The slogan for the conference, Learn to act, was aimed at raising focus on the challenges young people in the Barents Region working with environment issues encounter. Young people who want to be heard are dependent on freedom of speech and that NGOs can act freely. The need to exchange experiences from working in this region and how to raise key issues politically was an important part of the conference program.
Optimistic
The participants were offered to choose from several sections to demonstrate their potential and find partners for successful cooperation in one of the activities: NGO and youth, NGO and environmental protection, youth and culture, youth and tourism, youth in business.
- We had a wonderful weekend in Arkhangelsk. Young people got acquainted and communicated with guys from the Barents region who have similar goals, objectives and interests on the way to sustainable development of the Barents region. We have acquired new friends, have strengthened our cooperation, we have got new ideas and perspectives for further joint activities, says Hanna Olsen from the Norwegian organization Natur og Ungdom.
Olsen believes that the forum has helped the participants to plan future projects which the organizations can implement together.
- After meeting so many optimistic and creative young people, I am sure that in the future we will be able to bring all our ideas into life, says Olsen.
“Share your warmth”
One of the specific arrangements during the Forum was a “Share your warmth” campaign. Under this campaign the Forum participants had brought their old, hand-made or especially meaningful things with them. Before getting such a «particle of warmth» it was necessary to find your «match» for the exchange with the help of a symbol depicted on a participant’s badge.
According to the initiator of the «Share your warmth» campaign Anna Varlamova, it not only helped to intensify cross-cultural communication and exchange of cultural elements, but also brought some good, positive energy and the warmth of new friends into our world.
- Now a small part of the Forum lives in every participant and warms him/her with its tender warmth», says Anna.
«Learn to act» took place in Arkhangelsk on November 5th -7th and was organized by the Arkhangelsk regional youth ecological public organization «Etas» together with the Norwegian youth ecological organization «Natur Og Ungdom». The Forum organizers are sure that before the 3rd Civil Forum in 2011 many of these ideas «hovering in the air» will have turned into quite specific and actually implemented projects.
Text: Svetlana Ushakova
