Big Barents youth event in Komi

Barents Regional Youth Council’s annual event took place in the village of Yb in Komi Republic, Russia. The 5-day camp, “Nordic Pulse”, gathered altogether 60 participants from all over the Barents regions. The youth, aged 16 to 30, had never taken part in Barents activities before – but they were keen to get to know the cooperation in their area better! 

The participants stayed in Yb, in a Komi culture theme park and museum. The programme included exploring the Komi traditions and way of living: the participants learned about the language, which bears a striking resemblance to Finnish, and visited an authentic Komi home from the previous centuries. They also made a daytrip to the regional capital Syktyvkar – even the chilly weather didn’t prevent the youth from enjoying the sightseeing tour. 

However, most of the programme was dedicated to healthy lifestyle. All mornings were kicked off with yoga, and in the evenings the participants danced the cold away on professional dance classes. The youth also attended various workshops and lectures by young Barents professionals: leadership, mental health and first aid, for instance. 

Barents youth events such as Nordic Pulse aim at promoting grass-roots level cooperation, cultural exchange and making new international friends. The objective is to empower Barents youth: encourage and inform them about the possibilities, be it education or work, Barents region offers, and to enhance dialogue between the inhabitants of the regions. They fall into four different countries but share a surprising number of similarities.  

Barents Regional Youth Council has a 10-year-long tradition on organizing multi-day youth events annually. In addition to that, they organize and co-organize various youth projects every year, focusing on different themes varying from journalism to art and engagement in civil society. You can learn more about Barents youth cooperation on their website and Facebook page. 
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