BRYC-event with great success

A total of 58 participants took part in the workshop and 110 participated in the half-day conference focusing on prejudice and anti-racism. The participants at the workshop represented Norway, Sweden Finland and Russia. They took part in a process with the goal to create a performance focusing on tolerance and anti racism. Through this process all participants had to face their own prejudices and will got experiences that made it easier to fight them. More than 400 young people in Arkhangelsk came to see the final show. Another part of the event was “Glesbygdn”s two charity concerts and participation in the workshop. Glesbygdn is a reggae band from northern part of Sweden.

 It was not necessary to have any experience with theater beforehand and all was quite excited about what they could create together with a professional process leader from the Panov Theatre in Arkhangelsk in just 2 days. The result was more than anyone expected. The performance had a solid profile and frame, a clear message to the audience, the actors looked professional and the scene, light and sound was great. It was a touching experience to see all the youth really open hearted on stage, giving all they had to each other and to the audience.

The BRYC-event 2009 turned out to be a meeting point for making bridges between the youths from different nations and ethnical groups. International cooperation and common project work was used as a tool to promote equality between the youths with different cultural background as well as to draw attention to and to put the important human rights issues in the Barents region on the agenda. The respect for human rights is the basis for peace, freedom, justice, democracy and sustainable development. And BRYC have at this event truly done something to increase the participants knowledge about all these areas.

Some quotations from the participant’s evaluations:

“Now I have awareness of it and will fight my own and others prejudices and racism”

“Everybody on the planet should have taken part in the event”

“I now understand better the importance of international work”

“I came here as one person and go home as another, this have really opened my eyes. Thank you!”

The event was finacially supported by the Norwegian Barents Secretariat, Nordic council of Ministers, Arkhangelsk Youth Committee and the other participating regions.