This project was a logical continuation of the project "Perspectives for Young People - Training of Multipliers in Monocities" (2016). In the year 2017 project events took place in the regions of Murmansk and Leningrad. The main goal of the project was to support young city activists and youth initiatives that aim for the development of public spaces in mono-cities.

In this context, a number of educational activities were implemented: courses, webinars, seminars, conferences, and festivals. Through the help of curators, the participants (from Kovdor, Monchegorsk, and Kingisepp) were able to develop and implement multiple projects for the improvement of life quality and the environment in their cities.

The most involved participants took part in an educational trip across Germany - through the regions of Berlin, Brandenburg, and Thuringia - to learn about the experiences german industrial and post-industrial cities had with the development of innovative youth initiatives (informal cultural initiatives; projects, that aim for public significance and the solving of current urban problems; successful examples for social entrepreneurship and the joint projects of city administration and citizen initiatives). The participants were familiarized with the institutions and the infrastructure that support different youth projects in Germany (Montag Stiftung for Urban Space, regional and national government programs, and examples for local initiatives).

The final conference took place in Murmansk, which summarized the program as: "Youth initiatives in the Northwestern region: Networking supports infrastructure and development potential". Graduates of the program and experts from 8 cities within the region, as well as from Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Berlin participated in the conference about the historical ice-breaker "Lenin".

Curators and experts:

Germany:
Dr. Elena Stein
Alexander Formozov
Stefan Praeger
Philip Horst
Dr. Martin Schwegmann.

Russia:
Liliya Voronkova
Dr. Alla Bolotova
Irina Shirobokova
Elvira Gizatullina.

The program was implemented by the Center for Independent Social Research in Berlin and the partners with the support of the German Foreign Office.