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