Get ready for “ExpLoDE” - the BRYC Annual Event 2011!


 The Barents Regional Youth Council (BRYC) was established in February 2004 with the mission to strengthen the cooperation among the Barents young residents empowering them to actively participate in shaping their future life in the Barents Region.

All parts of the Barents Region are represented in the Council. It consists of 14 representatives – one indigenous and thirteen regional representatives. All of them are active in their home region societies and well aware of the needs of local youth. This makes a BRYC an efficient forum for exchange of information, keeping BRYC representatives updated about the situation and the common interests of youth in all of the Barents Region.
– BRYC is an important part of the system of organisations and structures working for the youth of the Barents Region. BRYC has developed to become an arena for youth initiatives and project realization, comments Laila Dalhaug, Norwegian Barents Secretariat which is also the main funder of BRYC in cooperation with the Nordic regions.
BRYC organizes annual international youth events, which have become an established platform for cross-cultural dialog among Barents young people. For BRYC it is important to reach the maximum number of people and way to do this is to try new forms of activities such as flash mobs and public performances. The idea is also that art and culture, joint work and informal creative atmosphere give the participants of the BRYC events a chance to express themselves, and network, and establish new sustainable cross-border contacts.

This year’s annual event is a musical workshop on diversity and equality in the Barents Region labeled “ExpLoDE”, which takes place 16-20 November in Rovaniemi, Finland. “ExpLoDE” is a three day workshop that will gather 80 young people from all over Barents. The days of joint work, communication and fun will be summed up in a musical performance at one of the Rovaniemi theatre halls. The workshop will be divided into six smaller working groups: Art and handicraft, Fashion, Dance, Music, Media, Stage art. Each group will contribute to the show in sound production, stage decoration, costumes, installation and dancing.
– Taking part in BRYCs activities gives you experience of international cross-cultural work, you learn to work together with people from other countries and cultures and implement projects, says Julia Lapshina, Syktyvkar, the Chair of BRYC and intern at the International Barents Secretariat in fall 2011.
This experience makes a good ground for future professional development of former BRYCers. Many of them work in international relations departments of companies, local and regional governments or start own businesses, or become professional project managers after being part of BRYC. For instance, the Barents Youth NGO’s and Volunteers Forum, that took place in Murmansk, September 2011, was implemented by Zhanna Guzenko, the BRYC representative from Murmansk.
– One of the secrets behind the success of BRYC is close teamwork. The BRYC working group gathers a few times every year to discuss new ideas, projects and analyze the past experiences. To make the annual event happen each member of BRYC works hard in his or her home region promoting and implementing the project. There are also teambuilding workshops, like for instance the last one in Umeå, when the BRYC team met to share ideas, expectations, and set the goals for the future work through creative group exercises, explains Julia Lapshina.
Barents Youth Cooperation Office in Murmansk (BYCO) has supported BRYC since the very beginning. Maria Petrova, coordinator of BYCO says:
– It is always exciting to work with BRYC-projects as they are always creative, innovative, and even to some extent “crazy”, but at the same time they address topics that are important for the young people in the region.

Today, BRYC is an international organization, which unites youth in the Barents region, with the focus on creating a stable network and realizing projects.
– The main goal of BRYC, as I see it, is to promote the idea of living in the High North as a unique opportunity for young people bringing their intentions and dreams to life. If you take part in BRYC events or visit our meetings you will feel that friendly, family-like atmosphere we have. Surely this is the core principle as a basis for BRYC’s efficient work, concludes Julia Lapshina.
Everyone is most welcome to join BRYC workshops. Contact your regional BRYC representative or go to our Facebook page.



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youth-cooperation-web.jpg
"reACTion- a workshop against prejudice" was the
BRYC event in 2009. It was arranged in Archangelsk
and targeted the different cultural backgrounds in
the Barents region. Photo: Laila Dalhaug.