27 projects in Russia and the Baltic Sea region to receive Nordic funding
The purpose of the funding is to strengthen civil society and cross-border co-operation, and thus contribute to the development of the region.
The projects that are set to receive funding focus on social services and healthcare, children and young people, education, culture, gender equality, the environment, civil society, democracy, and human rights.
Project partners in the Nordic Region and the co-operating countries include NGOs, universities, and local authorities. Partners outside the Nordic Region come from the Baltic Sea region, which includes Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, northwest Russia, and Belarus.
“In a time of tense political relations, it is important to focus on people-to-people contact, the sharing of experiences, and macro-regional co-operation to ensure stability and positive development in the region. I’m in no doubt that contact and understanding between the region’s inhabitants should be supported. The challenges faced by the region must be addressed regardless of the political situation,” says Kenneth Broman, Chief of Staff of the Nordic Council of Ministers.
One goal of the funding programme is the development of new initiatives that build capacity and strengthen networks through, for example, the sharing of experiences and best practices.
The following projects will receive funding:
- Nordic-Russian co-operation for the social integration, prevention of marginalisation, and protection of human rights for female prisoners - Department of Cultures, Centre for Nordic Studies at the University of Helsinki.
- Cultural methods to support the involvement of mental health clients - Social Psychiatric Registered Association of Southeast Finland.
- The prevention of torture: practices, standards, and regulations in Russia and the Nordic and Baltic countries - Citizens’ Watch, NGO Human Rights Organisation.
- Promoting the social inclusion of young people in northern industrial towns - Åbo Akademi University.
- Eyes on Barents 2018 - Independent Barents Observer.
- Citizens’ Dialogue - Karelian Resource Center of NGOs.
- Human rights and citizenship education for all: effective methods of teaching - Norwegian Human Rights Academy.
- FEMIS: Gender-specific drug and alcohol abuse prevention: Nordic-Russian social initiative for women at risk - Baltic Region Healthy Cities Association.
- Development of youth entrepreneurial skills, “Business Start” - Russian Project Initiatives and International Consulting Centre PIICC LLC
- Encouraging youth dialogue on clean energy and the climate - Norwegian Nordic Eurasia Association.
- Quality of life: Health and culture - CaPe Consulting, Denmark.
- Tasty dimensions of the province - Norwegian Bagreeva Konsulenttjenster.
- Public Participation 2: enhancing public initiative for a comfortable urban environment - Russian Centre of Services TAURUS LLC.
- Waterfront, neighbourhood, and community - Danish Cultural Institute.
- MUSIC WITHOUT BARRIERS: Co-operation of Baltic Sea region NGOs in the creative development of children and young people with special needs - St. Petersburg Public Organisation for Supporting and Developing Social Initiatives, “Women's Alliance”.
- Social integration of migrant women and children - Verdens kvinder, Denmark
- Children’s reading culture today: needs and challenges - Finland-Russia Society / the Finnish Institute in St. Petersburg.
- Kicking off the bioeconomy in the north - Nordregio.
- Democracy Festival Platform Phase II - We Do Democracy.
- Civil society network for revitalising indigenous languages - Russian Association of Ethno-Cultural Centers and Heritage Preservation Organisations “ECHO”.
- LEVER-III: voluntary culture as a leverage of cross-cultural activities in sparsely populated areas with added values - Interfolk, Institute for Civil Society in Denmark.
- Empowering NGOs for efficient social rights advocacy - EAPN-Latvia.
- Trauma-informed caregivers – Investment for a better childhood - SOS Children's Villages, Poland.
- Tutors’ Bridges - Swedish-Karelian Business and Information Centre.
- Healthy River-Healthy Me-Healthy Sea - Swedish organisation Coalition Clean Baltic.
- Social integration and meaningful participation of disadvantaged families in an inclusive society - Danish Red Cross.
- Reaching gender equality in Russia: developing effective instruments for the rehabilitation of gender-based violence victims and the prevention of GBV - St. Petersburg Regional Public Organisation, Institute of Non-discriminative Gender Interrelations.
