the Republic of Karelia

• Administration of Olonets national municipal district

• Administration of Sortavala municipal district

• Administration of Suojarvi municipal district

• Kostomuksha City Administration

Overall objective: To involve civil society’s institution in solving the problems of maintenance of interethnic concord and to harmonize interethnic relations by developing mechanisms to prevent interethnic conflicts using international, interregional and intermunicipal best practices in terms of countering extremism and assuring mutual understanding between nations.

Specific objectives:

• To render assistance to existing Centers for Interethnic Cooperation;

• To open a new Center for Interethnic Cooperation in Suojarvi;

• To exchange experience with colleagues from Moscow, the Republic of Tatarstan and Finland in terms of dealing with migrants and in terms of approaches and methods used in Finland and in the Republic of Karelia and to involve in these processes different organizations and institutions from both sides of the border;

• To develop cooperation between neighboring Finno-Ugric areas;

• To exchange experience in terms of countering extremism and its ideology;

• To create conditions for using efficient practices in the sphere;

• To publish materials about the impact external migration processes have on civil society and its institutions in new geopolitical conditions;

• To draw people’s attention to the problems of migration and migrant’s rights in the Republic of Karelia by creating communication platform for discussing topical issues in the sphere of migration;

• Содействие распространению знаний о культуре Карелии, формирование атмосферы уважения к карельским культурным ценностям, популяризации культуры и искусства карел: выпуск сборника песен известного карельского композитора.

Expecting results:

• Events and activities aimed at harmonizing interethnic relations, development of Finno-Ugric cooperation and cooperation between migrants and indigenous people in the Republic of Karelia;

• Sharing experience in the sphere of interethnic conflicts’ prevention;

• Development of cooperation between neighboring Finno-Ugric areas, including cooperation in terms of maintenance of their identity;

• Within the framework of the project a number of lectures on the topic of sister-cities’ cooperation and interethnic relations will be held in Petrozavodsk schools;

• Organization of seminars and roundtables on the topic of working in the sphere of interethnic cooperation and maintenance of national identity of indigenous people, as well as migrants;

• Opening a new Center for Interethnic Cooperation in Suojarvi, the Republic of Karelia;

• Publication of bilingual brochure “The Finns and the Karelians: Cooperation of related nations in modern changing world”;

• Release of a songbook, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Karelia “Do not think that I have forgotten” (song and choral music);

• Publication of informational bulletin “Vestnik NPO Karelia”.

Accessible environment at tourists attractions – the example of the Kizhi Museum

Lead partner: Charitable foundation “Health of Karelia”

Partners:

• Federal State Budget Institution Kizhi State Open-Air Museum of History, Architecture and Ethnography

• Municipal Institution Rehabilitation Centre for disabled children and adolescents “Rodnik”

• Karelian resource Centre of non-governmental organizations

Project implementation: December 1, 2014 – November 1, 2015

Funding: The Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Republic of Karelia

Overall objective: to broad barrier-free access to tourist attractions and to create accessible environment be the example of Kizhi Museum

Specific objectives:

• To study the experience of partners from Finland and Saint-Petersburg in the sphere of accessible environment;

• To analyze the situation on Kizhi island and in Kizhi Museum in Petrozavodsk in terms of accessible environment;

• To find out necessities and elaborate certain solutions in order to create accessible environment at this particular tourist attraction;

• To organize education platform for heads and staff of museums in order to improve their competence and share experience about working with disabled people;

• To draw more attention of local authorities and general public  to the problem of accessible environment by means of participation of mass media in project’s events;

• To create the basis for sustainable network of cooperation between organizations participating in the project in order to implement joint projects in the future;

Scheduled events:

• 2 education platform for museums’ staff, representatives of travel agencies, public-oriented NGOs, engineer organizations about accessible environment at tourist attractions;

• Psychological training for guides “Working with disabled people”;

• Workshop for children “Tolerance in a group with disabled people”;

• Workshop on Kizhi island on the creation of accessible environment at tourist attractions, demonstration of installed equipment, discussion about further opportunities for accessible environment development on the island.

Petrozavodsk is an area of neighbourliness

Project implementation: April – June 2012

Partners:

• Karelian Resource Centre of NGOs

• Petrozavodsk City Administration

Objectives:

• To create conditions for the establishment of good neighborhood in Petrozavodsk by getting experience of achieving common goals by people lining in multi-family housing;

• To encourage the development of civil consciousness and civic initiatives;

• To create the atmosphere of respect for human rights and freedoms, tolerance, intolerance to any manifestation of xenophobia and extremism;

•  To create favorable living environment for citizens.

Results: Having analyzed the results of the implementation of the project “Petrozavodsk is an area of neighbourliness” participants elaborated some guidelines for cooperation between Petrozavodsk City Administration, managing authorities in housing sector and people living in multi-family housing.

Development of interethnic relations and the culture of interethnic communication

Project implementation: May – September 2012

Partners:

• representatives of government and local government bodies;

• national and cultural autonomies and non-governmental organizations.

Overall Objective: to improve information, consulting, social and cultural basis in order to promote migrant’s adaptation in districts of the Republic of Karelia where Centers for International Cooperation exist.

Results:

• experience in the sphere of social and cultural adaptation of migrants and development of tolerance  was analyzed and summarized in order to circulate it in other districts of the Republic of Karelia;

• within the project a special section “Ethno world” was created on the website www.nko-karelia.info which contributed to the spreading of information about ethnic policy of the Republic of Karelia and events in the sphere of development of interethnic dialogue.

The Republic of Diverse Cultures

Project implementation: December 2014 – October 2015

Funding: The Ministry of the Republic of Karelia for National Politics, Relations with Public and Religious Associations and Mass Media

Overall objective: to strengthen cooperation between Centers for Interethnic Cooperation, public-oriented NGOs dealing with interethnic relations and representatives of local authorities under the changing conditions of migration situation in the Republic of Karelia; to render assistance for adaptation of citizens moving to the Republic of Karelia from Ukraine.

Specific objectives:

• To establish a Center for Interethnic Cooperation in one more municipal district of the Republic of Karelia (Pitkaryanta);

• To draw public’s attention to the problems  of migration and rights of migrants in the Republic of Karelia through creating communication area for discussion on topical issues in the sphere of migration;

• To improve qualification of the heads Centers for Interethnic Communication of the Republic of Karelia  (of 9 existing Centers (in Kostomuksha, Kondopoga, Belomorsk, Segezha, Medvezhyegorsk, Olonets, Sortavala, Pudozh and Petrozavodsk) and to open a new Center in Pitkaryanta) in accordance with modern requirements;

• To contribute to sharing experience between Centers for Interethnic Cooperation and government bodies regulating migration flows  in the sphere of migrants’ integration

Expecting results:

• Opening Center for Interethnic Cooperation in the Republic of Karelia in Pitkaryanta, equipped with all necessary office facilities and literature on topical issues of interethnic relations;

• Thanks to the creation of a new Center for Interethnic Cooperation work with migrants and local population will be organized in 10 out of 18 municipal districts of the Republic of Karelia. Centers will be an instrument for development of interethnic concord and cooperation at local level;

• 2 events aimed at strengthening interethnic concord and development of mechanisms of efficient interethnic cooperation with the participation of representatives of government and local government bodies and NGOs;

• Acquisition of office facilities for the Center for Interethnic Cooperation in Pitkaryanta;

• More than 500 people will take part in events within the project;

• Information support of events implemented by means of publications in Informational bulletin “Vestnik NPO”, mass media of the Republic of Karelia and on the official website of Karelian resource Centre of NGOs www.nko-karelia.info;

• Staff of 10 Centers for Interethnic Cooperation will undergo trainings and improve their qualification in the sphere of rendering assistance for successful social and cultural adaptation of migrants and compatriots in the Republic of Karelia.

Creation of the system of multi-discipline support for vulnerable groups of citizens in the Republic of Karelia “Assistance”

Project implementation: 2008

Partners:

• Charitable foundation “Health of Karelia”

• Karelian resource Centre of NGOs

• Healthcare and education institutions

Funding: within the framework of the program of state financial support of NGOs participating in the development of civil society institutions.

Overall objective: to improve the awareness of a great part of the population, namely elderly people and disabled people

Results:

• 8 public platforms were created in districts of the Republic of Karelia (Petrozavodsk, namely in the following neighborhoods: Drevlyanka, Perevalka and Solomennoe; in Pudozh, Kondopoga, Pryazha, Vyartsilya and Zaozerye)

• A group of qualified experts, professors and advisors was created

• 6 manuals for vulnerable group of citizens were elaborated and published

• Training programs, PC literacy classes and experts’ consultations.