‘Estonia: 10 Years in the European Union’ essay competition to open on 13 October
Integration through music
Music and poetry project set to revitalise Estonia’s Russian cultural heritage
Online history course supports Estonian language studies at B1 & B2 level
‘Togetherness week’ gets young Estonians and Russians working as one
‘Estonia: 10 Years in the European Union’ essay competition to open on 13 October
The Integration and Migration Foundation is calling on youngsters all over the country to take part in the ‘Estonia: 10 Years in the European Union’ essay competition which is being launched to mark the 10th anniversary of Estonia’s accession to the EU.
Being organised in association with the Ministry of Education and Research for the fourth time, the competition is designed to get young people thinking about topics related to appreciating Estonian society and contributing to its development. The theme of this year’s competition is Estonia’s first decade as a Member State of the European Union.
“The first three competitions really got students thinking about what it means to them to be citizens of Estonia and to take an active part in social life,” explained Toivo Sikk, a coordinator with the foundation’s Multicultural Education Unit. “This year’s theme gives them a wide range of subjects to work with related to the European Union and Estonia, particularly those that are topical at the moment because of the 10th anniversary of Estonia’s accession.”
The competition will be open from 13-30 October. Its rules will be published on the foundation’s website on 7 October.
For further information please contact: Toivo Sikk, Coordinator, Multicultural Education Unit / Telephone: +372 659 9850 / E-mail: toivo.sikk@meis.ee
The non-profit organisation Muusikute täiendõppe keskus /Training centre for practising musicians/ will be arranging a series of concerts and workshops in Narva, Sillamäe and Tallinn in November with the aim of contributing to the integration of people of different nationalities through choir music. Organisation of the events is being coordinated by the Integration and Migration Foundation.
Involved in the project are the Viva Musica choir of the Russian Cultural Centre in Tallinn, which brings together singers from different ethnic backgrounds, the women’s choir of alumni from Tallinn University of Technology and choir conductors, vocal arrangers and students. The concerts will be held over three days and there will be nine workshops in which participants will learn how to breathe and use their voices correctly. The concerts will showcase the music of composers of different nationalities and give the audience the chance to sing along with the choirs.
“To us, making music together and talking to one another while we’re working promote communication and relationships between people from different backgrounds and help to break down stereotypes,” explained Leelo Lehtla, the director of the NPO. “That in turn helps bring the Estonian and Russian communities together.”
The concerts will be held in Narva (2 November), Sillamäe (8 November) and Tallinn (22 November). Admission is free.
The ‘Musical bridges’ project is being supported by the Ministry of Culture. Its implementation is being coordinated by the Integration and Migration Foundation.
For further information please contact: Marina Fanfora, Coordinator, Multicultural Education Unit / Telephone: +372 659 9068 / E-mail: marina.fanfora@meis.ee
Music and poetry project set to revitalise Estonia’s Russian cultural heritage
The non-profit organisation Eesti Vene Kultuurikoda /Estonian House of Russian Culture/ is organising a night dedicated to the work of Igor Severjanin at the National Library in Tallinn on 19 October. The event is designed to boost people’s interest in the reciting of poetry and in Russian cultural heritage in Estonia.
Russian culture in Estonia has a long history and great traditions. From a desire to preserve and revitalise Russian cultural heritage in Estonia, the NPO Estonian House of Russian Culture is organising an evening of music and poetry at the National Library in Tallinn on 19 October entitled ‘Music, Poetry, S E V E R J A N I N !’, which is dedicated to the work of Russian poet Igor Severjanin, who lived in Estonia between the wars. His verses from the silver age will be performed, amongst others, by Estonian Puppet Theatre actor Evgeny Moiseenko, while renowned Russian actor Evklid Kjurdzidis will be reciting love poems. There will also be an orchestra on stage, conducted by Peeter Saan, which will perform well-known classics.
Tickets are available on the Piletilevi website. Readers of the Integration and Migration Foundation newsletter can get discounted tickets to the event by e-mailing Marina Tee, director of the NPO Estonian House of Russian Culture, at marina.tee@mail.ru.
“We’re also launching a competition in which anyone interested can send us clips of them reciting poetry,” Tee added. “They should be sent to me at marina.tee@mail.ru. All of the clips submitted will go up on YouTube and everyone who takes part will be entered in a prize draw. Hopefully this will encourage people to find out more about Estonia’s Russian cultural heritage and spark their interest in poetry.”
The Integration and Migration Foundation supports the activities of the NPO Estonian House of Russian Culture via the application round for the base financing of national minority cultural associations.
For further information please contact: Kristina Pirgop, Coordinator, Multicultural Education Unit / Telephone: +372 659 9024 / E-mail: kristina.pirgop@meis.ee and Marina Tee, director of the NPO Estonian House of Russian Culture / Telephone:+372 511 3075 / E-mail: marina.tee@mail.ru
Online history course supports Estonian language studies at B1 & B2 level
Development of Kultuuriklikk /Culture Click/, an online course showcasing Estonian history and culture that will foster Estonian language studies at the B1 and B2 levels, has been completed with the support of the Integration and Migration Foundation. The course is designed for non-Estonian-speaking residents of Estonia and foreigners who are interested in the country’s culture and promotes the learning of Estonian within the context of cultural history.
The animated course is interactive in nature, comprising 24 study videos which reflect historical and contemporary themes affecting Estonia. Kultuuriklikk leads users through key events in Estonia’s cultural history, from the arrival of the first people in the area through to its peasant uprisings and from the emergence of Estonian-language culture to the Singing Revolution and the country’s accession to the European Union.
The course – which comes complete with glossaries and interactive exercises – is available here and is free of charge to all.
The course was developed with the support of the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals, the Ministry of Culture and the Integration and Migration Foundation.
For further information please contact: Kristi Anniste, Coordinator, Civic Education and Migration Unit / Telephone: +372 659 9062 / E-mail: kristi.anniste@meis.ee
‘Togetherness week’ gets young Estonians and Russians working as one
Cooperation between the Integration and Migration Foundation and Harju County Entrepreneurship and Development Consultancy (HCEDC) will result in the screening during ‘Togetherness week’ of videos about people from Harju County put together by Estonian-speaking and Russian-speaking youngsters.
‘Togetherness week’ is a week of events showcasing civil society and civil initiatives that is being held for the second time. This year it will take place from 24-30 November, around Citizens Day. Close to 200 events were held as part of ‘Togetherness week’ in 2013, attended by more than 6000 people.
With the support of the Integration and Migration Foundation, HCEDC will be launching a project designed to get young Estonians and Russians working together as part of ‘Togetherness week’. HCEDC project manager Lianne Teder says that videos about people from Harju County will be produced by Estonian-speaking and Russian-speaking youngsters in the two months leading up to ‘Togetherness week’. Those taking part will gain skills in film-making with the resources available to them while investigating what makes people take an active role in society. The videos will be shared on social media during ‘Togetherness week’ and a joint screening of all of the films will be held on Citizens Day (26 November) at the Artis cinema in Tallinn.
A range of other events will also be taking place as part of ‘Togetherness week’. Organiser Maiko Kesküla is inviting all associations, communities, businesses and pro-active people to set up and run their own events during the week. “It’s a week for everyone, really – one in which we talk about ways we can work together as a community to do stuff that will make our lives better,” he explained. “People discuss civil initiatives and showcase ways of taking part in them. All sorts of events that get people thinking and talking about civil initiatives are welcome, whether they be open-doors days in organisations, talks with people from local authorities, think tanks, art exhibitions or simply trips somewhere with friends.”
Take a look at the ‘Togetherness week’ website (www.uhisnadal.ee) for the programme of events around Estonia and to find out how you can take part.
The “Young people’s stories for ‘Togetherness week’” project is being supported by the Integration and Migration Foundation from the resources of the Ministry of Education and Research.
For further information please contact: Toivo Sikk, Coordinator, Multicultural Education Unit / Telephone: +372 659 9850 / E-mail: toivo.sikk@meis.ee
