Eco-cup in Petrozavodsk

International Ecological Film Festival

From 20th to 24th of April the first International Ecological Film festival “EcoCup” will take place in Petrozavodsk for the first time! The event is dedicated to the 20th anniversary of National Park “Vodlozersky”, the largest reserve of untouched nature in Northern Europe.

The main platforms of the Festival will be the cinema house “Pobeda” and the media-center “Vyhod”. The festival will include evening film shows, panel discussions, a creative workshop EcoArt and the Days of short films. The collecting and sorting of solid domestic waste will be started in a test mode.

"EcoCup” is the only festival in Russia, which familiarizes Russian viewers with a foreign ecological film. The uniqueness of EcoCup is in the synthesis of creative approaches to the concept of “ecology of life”. Environmental protection is a conscious choice, an action that brings results. The film festival doesn’t just state facts, but shows the problems, it provides with an opportunity to speak out, make plans, plan events and, of course, make movies.

All the films at the festival will be shown in Russia for the first time. These films have participated in international festivals, they won the prizes and were shown in cinema houses around the world.

Even talking on such a serious subject as the environment we can make interesting. The directors of our ecological films do not just talk about tragedies. Each of them offers a specific solution. Each of them believes that even one person can change the world for the better. The future depends on you!

The film gives you a chance to see the solution. Good ideas spread at the speed of sound. One film show becomes a repeatedly falling drop or ... a vital EcoCup.

New ecological films from the USA, Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany and Spain will be presented in Russian for the first time at the Film Festival “EcoCup”. The special guests - academics, professionals of Karelian organizations, WWF Russia, well-known ecologists and journalists will comment on the film displays.

The festival will be officially open at the cinema house "Pobeda" on April 20, at the day of the 20th anniversary of National Park “Vodlozersky” and at the International Year of Forests. The film "How I bought the forest" (Sweden) will be shown. This is a story about a man who during his school years was the master of tropical jungles, and twenty years later he decided to find out what had happened to his forest.

The film “Kemerikal” (Canada) will be displayed on the 21st of April. Cleaning products and products for body care are a huge commercial business. But we seldom come to think about the effect they have on our health and on the environment.” Kemerikal” is now a real movement for "cleanness for the next generation," in which everyone can participate and share his or her results with the whole world. At this day a master-class "cleanness for a new generation” will be held by the “EcoCup” project coordinators from Moscow.
At the International Earth Day- April 22 the film "Garbage Dreams"(USA), which won 24 international awards will be presented. The film is dedicated to huge garbage satellite cities of Cairo. This is an urgent problem for Petrozavodsk as well and we will discuss it with experts in this field.
From 22 to 23 of April the Days of short films will be organized in the Media-center “Vyhod”.
By organizing the International Ecological Film Festival "EcoCup" we will create a "space" of ecology.

The Festival partners are the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Karelia, the Administration of Petrozavodsk, the Media-center “Vyhod”, the cinema house" Pobeda ", “MegaFon”, the store “Chaykoff” , the Regional Association of Karelian Enterprises on waste recycling.
The Karelian regional association of enterprises on solid waste recycling, “Karelia-Norway”, the International Youth Club “Solveig”, the Association of Karelian Greens, The Creative Alliance «Save L».
Festival Informational partners are the radio station "Europe plus", a weekly newspaper "TVR-Panorama", Youth portal of Karelia, the Academy of photographs.

International educational youth forum “Hyperborea : the battle of ideas”, in August 2009, in the Republic of Karelia

The State Committee on Youth of the Republic of Karelia is planning to hold the unique international educational youth forum “Hyperborea : the battle of ideas”, in August 2009, in the Republic of Karelia

The objective of the Forum is to create the unique innovative working area for the active youth. This area presents the territory, where everyone may realize their personal growth, demonstrate their potentials to create youth ideas and projects. Thus ,such an atmosphere shall promote every participant to show their talents, increase the level of their human potential, find the people, holding the same views, and get the public and state support.
Hyperborea means “beyond the North”. Boreas is the northern wind. Hyperborea is the blessed northern land ,where the happy people reside. The residents of this land are believed to be very talented, to have the unique knowledge and the ancient wisdom, giving them an opportunity to live in peace with others. Ancient Greeks believed the land Hyperborea to be situated beyond the 60th parallel at the territory of Karelia.
The target group is aged from 16 to 28, who live either at the territory of the North-West Federal District of Russia or the Baltic countries, including the Scandinavian Countries. All the candidates to participate into the Project will be selected on the basis of competitive measures.

The partners of the Forum will be the statesmen, representatives of the federal ,regional and foreign executives branches of power, the representatives of the public associations, who are concerned with the development of the Baltic region; also the federal and international experts and russian and foreign grant-givers.
The most active and creative representatives of the above mentioned regions are supposed to take part in the Forum. These young people are also supposed to play considerable role in social or political life in the nearest future or they may already be significant political and social figures

Discovering Norway

When you are standing on the bank of the river and looking at the forest on the other side, it’s hard to believe that it is another country there. Somebody near you is joking: let’s greet a Russian hare or a Russian squirrel. It may seem that nothing is changing on the other side of the river. It may also seem, though, that everything changes.

For me the north of Norway became a special world, where the comfort of armchairs and the light of candles save people from evening darkness. Here it’s necessary to compete with the severe climate and to win. Here it seems that hurry and bustle have been left somewhere behind the border.

It is my first trip to Kirkenes with the international youth club Solveig. We have spent three days at Pasvik Folkehøgskole, quite close to Russian-Norwegian border. During these days we visited Barents secretariat, learned everything about printing newspapers at the editorial office of “Sør-Varanger Avis”, examined complicated constructions of the electric power station and asked questions about bears at the ecological center. During the days we discovered Norway, and all the evenings were spent with Norwegian students.

Of course I did not have time to notice all the changes that appear after crossing the border. Nevertheless, during these three days I became completely absorbed by the atmosphere that surrounded me.

Unfortunately, in Russia we don’t have any institution, which is similar to a folk school. I remember that after I finished school it was extremely hard for me to choose the field of higher education. Maybe, if Russian students had the possibility to spend a year communicating, traveling and learning people and nature, it could be easier for them to understand their wishes and to make a choice.

The closeness of the border leaves its imprint in this region: we read Russian street names and hear Russian speech in shops. It seems that somehow Norwegian world is close to ours. Maybe, that’s why it was so appealing for us. We would like to visit it again.

Anna Varfolomeeva

Contacts

e-mail:annettar@yandex.ru

tel.+7 (8142) 723103

IV International Musical and Theatrical Festival for children and youth “Golden Keys”

During the 24-26 of April the IV International Musical and Theatrical Festival for children and youth “Golden Keys” will be held in Petrozavodsk, Karelia. The organizers are “School of Child’s Arts” and the society “Karelia-Norway” with the assistance of the Ministry of culture and public relations in the Republic of Karelia and the Administration of Petrozavodsk. The subject of this year is “North Fairytales”, and plays in Norwegian, Finnish, English, and Russian staged by young actors from Murmansk, Olonets, Saint-Petersburg, Segezha, Petrozavodsk, and Finnmark (Norway) are in the program. The premiers of the plays after the Norwegian project of Harald Setervoll, the composer and the author of the musical “Missia Macrell”, will be showed at the festival by club “Solveig” and choir “Vozrozhdeniye”. The Finnish opera by Harry Vessman will be performed by choir “Podsnezhnik”.
For the first time the seminar “The role of arts. Child’s theatrical pedagogic” will be held within the framework of the festival. Composers and directors from Finland, Norway, and Russia will share their experience and discuss new Russian and foreign theatrical technologies, among them Scandinavian.
Now young artists work at the projects of festival symbols and the pictures for International Contests of Drawing “North Fairytale”. The works of winners will be placed at the itinerant exhibition.


In 2009 an International youth club “Solveig” (under the Society of friendship «Karelia-Norway») and Pasvik folkehogskole will celebrate 10 years of collaboration . During this period of time 14 people were sent to Norway within the framework of the program of cooperation. And youth exchange educational trips are annually conducted, more than 300 people have already taken part in them.

festival of the amateur Norwegian movies

An international youth club "Solveig" and Petrozavodsk media-centre «Vykhod» invite you to a festival of the amateur Norwegian movies on the 24th of February (Tuesday), at 6.30 p.m. (K. Marks avenue, ap. 14).
Within the framework of the Festival short amateur movies (the production of the direction «Photo, film and video» of Pasvik folkehogskole (North Norway), the results of the international video-cross among the students of Norwegian High school and the members of the club "Solveig" will be shown. The festival took place in February in Kirkenes.
In 2009 an International youth club “Solveig” (under the Society of friendship «Karelia-Norway») and Pasvik folkehogskole will celebrate 10 years of collaboration . During this period of time 14 people were sent to Norway within the framework of the program of cooperation. And youth exchange educational trips are annually conducted, more than 300 people have already taken part in them.

about Solveig

International youth club "Solveig"
ten years of cooperation

International youth club “Solveig” was created on the base of Karelian-Norwegian society in 1999.

The aim of the club is to organize international youth cooperation: realization of transboundary projects, which are made for youth; organization of cultural, educational, ecological, and journalistic international events and festivals.

Nowadays the club consists of 120 members in Russia and 70 members in foreign countries. The club works in 7 directions:

1. international (meetings and communication with foreigners, travels, education abroad);
2. cultural (representing of Karelian and Russian culture for foreigners, organization of festivals);
3. international journalism (education, practice and internships in foreign mass-media);
4. ecological (ecological actions, projects related to environment);
5. human rights (publications, international conferences, defense of youth rights);
6. indigenous people (preservation of culture and traditions, seminars, theatre);
7. youth enterprise and tourism (educational tourism).

During the past 10 years long-lasting partner cooperation with Norwegian, Finnish, and Swedish youth organizations has been established. The club assists in reception of youth groups coming to Karelia and represents Karelian and Russian culture abroad.

Within the framework of its activity “Solveig” conducts educational meetings devoted to history, geography, culture, and traditions. The meetings take place two times a month, and representatives of different countries take part in them.