AREFS taide ja kulttuuri ry
AREFS art and culture association
  • Savon Radan ryhmä organizes activities along the historical Savo line

THIS IS OUR NATURE - INDEX

 

6 year

9 year

14 year

10 year

  

European rural area contains unknown and hidden treasures
Finnish roots are in nature – in the lakes, forests and smooth rocks of the Finnish landscape.

The international and multicultural composition of Haukivuori is a great challenge for the youth in this village. Experiences with different cultures are important contributions to their social skills, attitude, language skills and orientation on the future.
The roots of this youth have to stay in nature and in the multicultural European context, and will be therefore different than the roots of earlier generations.

Even internet seems to bring the whole world to every place still these experiences are based on distance and anonymity. It still keeps rural east Finland far away from the center of Europe. The often isolated societies are tied to local and that makes it difficult to get acquainted with the rest of Europe. This phenomenon is the key to the project THIS IS OUR NATURE - A LOVELY PLACE and tailored to the conditions of the young people in Haukivuori.

AREFS taide ja kulttuuri ry is searching for connection with similar isolated rural communities in other parts of Europe, to share, exchange and strengthen cultural identity and to build on true roots of children and youth in these regions.

In the child art project THIS IS OUR NATURE AREFS taide ja kulttuuri ry will start with local partners to develop an innovative art and culture program to be executed by regional artists with international experiences.
This art and culture program will strengthen the rural roots of children and youth, and will prepare them for a strong future in Europe with respect for their origin.
The art projects will also engage the public in environmental awareness and action and help the population understand its relationship with the environment, the region and local know-how.

GOALS
• structural developing, building on, and strengthen the rural roots of children in the European context
• international co-operation with partners on similar ecological sensitive rural environments as Haukivuori
• building on an extra art and culture curriculum for the schools to support the development of strong roots
• connecting Haukivuori with different rural locations in Europe
• engaging the public in environmental awareness and local quality
• developing and build on the new and characteristic international image of Haukivuori

CONTENT
During the project THIS IS OUR NATURE AREFS taide ja kulttuuri ry is setting up, in co-operation with the school of Haukivuori, an extra art and culture curriculum, an innovative program by regional artists with international experiences on similar locations concerning, this program will contribute to structural developing and building on strong roots of children and youth.

During the project artists, schools and local organizations are preparing the collective activity THIS IS OUR NATURE and executing an exhibition and publication as a presentation to the own society and the partner locations

AREFS will prepare with involved local organizations the content and program for a transnational network art and culture project with partners on similar ecological sensitive rural environments as Haukivuori

HAUKIVUORI
The village Haukivuori is located in the rural area of Mikkeli on the shores of lake Kyyvesi. After the railway station has been build the center of the village has moved from kirkonkylä to this part. Different small neighborhoods are distributed to a large area (500 km²). The historical neighborhoods Saksalanharju and kirkonkylä are situated on the biggest monolith of Europe and are part of an important nature heritage.

Haukivuori has a remarkable composition of the population, it has an unusually high percentage of international inhabitants; 3.8% of the 2300 inhabitants are foreigners, while the national average for the whole Finland is 1.8%. One can find Bosnians, Burmese, Afghans, Dutch, Russians and Estonians among others, who have settled down in rural Haukivuori and are integrating into the local culture.
On a total of 200 the population of the local secondary school has 15 foreign students. (2007)

Agriculture and forestry (20%), industry (20%) and services (55%) are the main economic sources. 14% of the working population is unemployed (Mikkeli 12% Finland 9.5%) Creative industry and tourism are future directed new industries and are in need of employees with international experiences and foreign language skills.

The international and multicultural composition of Haukivuori is a great challenge for the development of the local society. The project THIS IS OUR NATURE will vitalize and renew the characteristics of Haukivuori with the aim to prepare their youth on a European directed future based on local qualities. The final international art and culture program will be executed by regional artists with international experiences on similar locations.

Artists, citizens, children and teachers of Haukivuori will be part of the project and participate in the planned program. The program will exist of an extra art and culture curriculum for the school, lectures, workshops, collective activities and artist’s presentations for the local society.
Active participating, communicating and producing of locals will influence and improve their craftsmanship and is valuable for the well-being of the citizens and the image of Haukivuori.

PLAN

Set up with the local school an extra art and culture curriculum that will develop strong cultural roots of the youth of Haukivuori based on Finnish regional artists with international experiences, international artists and art education students with experiences in the rural region of Haukivuori.

During the pre-project planning and executing together with local organizations and artists the active art and culture event THIS IS OUR NATURE oriented on the youth of Haukivuori.

The local society and youth organizations will be active involved through special activities and presentations by the participating artists. The intensive contacts are important sources for cross-border experiences and new contacts in partner locations.

The cultural diversity and the specific areas of the different locations are the sources for the collaboration of the artists. Their art and activities will contribute to widen local views and give new perspective to the rural circumstances in relation to the European identity.

In 2011-2012 the primary school in Hiirola will participate in this project.

Publication the project concerning.
 

project funding 2010-2011:

project funding 2011-2012:

 

 

 
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