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Education through SportEducation through Sport

2 / 20042 / 2004

EDITOR−IN−CHIEFPaweł Żaboklicki

*

EDITING & LAYOUTIwona Śmigerska−Belczak

*

EDITORIAL BOARDRisto VeivoViktors BulsEwa Kurjata

Paweł ŻaboklickiIwona Śmigerska−Belczak

*

PUBLISHERUnion of the Baltic Cities

SecretariatWały Jagiellońskie 1

PL−80853 GdańskPOLAND

tel. +48 58 3010917tel. +48 58 3019123fax +48 58 3017637e−mail: info@ubc.net

www.ubc.netISSN 1506−6266

*

PROOF−READINGEwa Kurjata

*

COVER PICTUREA view from

Bryggareberget − anentrance to KarlskronaPhoto by Birger Lallo

Baltic Cities BulletinDearUBCFriends,

It has become a tradition for the Council of European Union toencourage people and organisations to undertake positive actions bypromoting different ideas and values each particular year. This yearthe Council together with the European Parliament decided toannounce the European Year of Education through Sport. The mainobjective of this year is to sensitize European public to the importanceof sport as an educational tool. This bulletin shows how many sportevents promoting educational values are organised in theUBCmembercities.I amwriting thesewords shortly after the 41st UBCExecutiveBoardmeeting inRigawhich raised

a great interest among cities - over 70 delegates from 32member cities participated in an open partof that meeting. The meeting treated several important issues. I am happy to inform you that theUnion received an observer status to the Committee of the Regions which proves that Brusselsrecognizes the work carried out by our organisation. Through the participation in the CoR PlenarySessionsUBCwill have a chance to influence thework and policies of the important EU institution.The Board in Riga decided that the theme of the VIII General Conference Turku 2005 will

concern the transportation corridors in the Baltic Sea Region. UBC realises that improvement oftransportation corridors is vital for further development of the whole region. UBC received the ECconsultation document on �Motorways of the Seas� concept to be financed through the revisedTEN-TGuidelines.UBCwelcomes theCommission�s implementation frameworkof the �Motorwaysof the Seas� and hopes it will contribute to the improvement of intermodal transportation systemsin our region. UBC Logistics Task Force invites member cities to Brussels on 24 November todiscuss howwe can benefit from the EU resources allocated to this initiative. UBC cities are alsoinvited to the conference �Baltic Sea Region - Perspective 2010�, Brussels 23 November, at thepremises of the CoR. The conference is co-organised by several Brussels offices of our membercities. The aim of this event is to promote the BSR amongst the Brussels policy actors - politicians,representatives of EU institutions, business community, NGOs, media. UBC will take an activepart in this important forum.This summer UBC signed the cooperation agreement with Conference of Atlantic Arc Cities.

Our cooperation with CAAC is twofold - lobbying for cities interests and joint projects betweenour cities. Acting together make our voice stronger in Brussels. UBC and CAAC prepared acomment onEC communication �Dialoguewith associations of local authorities on the formulationof EU policy�. In this paper the Commission informed about launching annual hearings forassociations to inform them about major EU policy initiatives that have a significant local impact.In the joint statement sent to the ECPresidentwewelcomed an opportunity tomeet theCommissionon regular basis and at the same time we expressed opinion that organisations should not only beinformed about EU policies but also should be given a chance to influence them. Our reaction wasnoted in Brussels. Director General of Regional Policy replied in a letter that annualmeetings �willoffer the opportunity to the associations to inform the Commission about expectations of theirmembers concerning the development of EU policies�.The Board in Riga once again raised the issue of maritime borders in the BSR. UBC calls the

European Commission to treat themaritime borders in the BSR in similar way as the land borders.We oppose the limit of 150 km. In case of BSR such distance cannot be set definitely.We expecta more flexible approach taking into account historical, social and economical factors, in order tosupport the cross sea-border cooperation between the Baltic cities. UBC cooperates closely withthe Council of Baltic Sea States. In Riga the chairman of CBSS Committee of Senior Officialspresented the priorities of new CBSS Presidency (Poland) and informed the UBC Board aboutcurrent CBSS initiatives. Furthermore, the leaders of 11 UBC commissions/networks presentedthe annual activity reports since theGeneral Conference in Klaipëda. Forme it is very encouragingto see the vast range of projects, activities and events carried out by our commissions andnetworks.

Per BødkerAndersenUBCPresident Kolding, November 2004

BCB 2/2004 1

CONTENTS

The TBestC photo taken during thestudy tour to U.S. Washington D.C.in September 2004.The group at the Chesapeake Bayfoundation�s Eco-building.

The 41st UBC Executive Board meetingtook place in Riga on 16 October 2004

Education through Sport

European Year of Educationthrough Sport 2004UBC Commission on Sport inAction 2004Education and Integrationthrough SportAn Hour a Day atMinde SchoolEuropeanMobilityWeekMy Yard � a Different YardAdvocating SportSport CompetitionsHealthyMind and Sporty BodiesFit For Life ProgramEuropean Experts� MeetingEducation via Sport at SchoolsExchange of Soccer PlayersThe Sport AcademyForum of HealthPromoting SportSport Can Be FunProud NarvaNew Skateboard TraditionsDanish Education SystemThe Attack of the CenturyManagement of Sport SchoolsTraining through SportSport & Health ProfileSports Activities BridgingCommunityHandslaget and Sport SchoolsAlternativeActivitiesUnder the Sails of MaritimeEducationStudents� Sport GamesMotion 2000 to Improve HealthEYES 2004 CampaignThe Olympic IdeaSunday Hikes

UBC Today

41st Executive BoardMeetingin RigaWelcome to Turku in 2005 -VIII UBC General Conference4th ABC Urban PlanningSeminar inViljandi

Commission on Tourism&BalticWelcome Centre inKalmar!Climate and GenderWelcome to EMAS PeerReviewEnvComMeets in TurkuFirst Steps to Implement GoodPracticesBaltic University Urban ForumGoes IntegratedBicycleWorkshopEuropean Transport Projects &AnnualMeetingSustainable Transport andUrban PlanningThe 3rd UBC IS ComMeetingin TampereNews from the Commission onBusiness CooperationMeeting Point of DifferentCulturesWomen�s Network SeminarBaltic Pearls and Ars BalticaNetwork on Youth Issues Setsits GoalsConference �Baltic Sea Region- Perspective 2010� in BrusselsTowardsWaste-Free Lifestyles

News from Member Cities

Children and Youth CentreHipotherapy - a Good Elementfor a Resort CityInternational NationalMinorities Festival in JõhviEuropean Meetings - New EU,New ChallengesThe Plaque of HonourBaltic Cruise ProjectCommencesCulture Capital of Europe 2010Malbork Active in EU Projectsin 2004New Ways Towards a NewEuropeFestivity ��iauliai Days - 2004�

Children are encouraged to move,�Wonderland of Children�s Motion�, Turku

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32UBC Commission on Transportationduring the bicycle workshop inÖrebro, 6 September, 2004

BCB 2/20042

From the beginning of our existencechildren�s games are aimed at body andmotor skill training, as children aregetting ready for life�s battle. First, sportgames were like a matriculation exam fortribal youth and they were alike on everycontinent. Running and swimming,strength and stamina, eye certainty andthe ability to concentrate, quicklydetermined a basic skill canon acquiredat elementary school. The more culturesdeveloped, the more complex sportsappeared.The meaning of the

word �sport� reaches asfar as the times when itsidea was not known.Nowadays, a sportphenomenon may bedefined according to thefollowing two ideas:- name � for more than

five billions inhabitantsof the Earth, the wordsport means and evokesthe same- principles � a set of the same rules is

commonly applied all over the World.Themajority of people associates sport

with competition, with rivalry based onmassive efforts of competitors, in whichthe most popular assessment is the result

achieved by sportsmen. It should behowever emphasized that sport is not aphenomenon based merely on victory ordefeat, but it has numerous values beingof crucial importance to the developmentof personality. Sport offers a lot ofpossibilities, among others those ofcultural, social and educational character.The development of civilisation hasincreased threats to mankind.A hectic pace of life, weak family bonds,

accelerated process of physical maturationof young people which isnot equivalent to emo-tional one, these are just afew reasons for pathol-ogies. And consequently,methods of healing thesociety as well as ideas ofuniversal values, whichmight positively influencepeople�s lifestyles, aresearched for more andmore intensively. Thesevalues are inherent in

sport: ideas of peace, fair and healthycompetition, effort and sacrifice. Itstimulates the development of bothindividuals as well as whole societies.In the recent years one has discussed

and stressed possibilities of using sportin education and teaching of children and

youngsters, particularlyin the form of physicaleducation (PE) classes,sports training both inamateur and professionalclubs.PE classes at school

play an important role incontemporary teachingand developing socialskills. Thus, physicaleducation at school needsto be enriched by newvalues, forms and re-action methods, creationof new conditions of

development, possibilities of choosing.Sport as a factor in the development ofa man may inspire to various forms ofactivities; it may be a source of joy. Itshould stimulate and strengthen themotivation to work on self-improvement.Amateur and professional sport,

which involves mainly young people,should promote and teach mutualunderstanding, friendship, respect andfair play as well as forge peaceful bonds.Apart from the development of physicalpossibilities, it watches over the moraldevelopment of sportsmen, which is anindispensable part of each person�spersonality.One should remember that sports

education influences not only the abovementioned human personality but alsoman�s mobility which in turn constitutesan integral factor of a healthy lifestyle.Without it an appropriate developmentof future generations is not possible. Thephenomenon of movement accompaniespeople during their lives, and lifeprocesses are connected with constantmovement.Aware of the role and value of sport,

the Council of the European Union andthe European Parliament decided toestablish the European Year ofEducation through Sport 2004 (EYES2004).�Move your body, stretch your mind�

was chosen as the motto of the year, andits logo was designed by Julia Kotulla,Student of Communication Designs atthe University of Arts at Berlin-

EUROPEAN YEAR OF EDUCATIONTHROUGH SPORT 2004

Move your body,strech your mind

I. EDUCATION THROUGH SPORT

The inherent valuesof sport: ideas of

peace, fair and healthycompetition, effort andsacrifice stimulates thedevelopment of bothindividuals as well aswhole societies

Opening of a bicycle path in Gdynia (second to the left:W. Szczurek, Mayor of Gdynia, second to the right: B. £êgowska, UBC Commission on Sport Chairperson

BCB 2/2004 3

Weissensee, Germany.The main objective of the campaign is

to sensitise the European public to theimportance of sport in an educationalcontext as well as to increasethe significance of sports activities inschool curricula.The main aims of the European Year

of Education through sport are asfollows:1. to raise the awareness of educational

and sports organisations of the need forcooperation to develop education throughsport and its European dimension,bearing in mind the great interest shownby young people in all types of sports;2. to take advantage of the values con-

veyed by sport to increase knowledge andskills, enabling young people to developtheir physical capabilities and inclinationto personal effort, as well as socialcapabilities such as teamwork, solidarity,

tolerance and fair play in a multiculturalcontext;3. to raise awareness of the positive

contribution made by voluntary work toinformal education, particularly foryoung people;4. to promote the educational value of

mobility and pupil exchanges,particularly in a multicultural environ-ment, through the organisation of sportsand cultural meetings as part of schoolactivities;5. to encourage the exchange of good

practice concerning the potential role ofsport in education systems in order topromote the social inclusion ofdisadvantaged groups;6. to establish a better balance between

intellectual and physical activities duringschool life by encouraging sport in schoolactivities;7. to examine the problems linked to

As a part of the celebrations of theEuropean Year of Education throughSport, the Commission decided to awardgrants for the organisation of sportingevents with special emphasis put oncounteracting social exclusion of sociallydisadvantaged groups. It is the aim of thea/m grants to raise awareness amongeducational and sporting organisations inorder to stimulate their cooperation in thefield of education through sport.Awarding grants also aims at promotingvalues of sport and increasing the numberof school and sports exchanges amongyoung people.In the year 2004 UBC Commission on

Sport allocated 6 grants of total amountof 5 000 EUR.�Move your body, stretch your mind�

grants were awarded for the organisationof projects combining sports values witheducational aspect.Among the awarded projects there

were:- �Healthy Mind and Sporty Body�,

Jõhvi, Estonia- �European Mobility Week 2004 in

Chojnice�, Chojnice, Poland- �Education and Sport - a Task for

Everybody�, Rostock, Germany

UBC COMMISSION ON SPORT IN ACTION 2004

Further information:Ms Ewa DepkaUBC Commission on Sport CoordinatorCity of GdyniaTel. + 48 58 66 88 208e-mail: ubcsport@gdynia.pl

the education of young sportsmen andwomen engaged in competitive sport.Among numerous institutions which

have actively joined in the celebrationsof 2004 as the European Year ofEducation Through Sport, there is alsoUBC Commission on Sport whichannounced a grant competition entitledEuropean Year of Education ThroughSport. And this bulletin is devoted toexperiences of local authorities in respectto the organisation of sports activitiesamong the inhabitants, both young andelderly ones, living in UBC membercities.

Ms Beata ŁęgowskaChairpersonUBC Commission on SportCity of Gdyniae-mail: ubcsport@gdynia.pl

- �My yard - a different yard -crackdown programme against socialmaladaptation of difficult youth�,Gdynia, Poland- �Sports and Community - Manifest

of Successful and Targeted Partnership�,�iauliai, Lithuania- �Days of Narva�, Narva, Estonia.The Commission on Sport would like

to encourage UBC member cities whohave not been so far actively involvedin the work of the Commission to takepart in the next Commission´s meetingin 2005.

In 2004 the UBC Commission on Sportallocated several grants for the sportevents which took place in UBC cities.In the photo: �Encouraging sportsmen�,�iauliai, Lithuania

BCB 2/20044

Within the existingframework of volun-tary organisations and

cultural diversity the Department ofCultural Affairs is running a projectwhichaim is to increase theparticipationinvoluntaryassociationsamongchildrenand young people. Especially amongchildren and youth from ethnicminorities the effort will be strength-ened, as their participation in theassociations is very insufficient.The survey of January 2003

reports that young girls from thethird world countries in Aalborgare almost non-existing in theDanish sports associations. Failureto reverse this development willhave severe consequences in thefuture.The voluntary associations are

strengthening popular educationwith activities and bindingfellowships, thus improving theability and desire to take

responsibility for own lives and play anactive and committed part in the society.Sport is a universal integration tool. A

multicultural society and interculturalcommunication are highly complexentities. Sport, however, is based oncommon rules, interest and a familiarsetting. An Indian chess player canwithout difficulties or cultural under-standing play a game of chess against aplayer fromDenmark. Sport in this sense

makes people bi-lingual.Working with

youth and asso-ciations requiresan extensivecooperation between schools, localauthorities, parents/families, localassociations, national federations, youthcentre and the project manager. Since1999 the City of Aalborg has made anextraordinary effort to promote educationand integration through sport. Aalborghas a varied and wide range ofassociations (ca. 500) helping to providecitizens with opportunities for activeparticipation in recreational activities ofevery kind.

Further information:

Mr Morten UbbesenCity of Aalborge-mail: mu-kultur@aalborg.dk

INTEGRATION THROUGH SPORT

Based on the know-ledge that physical

activity is important for children�sdevelopmentofbothmental,physicalandsocial skills, we formulated the aim thateachchild inourschool shouldexert somekindofphysical activity at least onehoura day during the school hours. Themostinactive children shouldbe stimulated toachieve this. This decision wasmade inagreement with the parents and thestudents� councils.The school of about 300 students has

an old building and a flat, pavedplayground. In fact, the facilities are notoptimal for physical activities. However,the nearby forest with trails and fields isused extensively.And, we have partiallyremodelled the playground there.The physical activities are integrated in

as many teaching processes as possible.During the theoretical lessons there arebreaks with short periods of singing,jumping and dancing with emphasis ondeveloping sensational and motorcompetencies. The playground and nearbyforest (�outdoor classes�) are utilised asmuch as possible in mathematics,languages and social sciences.The students have a daily 45 minutes

break when they are encouraged toactivities such as table tennis, ball games,dancing, or more quiet hopscotchplaying. This is increasingly adopted asa result of our building up of attitudes.Our frequent tournaments betweenteachers and students stimulate the latterto use these hours for training.Every Friday a steeplechase is arranged

in the gymnasium, and all the classes are

AN HOUR A DAY ATMINDE SCHOOLgiven a 15minutes break to use it.All otheractivities must be interrupted in favour ofthis. The event is extremely popular andaccompanied by highmusic, laughter andsweating.Students in 6th and 7th grades are given

opportunity to choose some types ofphysical activities as part of theircurriculum. Themost popular choices arean outdoor life and ball games are themost popular. There are special groupsfor girls sincemost active boys frequentlyinhibit them. Once during the spring andautumn semester we arrange a special�sport week� during which mountainhiking is always included.Our experience with �sport as an

educational tool� is that it lifts the mood,increases the motivation for learning andfacilitates the learning processes.

by Else Lerche Raadal, Principal

Further information:Ms Britt NordgreenCity of BergenBritt.Nordgreen@bergen.kommune.no

The playground and forest are utilisedas much as possible in outdoor classesin order to stimulate the most inactivechildren

Sport increases participation in voluntaryassociations among children and young people,especially among those from ethnic minorities

BCB 2/2004 5

Between 16 and 22September 2004

Chojnice for the second timeparticipated in �European MobilityWeek� and �In town without my carday�.With the aim of rising awarenessof the consequences of excessive use ofprivate cars, the week drawsinhabitants�attention to environmentalproblems and their impact on theirhealth. The project was supported bythe UBC Commission on Sport.It is believed that there is a link between

environmental problems and inhabitants�

lifestyle. An active person is more keenon using bicycle as a means of transportor goes to work by foot. Increase ofinhabitants� mobility was the city�s aim.The main activities in the project were

proposed by local NGOs, schools, privateenterprises and public institutionsthrough a contesting procedure. Over 40proposals were submitted, of which bestproposals were supported by themunicipality and conducted during theEMW. With 53 partners involved inEMW, the initiative was open foreverybody. For example, at 6 AM every

morning local swim-ming pool was openfor all inhabitants,free of charge. Themain activities wereconducted by schoolsand NGOs: contests,games, meetings,lectures - all aimed atpromoting healthyand environmentfriendly life style.

Some of them were innovative, forexample, role playing game for studentswhich combined scientific tasks withsport tasks (like orienteering race).Since the focal theme of this year�s

EMW was �Safe streets for children�many activities were aimed at completingthis task.Most effective were lessons andtrainings for young cyclists combinedwith meetings with police officers,presentations of life-saving equipmentand contests.The media supported the campaign.

Everyday local newspaper published aninterview with one well-known personpresenting their attitudes towards sportand healthy lifestyle. The EMW wasconcluded with a �In town without mycar� day and a meeting of cyclists andpedestrians in the Market Square.

Further information:Mr Michał KarpiakCity of Chojnicee-mail:karpiakm@miastochojnice.pl

EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK

In 1996, thefootball fans of Arka

Gdynia established a rugby clubassociating presently 250 players ofboth sexes. The rugby club organizesnot only training but also variousactivities and meetings for bothchildren and youngsters. Three yearsago, the club initiated a project entitled�My yard � a different yard�. It is acrackdown programme againstmaladaptation of difficult youthcausing educational problems andbeing extremely aggressive and strongphysically.The aim of the programme is to change

their lifestyle and exchange their presentyard/playground for a stadium or aswimming pool. Such places are moreattractive to young people as they are fullof sport and active recreation underthe professional supervision of coachesand at the same time there is no alcoholor drugs.The programme is addressed at the

children and youth of 10-18 and provides

for transforming informal groups intoteams associated in a club. Projectoriginators not only provide trainingsessions but also organize meetings withinteresting people, summer and wintercamps as well as beach tournaments andpicnics. While implementing theprogramme, the organisers closely co-operate with school educators, police andfamous sportsmen.A �Multimedia Cup� beach rugby

tournament for amateurs has beenorganised for three years now during thesummer vacations. Each year about 400children take part in these tournaments.The best way to educate is through

sport which shapes many positivecharacter features, teaches fair-play rulesand discipline. Fighting socialpathologies and promoting healthylifestyle through sport is extremelysignificant. Even among the sportsmenone can find those who causededucational problems in the past. Theywere a nightmare for schools and housingestates and the terror of the inhabitants.

Now they are excellent sportsmen, idolsof young people and a good example tofollow. Thanks to the club and the teamthey have found their place in the world.The programme �My yard � a differentyard� created on the basis of theirexperience convinces young people tospend free time differently.

Further information:Ms Ewa DepkaCity of Gdyniae-mail: ubcsport@gdynia.pl

MY YARD - A DIFFERENT YARD

Young rugby players in Gdynia

�In town without my car� gathered many inhabitants

BCB 2/20046

ADVOCATING SPORT

Shooting area - the National SummerBiathlon Championships of Latvia

SPORT COMPETITIONSThe city of Cçsis

has good sportstraditions. Eleven sports associationsoperate in the city which organisedifferent events and competitions at alllevels.Traditionally, in the beginning of

summer �Cçsis sports festivity� takesplace, followed by running �AroundCçsis�, and �Janis� that call togetherhundreds of runners from Latvia andabroad. In the wintertime a specialfeeling creates night sprint competitionin the similar route near the city.Recent years inconstant winter weather

promoted roller skiing. Nowadays thiskind of sport is well developed also insummer. This year aWorld Cup in roller

skiing took place inCçsis. The other eventis international basketball tournament�Cçsis Cup� which is organised everyJanuary. Sportsmen from Finland,Estonia, Russia and Lithuania participatein this competition already 7th time.

Cçsis is not only a professionalorganiser of international sport events butalso takes care of sport education at a highlevel. Cçsis City Sport School offersvariety of sports for the children livingin the city and its surroundings.Students can participate in ten pro-fessional educational programs.

Further information:Mr Martins NiklassDirector of Sport SchoolCity ofCçsise-mail: sporta_skola@apollo.lv

* * * *

One of the tournaments organised by theInterschool Centre of Physical Culture

Further information:Ms Anna RadziwiłkoCity ofGdańskTel. +48 58 3411660e-mail: biuro@mokf.com.pl

There are manyreasons why to

advocate a wide participation ofadolescents in sport events.As adidacticand educational institution, GdańskInterschool Centre of Physical Culture(ICPC) organises, seeks partners andtalks parents and teachers intochildren´s sport adventures.The City Department of Education

and Sports, together with theInterschool Centre for Physical Cultureprepared a detailed program inconnection with the EYES. The year wasinaugurated with a conference �EYES2004 � expectations, activities, results�.The participants discussed increasingsport activities in other schoolsubjects, integration of the groups ofsocial risks, sport activation andcooperation of education institutions tomention just a few. At the same timethe ICPC carried on in its local sportcentres a rich programme inauguratingthe EYES with numerous contests,games, feasts for children.Sport at school includes classes and

after classes activities which representimportant division of physical trainingand consists in training and practisingvarious sport disciplines. Many-sidedengagement in school sport favour youthphysical development, strengthening of

health and shape, fair play, discipline andsolidarity.An essential condition of sport

development and its social function isincreased rivalry. Therefore, the ICPC haselaborated holistic programme toadvocate sport among children and youth.The programme is dedicated to bothcapable and physically handicappedpersons. The aim is to create favourableconditions to maintain and to developphysical skills of the children and youthand to form appropriate competence.Sport events organised on regular bases

constitute an alternative for themethodical work. They are fulfilled withleisure in the form of tournaments,festivity, rallies, marches, contests,displays, etc.The willingness to improve own results

and skills is a very strong impulse, whichmight be a basic motivation forparticipation in physical activities.However, there is a certain risk that a sportrivalry and strong desire for winning maylead to unfair behaviour. To avoid suchdanger, it is necessary to simultaneouslycarry on with a didactic work to create apositive attitude which is a necessaryaspect of a full, joy and fair rivalry i.e. arespect to partners and competitors, beinga winner and a loser, confess faulty,following established rules.

The sport events calendar prepared forindividuals and families creates anddevelops a system of encouragement topractice sport. The events are divided intosport leisure time and competitions to wina title of master of sport of the city ofGdańsk. The Interschool Centre ofPhysical Culture put into force extensionand modernisation of the sport basis:adoption of two sport fields for steeple-chase, modernisation of a stadium andbuilding two volleyball fields.

BCB 2/2004 7

FIT FOR LIFE PROGRAMThe Fit for Life

Program (FFL) getspeople moving! It inspires adults over40 to include physical activity in theirdaily routines. It also creates easilyavailable physical activity services andprovide support for beginners aroundFinland.The goal of local projects is to lower

the threshold of people over 40 to becomephysically active by offering them guidedgroup exercises, beginners courses indifferent events, fitness testing, orindividual fitness training and toestablish permanent physical activityservices that are close to the adultpopulation.Several Finnish organisations provide

educational opportunities in the area ofadult physical activity. The Fit for Lifedoes not provide its own instructor, peerinstructor or other equivalent training,but it informs people about theeducational offerings of otherorganisations. Our educational links willdirect you to the web-sites oforganisations that provide different types

This year theHealthy Mind and

Sporty Body camp on the banks of LakePeipsiwasarranged forboth the studentsof the Jõhvi Sports School as well as forproblematic children anddisabled ones.The camp offered the teenagers anopportunity to train themselves in sports,develop their social skills throughvarious educational activities, adventuregames andpractising teamwork.The camp was attended by members of

the basketball, tennis, athletics andfootball clubs of Jõhvi Sports School aswell as students from the special classesof Jõhvi Secondary School, and thechildren from the need-driven families.Within that project 200 town studentsattended the Karjamaa summer camp.The daily camp lifeWhen the students arrived they were

asked to put down their suggestions andexpectations as well as the rules theyshould follow while at the camp. Duringtheir joint discussions they came to theconclusion that everyone could add to the

HEALTHY MIND AND SPORTY BODIES

Sport contest were organised nearbyPeipsi lake

quality of their stay, and as a team couldcontribute to make their life at the campmore interesting.The days were busy with different

sports contests and common singing ofvarious popular children and folk songsduring get-together at the evenings.Building sand sculptures on the lake�sbanks were most popular amongparticipants. Those most admired bystudents and teachers were awarded withprizes.Children enjoyed the arranged

orientation games where the teams hadto search for targets on the camp

territory with maps, and had to completethe given tasks. They had to decipher acoded message, walk on their handswith the help of their mates, climb oversome obstacles, throw a ball into thebasket and pull up their body on a bar.This was a good lesson to teach how itis important to notice and to assist theirteam-mates.At the end of the day everyone

expressed their opinions on theexperienced events and suggestedactivities for the next day.When the campclosed, everyone was sunburnt and happyabout the great time shared.The camp was financed by the Jõhvi

Municipality, the Board of DisabledPeople of Ida-Viru County, the Ministryof Education of Estonia, the parents, andUBC Commission on Sport.

Further information:Ms Anneli TammataluJõhvi GymnasiumTel. +372 33 71514e-mail: tammetaluanneli@hot.ee

of training. The FFL provides informationabout the importance, effects and properdosage of physical activity, and aboutorganising physical activity services foradults. The program has publishedbrochures, videos, guide books andpresentation materials. The Fit for Lifeprogram�s own educational eventsinclude an annual symposium, a fitness/education cruise as well as regionalseminars.The national Fit for Life Program is

funded by the Ministry of Education andMinistry of Social Affairs and Health.The Program started over 600 localprojects and spreads information aboutthe importance of physical activity viathe media and via its own products. Atthe local level, FFL activities areorganised bymunicipal sports and healthservices, occupational health care,workplaces, sports clubs, associations,etc. At the national level, FFL is managedby LIKES - Foundation for Sport andHealth Sciences. The FFL projects areorganised in cooperation with differentorganisations, such as municipal

services, workplaces, occupational healthcare, sports clubs, various associationsand public health organisations. The Fitfor Life is continually looking for newpartners to become active in moving themiddle-aged population. Local projectscan apply for funding from the nationalFFL-program. The Fit for Life alsopublishes a magazine Kipinät that hasfeature stories on successful projects.

Further information:LIKES Research Centre for Sportand Health SciencesCity of HelsinkiTel. +358 14 2601572e-mail: tilaukset@likes.fi

How to help to start an active way of life?

BCB 2/20048

Anywhere inEurope sport acts as

a mediator in values as team work andsolidarity, fairness and tolerance. Inparticular, children find access to socialcompetence throughsport. Integrationofunprivilegedpeopleaswell aswillingnessto take responsibility for others � theseare very important issues for all childrenandyouth.Greifswald wants to exchange ideas

with its sister cit ies to collectexperiences, for example, what is thesituation in other countries; what kindof methods the partners use and whatare their �best practice� examples.Therefore Greifswald�s sister cities areinvited to take part in an experts�meeting on �Education through Sport�in Greifswald, on 7-11 November 2004.Representatives of schools, sportsmenand youth from Kotka (Finland),Osnabrück (Germany), Lund (Sweden)and Hamar as well as fromGoleniów andSzczecin (Poland) are coming toGreifswald to learn from each other.Numerous institutions, departments,

associations and the GreifswaldUniversity are involved in preparing themeeting. The participants are going towork in several small working groupson the organisation of school sport,leisure and the integration of physicalactivities in schools additionally tosport lessons. Special emphasis is putto educational values of sport such ase.g. fair play and team spirit, as well asto possibilities of cooperation betweeneducational and sport institutions.Sport at schools is to bring up abalanced relation between mental andphysical activities.The conference also aims at improving

cooperation between the municipality�sdifferent departments, schools andassociations. Another dimension of themeeting is the approach to the idea of�Europe�. With the painting of the mapof Europe on the school yard, a Europequiz and children carrying 25 flags of theEU member states, the schoolchildrencan experience the European citizenship.With the European experts� meeting

Greifswald�s international office wants

to start a multilateral exchange. Longlasting relations and cooperation amongthese experts is to be prolonged on theInternet forum and through individualcontacts.

Further information:Ms Anna FriebergCity of GreifswaldTel. +49 3834 522740e-mail: international@greifswald.de

EUROPEAN EXPERTS� MEETING

Kaunas is the citywidely renowned for sports inLithuania. The inhabitants here havemany choices of various sportsactivities as the City provides themwith the possibilities not only to go infor traditional sports, but also thedevelopment of new sports is verymuch encouraged. Especially this yearwe seek to assure that 6.5 thousand ofthe youth that are involved in varioussports activities in the sport schoolscould work efficiently and effectively.A lot of young people are also attracted

to the sports and recreation clubs. Theinstitutions of sport education and sportclubs are involved not only in thepreparation and development ofprofessional sportsmen, but also ineducating the youth. In this school year,more than 4.2 thousand children willstart their education at the sport schoolsin Kaunas City. Also, the same numberof pupils will also be enrolled in varioussport clubs.

EDUCATION VIA SPORT AT SCHOOLS

Pupils activities in Kaunas Sport Schools

Solving the problems of thepreparation of sportsmen, there isa cooperation among all the sport,education, social and health careinstitutions. Therefore sport,education and physical training areinseparable. Kaunas is very activelycontributing to the formation ofwholesome lifestyle attitudes. Allthe institutions of extra educationand sport training seek forconformity in education and sporttraining.This year has brought remarkable

achievements to the city. The sportsmenfrom Kaunas have won the LithuanianYouth Sport Games with the programmeof matches in 20 sports. During theperiod of more than ten years ofLithuanian independence, Kaunas Citysportsmen are leading in the sport gamesand competitions in Lithuania.We strongly believe that the year of

Education via Sport helps many peoplein choosing sports and physical activities

in the public life. Sport has become notonly the way of passing the time. It alsobrings national pride in one�s own nationand patriotism.

Further information:Mr Albinas GrabnickasCity of KaunasTel. +370 37 73 05 58e-mail: albinasg@kaunas.sav.lt

BCB 2/2004 9

Jonne Lehto has won five World Cham-pionship gold medals in skiorienteering

THE SPORT ACADEMYKotka Sport

Institute which wasestablished in the 1991 during itsthirteen years of existence offered highquality and versatile possibilities tocombine studies and goal-orientedsport training for young student-athletes. The institute provides trainingthree times a week, twice a day.Assisted by experienced coaches, eachstudent-athlete trains following thepersonal training program.Kotka Sport Institute is in fact a

cooperation network which includes allthe secondary schools in the city, theVocational Institute and KymenlaaksoPolytechnic. When applying to thesecondary level school or Polytechnic,students apply to the sport institute at thesame time. The courses take place usuallyat some international coaching seminars.In August 2004 the Sport Institute signeda cooperation agreement with one of themost respected training centres inFinland, Pajulahti. This agreementmakes it possible to have even more highquality athlete testing and training campsfor a larger group of student athletes.Also, in the fall of 2004 doctor services,

physiotherapy and fitness club servicesare provided to the athletes.Recently Kotka�s Sport Institute has

been asked to join a very limited groupof sport academies in Finland and inNovember 2004 it becomes SportAcademy of SouthernKymenlaakso. Thismeans that organization will spread into

larger area geographically. Also, theamount of student-athletes will increaseto 250. Right now there are about 20different sports events included. Themostpopular are, if counted by the number ofathletes, soccer and basketball, followedby track and field. During the school yearof 2003-04 dozens of athletes representedFinland�s national teams in wrestling,orienteering, soccer, basketball, golf andtrack and field. No one did it better thanJonne Lehto by winning three WorldChampionship gold medals in ski-orienteering in addition to the two he hadwon the previous year.Operations of the Sport Institute of

Kotka have been funded by the City aswell as by Kymenlaakson liitto. One ofthe organizational goals is to provide theathletes with the best possibleenvironment to achieve their dreams insports.

Further information:Ms Janne SilanderSport Academy of SouthernKymenlaakso, City of KotkaTel. +358 44 7025731e-mail: janne.silander@kotka.fi

�Move your body,stretch yourmind� is

not only a title of the EuropeanYear ofEducation through Sport but also a titleof one of the projects carried on by thecity of Karlskrona in 2004-2005.Taking part in competition and

meetings in different countries around theBaltic Sea allows to find new friends andto learn about each other and our way ofliving. When travelling with our groups,we take the opportunity to make a mix ofeducation and sport activities.What are the differences for girls to

play soccer in Sweden and Lithuania? In2004 an interesting project with girlsfrom Karlskrona, Sweden and Klaipëda,Lithuania as leaders has been started.Soccer is very popular in Sweden and anidea was to find out what we can learnfrom each other.The first step was to send five girls to

Klaipëda in the summer of 2004. For a

week they were training in Klaipëda andalso made new friends. They discussedactivities in the project and how to co-ordinate the project. The girls fromKarlskrona have learnt about sportorganisational systems in Sweden and inLithuania, as well as about youthprograms for the members of theEuropean Union. Such questions as whyare you amember of Lyckeby Soccerclub

or the problemswith drugs in Sweden andLithuania were also discussed.On 25-30 December, the team of 25

persons from Klaipëda is invited toKarlskrona to take part in the indoorsoccer tournaments. They will competewith about 200 teams in the ages from8-18. The last event in the project will takeplace in the summer 2005 when all theplayers from Karlskrona are going toKlaipëda to take part in the similar event.At the end of the project an exhibitionpresenting the worked out results will beorganised in the premises of theMunicipality of Karlskrona.The project is sponsored by a Swedish

foundation of King Gustaf V whichsupports youth and education projects.

Further information:Mr Mats HanssonCity of Karlskronae-mail: mats.hansson.kna@telia.com

EXCHANGE OF SOCCER PLAYERS

In 2004 the girl teams from Klaipëdaand Karlskrona met together in Lithuania

BCB 2/200410

The town ofMalbork,Poland,hadbeenpromoting sport

formany years.We are still striving forperfection, but recently the town startedtopromotemanyvarioussportdisciplinesamong the young people tomake sportsan integral part of their education andlife.In a great abundance of sport events

for 2004 there are many events andcontests which integrate youth andpromote positive social behaviour suchas teamwork, respect and responsibility.One of the biggest achievements, our

city�s pride, was opening a new sportshall in September this year. At last anappropriate place for young people wascreated to develop their abilities andwillingness to sports. It was officiallyopened on 2 September and was financedfrom theMinistry of Education and Sportand municipal resources.In 2004 a number of events have been

organized at Malbork which required notonly physical skills but also theknowledge of medieval history.Malbork�s special contests which are

organized every year during MalborkDays are �dragon boats races� on theNogat River and this year there were alsoPolishWater Sports Cup organized in thecapital city on the Route of the GothicCastles.

At the Castle�s Museum there arespecial classes organized during thewhole year which are called the �knight�srun�. These are supposed to developstudent�s activeness and reference skillsrelated to history knowledge. The classesare held in the Gothic fortress,encouraging the development of pupils�activity, stimulating curiosity andinstilling respect for the past.Not only pure history gets to the core

of sport activities in Malbork. The townis quite well prepared to go in for manysport disciplines like: basketball, football� 2 sports fields, volleyball, tennis,canoeing, weight lifting, aerobics andfamous strongman contests whichoriginated in our town.Sports and competition have always

been an important part of education inMalbork and we will be continuing thisprocess. Yet, muchmore needs to be donetomake sports an integral part of people�seducation and life.

Further information:Ms Magdalena MarszałkowskaCity of Malborke-mail: promocja@um.malbork.pl

PROMOTING SPORT

FORUM OF HEALTHMany values of

developing improvedphysical skills during sport sessions arewell acknowledged. Better skills ofmovement will most likely lead tobetter educational results, as well as topersonal development.Teamwork, attitude and social skills

will be trained and are important valuesto master. If the activities are filled withjoy, one ismost likely to keep up this goodhabit for years. This is a good investmentto each single person�s health. In thelonger term, it is an importantcontribution to the city�s health budget.Kristiansand wants to offer a good

platform for developing and promote thisaspect of life. A session of physicalactivity will soon be implemented as apart of each school day on a nationallevel. One high school is ahead and hastried this out for a year with very goodresults. To support the increased activitywhich is coming, the outdoor spacearound schools is modernised to

implement different arenas for physicalactivity. Also, the city builds new andlarger sport venues close by toaccommodate this trend. Highereducation in sports through gymnasiumand at Agder University College isavailable here. The combination of goodclub training and sport studies just provedus right by our gold medal winner injavelin � Olympics in Athens, AndreasTorkildsen.To support work by over 100 voluntary

sport clubs, the municipality has

established a �Forum of Health� whichconsists of politicians and administrativestaff. The main task and focus of thisforum is to enlighten people on one�severy day need to exercise to keep in goodhealth. Various activity projects for thecity inhabitants are the result of the workof this forum.Besides, �The Pirates� Basketball Club

has different social programs where theathletes are taking social responsibilityby training youngsters in basketball afterschool. Likewise, twice a week localmotor sport club offer youngsters to learnhow to drive a motorbike and how tomaintain it. Both activities are popularand show good results with the kids. Themunicipality supports both these projects.�Move your body, stretch yourmind�willbe an important guideline to furtherimprovement of activities and arenas inour city.

If the activities are filled with joy one ismost likely to keep up this good habit foryears

Official opening of the new sports hall inMalbork, September 2004

Dragon boats races during the MalborkDays

Further information:Ms Astri Edvardsen SødalCity of Kristiansande-mail:Astri.E.Sodal@kristiansand.kommune.no

BCB 2/2004 11

SPORT CAN BE FUN

Puzzles in water - a cultural knowledgecombined with physical activities

In order to developgood habits of physical activities withchildren and young people between2003 - 2004 the schools and day carecentres in Kolding have decided tofocus on physical activities in betweenthe classes and in spare time.Attempts are made to teach children

physical exercises can be fun. Childrenget also instruction about nutritious foodand health. Day care centres offer also awide range of after-school sport activities.The common catalogue of ideas will

hopefully encourage better relationsbetween the schools and sportorganisations. The catalogue containsideas such as sport clubs visiting theschools or activity days.The 2003 research showed that there

were already many physical activities ondaily basis at schools. To develop this ideain the day care centres, sport-wise, well-educated staff will have to be hired.One of good examples might be

collaboration of schools with local sportsclubs. The wrestling club invited the daycare centres to a �wrestling afternoon�where they introduced sport to childrenand made a small tournament. Anotherexample is a cross-tracking club offeringa course to draw maps of thesurroundings of the schools andeducation of teachers in cross-tracking.The administration has even purchasedcross-tracking equipment.

The administration together with thecultural institutions in the city preparedan activity day for children at the age of14-15. The children cycled between 3sites and the swimming hall. At eachplace they were to solve a funny anddifferent task related to the site.On Trapholt, the museum of modern

art, they got an introduction to sculpture.Afterwards they were asked to make asculpture themselves. On each visit theygot a part of a puzzle, which they had touse at the end of the day in the swimminghall. Each class chose one pupil to putthe puzzle together in water. The aim ofthe project was to give children a culturalknowledge combined with physicalactivities.

Further information:Ms Mona Bruun EnevoldsenCity of KoldingTel. +45 79 30 18 43e-mail: mobe@kolding.dk

This year is quite significant for thecity of Narva due to its sports events.The program of celebrating the Year�Education through sport� began inthe beginning of April with the sessionof UBC Sports Commission.This year is also a year of the Olympic

Games and the city is very proud of Narvasportsmen, who took part in XXVIIIOlympic Games in Athens in Men�sDouble and in Men�s Quadruple Sculls(rowing). The results gained at theOlympic days were extraordinary andvery important for sports development inthe city.In addition a sporting part of

traditional summer holiday �Days ofNarva� was also dedicated to the mottoof the year. In autumn some schoolsorganize the Day of Sports for childrenand different sporting competitions,where all schools compete with oneanother. In the end of the year theWorldIce Hockey Championship (under 20) isgoing to be held at Narva.

Further information:

Mr Dmitri VergunNarva City GovernmentTel. +372 3599121e-mail: dmitri.vergun@narva.ee

PROUDNARVA

Built in 2003,Jûrmala skatepark is

located inoneof themost visited summerplaces,namelythewateramusementpark�Nemo� . It has become renown foroutdooractivities.The races organized by the

municipality and different sports andyouth organisations became popularamong youth. As it is one of the biggestwooden skateparks in the Baltic states, itattracts more andmore young people whowant to spend their leisure time onoutdoor activities. In 2004 someinternational competitions and races, i.e.�Baltic Sea Cup�, were organized there.

NEW SKATEBOARD TRADITIONS

The biggest wooden skatepark inJûrmala attracts many youngsters

In the summer 2004 an informal groupof 39 skateboarders � the only one inLatvia - was established in order topopularize skateboard as a wealthy anddrugs-free lifestyle activity. This alsoprovides a new approach of informaleducation to youth risk groups in orderto increase the security of outdooractivities among youth.

Further information:

Ms Anita GetauteJûrmalaCity CouncilTel. +371 77 64446e-mail: gita@jpd.gov.lv

BCB 2/200412

On the first SundayofFebruaryKronstadtholds an athletic run.

Thecompetitionbeginswith themeetingin the city park and is dedicated to thesubmarine-seamen. The result of thecompetition is not only the sportachievements, but also theknowledgeofourcountry�shistoryand therespect forall the heroes, who helped to win theWorldWarII.At this meeting the submarine

veterans tell to the participants of thecompetition about the events thathappened on January 30, 1945 whenthe submarine �S-13� destroyed a hugebattle ship of the fascist navy �WilhelmGustlof�. There were more than 7000officers and soldiers on its board whowere evacuated from Gdańsk. Morethen 3000 of them were the crew for thenew submarines, which were preparedto be used in the North Sea. Thisoperation was called �TheAttack of the

THE ATTACK OF THE CENTURYcentury�, and this name wasgiven to the competition.Every year this competition

gathers about 500 participantsmainly from St.Petersburg Districtwhich are at the age from 5 to 85.The unpredictable weather of thecity surprises the sportsmen all thetime: one year it can be -22 degreesCelsius, another - the sportsmenmust run through the melting snowand puddles, but this does not scarethe participants.Many of them havenot missed a single competition in all 15years it has been held. The beginners, thequalified sportsmen and the handicap-sportsmen, family teams, schoolchildrenand others - all take part in the competition.The prizes are shared in 23 nominationsfor the distances of three, five and tenkilometres.Tomake this competitionmore interesting

and educating, the route goes through thestreets of Kronstadt and passes along the

In the Danisheducation systemthere is a discussion

on how the sport as an integrated partof the school can promote the people´shealth, increase the participation insports and contribute to promoting thenational level in the area of the sport.In the last years the Danish Parliament

has begun a number of new activitiesbecause obesity among children is a greatproblem and because many of them dolittle or no exercise at all.New didactic plans for the kinder-

gartens have been approved. These plansshow great interest in sports andmovements. The Næstved Municipalityfollows up with a specific suggestioncalled: Sport for the small ones.The Danish Parliament has also

approved a reform in the primary school.Consequently, sport as the subjectobtains nowmore attention in the courseof education.The Minister of Education has

initiated the development programmecalled: �The School of Movements�,which brings into focus betteropportunities of sports and movements

for kindergartens children and those upto third grade.The Danish schools cannot make this

task on their own. As it is important toestablish a cooperation between schoolsand athletic associations, the DanishMinistry of Cultural Affairs created afoundation �Children and Youngsters inMovement�, which supports cooperationbetween schools, associations, youth clubsand after-school care agreements.The reason for this new pool is - among

other things - the polarisation in the habitsof sports of the children and adolescents.Active children go in for sportswhereas thesmaller ones remainmore andmore passiveand thereforemoredifficult to reach throughthe usual associations� activities.Probably the most effective youth club

for young people (age 10-14) in Denmark,is to be found in Næstved. This youth clubis managed by the biggest sportsassociation with more than 3,000members and goes by the name: �DanmarkHerlufsholm Gymnastik-forening�. It isfinanced by the municipality and by itsmembers. One of the mottos is: Have funwith sports in a new way! More than 70youngsters visit the club every day,

making the club so popular that there is awaiting list for new members. NæstvedMunicipality is considering whether toestablish another youth club focusing onsports. Youth clubs run by sportsassociations - Club - HG - 70 children - inNæstved.The municipality is also favouring the

students who have a special talent forpractising sports at the elite level. It ispossible to attend the largest Gymnasiumin the city - Næstved Gymnasium - andpractise sports at elite level at the same time.In cooperationwith the national associationTeamDenmark a plan of education ismadefor each sport-student and it is possible toprolong the education up to one year toallow the youngster to concentrate on hisor her sport. Through �Team Næstved�Næstved Municipality is providing grantsto youngsters with a special talent like forinstance Michael Maze who won thebronze award at the Athens Olympics inAugust.

by Søren Revsbækand Per B. Christensen

Further information:Mr Søren RevsbækCity of Næstvede-mail: revsbaek@revsbaek.dk

DANISH EDUCATION SYSTEM

house, where the captain of the Russiansubmarine lived. The competition lasts forabout an hour and all the citizens ofKronstadt can see and support thesportsmen during this time.

Further information:Mr Ivan Viktorovich TarasovCity of Kronstadte-mail: dsv@tukrns.gov.spb.ru

Competition - participants at the start line

BCB 2/2004 13

The SestroretskChildren�s AthleticSchool of Olympic

Reserve, located in AlexandrovskayaSettlement, celebrated 50 years ofexistence last year. In 1992 the Schoolsupported the creation of a stateboarding school that offers the futureOlympians state general educationcurriculum. The board of school seesits mission not only in the training ofbicycling athletic elite, but in theholistic development of the athletes�personalities.Combination of general complemen-

tary education allows not only to securethe optimal conditions for developingtalent of future athletes. It also fostershigh quality education in accordancewith modern requirements. Training inthe school focuses on developing theneed of self-education and self-perfectionnot only in the field of sports. Thestudents attend numerous clubs andelective subjects. The boarding schooloffers a variety of creative opportunitiesextending beyond the athleticcurriculum. The instruction and the

TRAINING THROUGH SPORTathletic training process are harmonizedto assure the overall development of thestudents, and in turn it leads to betterathletic results and allowsmore successfulrehabilitation after athletic events. Suchorganization of training showed itseffectiveness and good results and allowedthe teaching staff to approach each studentindividually. Many of the graduatescontinue their studies in St. Petersburgprofessional institutions of highereducation.The School of Olympic Reserve co-

operates closely with other schools in thedistrict, with higher educationinstitutions, the Russian BicyclingAssociation, and the Committee forSports. The school exchanges experienceswith an Italian bicycle club, workingtogether on training programs and jointevents.The school has accumulated

considerable experience in teaching andcoaching and numerous traditions, and isproud of numerous accomplishments ofits graduates. Over the last four years theschool trained a number of excellentathletes, who brought glory to

St. Petersburg and to Russia. AndreiKirillov won the first place in the grouprace at Russia Championships; LyudmilaZakirova took the lead in theperseverance race at the same event;Svetlana Klimenko took first place in thetrack event of the Russian Championship,and Zhanna Leonova won the criterionrace. Throughout its past, the schoolprepared 32 masters of sport and 6masters of sport of international class.

Further information:Ms Irina AvdeevaCity of Sestroretske-mail: avdeeva@tukur.gov.spb.ru

The celebrations of the jubilee of theSestroretsk Children�s Athletic School ofOlympic Reserve. The boys carry theschool�s emblem.

Sports for childrenand adolescents.

Riga has 17 sports schools, 14interest-based education centres and147 general education schools forchildren and adolescents. In these localgovernment-managed educationalinstitutions, students have access to 20different kinds of sports from themostcommon basketball, football, throughtrack and field to diving or shooting.Sports schools. The sports schools

employ 310 pedagogic employees andprovide training facilities for 8,749youngsters (8% of city�s students). Thesports schools have created anenvironment from which very first-classathletes emerge. For instance, IgorsVihrovs, who won a gold medal ingymnastics at the Olympic Games in2000, aswell as Jevgenijs Saporenko,whofollowed suit with a silver medal at theOlympicGames in2004, bothhave trainedat the Riga Gymnastics School.

Sport events. The sports schools,interest-based education centres andgeneral education schools of Rigaorganise sports camps during schoolholidays. There are outdoor camps opento all school age children and youngpeople, but there are also camps forindividual and team sports.Sports activities for children, students

and young people in Riga are coordinatedby the sports organisers of the city�sdistricts and neighbourhoods, workingtogether with sports instructors and sportsschool trainers. The goal is to involve asmany children and young people aspossible, to organise sports activities atschools, and to ensure the participationof schoolchildren and young people in cityand national sports events. Each yearmore than 150 competitions and youthchampionships for children and youngpeople are organised.The department also organises a contest

that is called �The Best Children�s and

Adolescents�Sports Club or Organisationin Riga�. The aim is to promote theinvolvement of children and adolescentsin sports and to promote the participationof the most talented of these youngstersin international competitions. Thecontest is open to non-governmentalorganisations and sports clubs. Thewinning organisation receives financialsupport.Management. Sporting activities are

the responsibility of the Riga CityCouncil�s Department of Education,Youth Affairs and Sports that issupervised by the Council�s Committeeon Education, Youth Affairs and Sports.

Further information:Ms Indra VildeCity of RigaTel. +371 7026838e-mail: indra.vilde@rsdc.lv

MANAGEMENT OF SPORT SCHOOLS

BCB 2/200414

The Hagaskolanschool for pupils at the

age of 6-15 years old has profiled itselfin Sport & Health over the past threeyears. The reasons for this decision tofocus on sports and healthwere reportsand studies indicating decliningphysical activity among young people.At the same time, other studiesreported that the physically activewere also better at absorbing andapplying theoretical knowledge.The school�s profile means that the

time allotted for pupils to study thesubject Sport&Health has been increasedby 50% and now amounts to three lessonsper week. In addition, twice a week thechildren have an occasion to practisephysical activity in order to achieve a goalof introduction of sport activities to theirdaily life.It is also possible for the pupils to

engage in a range of other sports via localclubs which regularly visit the school.

The aim is to provide the pupils withbroad exposure to sports and hopefullyform a basis for continued sportingactivity. It also gives the pupils anopportunity to become acquainted withthe sports available in our �sport ofchoice� option for pupils at the age 12-15 years old. They are engaged inphysical activity four out of five schooldays. The forth day is conducted incollaboration with sports clubs whichduring school hours ensure that thechildren receive proper training under thesupervision of professionals. The focusduring these sessions is on the individualso that every pupil receives support andencouragement on their own terms.The clubs involved in our profile work

also exchange experience via a networkwhich was established by themselves.In order to infuse all activities at the

school with what is needed to promotegood health we undertake skillsdevelopment for all school staff. The

purpose is to provide everyone withsound, fundamental knowledge in thesubject. This is conducted within thescope of an EU project. Lectures arearranged to spread knowledge of sportand health among pupils, staff andparents. The school�s profile alsoencompasses the fields of nutrition andmental health.We hope that our Sport & Health

profile will contribute to healthierchildren who also possess basicknowledge on how to live a more healthylife.

by Ola WestmanHead-master in Hagaskolan

Further information:Mr Hans EkmanCity of SundsvallTel. +46 60 19 15 14e-mail: hans.ekman@sundsvall.se

SPORT & HEALTH PROFILE

SPORTS ACTIVITIES BRIDGING COMMUNITYThis year, marking

the EYES and itsmotto �Move Your Body, Stretch YourMind�, the City of �iauliai hassubmitted the project on �Sports andCommunity - Manifest of SuccessfulandTargeted Partnership� to the UBCSportsCommission and carried out theso called sporting summer events forthe citizens.The key objective of the project aimed

at teaming up forces of education andsports institutions and stimulating -through sports activities - inhabitants ofneighbourhoods for the united activities.The main project players � the city,educational institutions includingkindergartens, elementary schools,schools for children with special needs,university and representatives of thecommunity centres � participated in fivedifferent sports events held in thescattered city regions starting from Maytill August 2004. The �iauliai citizensentered different sport branchescompetitions: basketball, volleyball,football, cycling and family fights.Everyone could check their physicalfitness performing EUROFIT tests.

By preparing the festivity�s eventseveryone could feel the sports andmovement benefit: aspects of thecommunity life precisely through itssocial competition and solidarity,readiness to perform and the ability ofworking in team. The influence of sportson the community life has extended farbeyond the sporting activities. It extendedthe interpersonal relationship and was animportant factor in the promotion ofhealth. The actions of the project havedeveloped and improved the activitieslike non-formal education, active andmeaningful lifestyle.The final phase of the project took place

on September 11, 2004 during the CityBirthday � �iauliai Days � 2004. Thewinners from different city regions hadto compete for the main prize. Inaddition, in September, the city SportsSchools carried out the campaign �Let�sAccompany Summer Going in forSports� spectacularly presenting differentsports branches. At the same timechildren had a unique possibility to findout and to choose a suitable sports branch,to interview coaches and sportsmen.

In summer 2004, the education andsports specialists strove to demonstratethe values that sports activities represent(equal opportunities, fair play, solidarityetc.) and also to implement the objectivesof the European Education Year throughSports.

Further information:Ms Audrone JaugelavicieneCity of ŠiauliaiTel. +370 41524116e-mail: audrone.j@siauliai.lt

Everyone could check their physicalfitness performing EUROFIT test

* * * *

BCB 2/2004 15

HANDSLAGET AND SPORT SCHOOLS

ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITIES

Further information:Ms Katarzyna Kucz-ChmieleckaCity of Sopote-mail: rzecznik@sopot.pl

Presuming thatthe most important

thing is to get to children and youth,parents and teachers with programswhich promote health forms of activity,Sopot Sports and Recreation Centre,prepared a rich sport offer for allschools which includes basketball,boy´s football, volleyball, handball,beach races, athletics, badminton,tennis, uni-hockey, chess competitionsor sailing courses.All these contests are made to find the

most active school. The winning schoolwill get prizes and the possibility oftaking part in contests on other levels.In primary schools all children with

spinal curvature can attend physiotherapyexercises in school and in the pool. Thereare also programs of swimming classesand sport classes with table tennis and

chess available. The program foralternative way of spending time forchildren and youth from pathologicalfamilies has been prepared. It is actuallyimplemented since 1998 and includesyouth football teams, which both take partin the program �Play with us� and inSopot Hall Football League. Apart fromsystematic training, matches andcontests, they took part in the addictionprevention therapies.�Little passions� is another activity for

the youth organized adventure groups.This includes mountain climbing(children and youth do this outside town,or on the special climbing wall), andadventure activities for younger childrenin the forest. They are guided byinstructors and volunteers - psychologistsand youth leaders, who apart fromleading integration groups, games and

activities which are useful in learning ownpersonality, have also worked withteenagers who have personal problems.In 2000we have started with two dance

groups for girls called �cheerleaders�who learn modern dance to cheerleadwhile the other groups has footballmatches. Activities in this group alsoinclude talks with therapists to help withgrowing-up and addiction problems.NGOs are very important actors in

education by sport. The city incooperation with NGOs tries to makechildren interested in sports, and makethem activated and improve organizingabilities.

Sport Schools.For several years,

Stockholm SportsFederation has organised Sport Schoolsfor children aged up to 12 years withfunds from Stockholm Municipality.The aim of the Sport Schools project isto create sporting opportunities forchildren who are not active in othersporting activities. Areas with largenumbers of immigrants are prioritised.Girls with immigrant background area specially prioritised group.The reason for the project is that too

many children today are sedentary andpassive. Sporting activities willencourage them tomove. School providesthe most natural platform as the childrenare already there. Sport Schools provideopportunities for trying different kindsof sport during the school term inconjunction with schooling. Sixteenschools are currently involved in theSport Schools project. About 800children take part; 55 per cent of theseare girls. Schools provide the facilitiesand contact persons and are responsiblefor organising the age groups that willtake part in the activities. Sportsassociations are responsible for providinginstructors and creating opportunities fortrying different activities.

Handslaget or �Handshake� is a similarproject. It is a four-year government-funded project with five prioritised areas:increased participation in sportingactivities, more investment in girls�sports, lower fees, anti-drugs and greatercooperation between schools and sport.District sports federations have

received earmarked funding for bringingschools and sport closer together.Stockholm Sports Federation has chosento cooperate with municipalities, schoolsand sporting associations. The City ofStockholm Sports Administration hascontributed to the project by employingstaff who work together with StockholmSports Federation to help promoteHandslaget in schools and sportsassociations.In practice this means that each district

builds networks with representativesfrom district administrations, the schoolsinvolved and various sports associations.The schools provide opportunities forchildren to try different sports, with atleast three different kinds of sport eachterm. This also increases opportunitiesfor daily physical activity.Handslaget aims to:· offer students daily activities under

the guidance of a sporting associationinstructor

· provide opportunities for trying andchoosing different kinds of sport· create a long-lasting interest in sport

activities· reach a target group that would not

normally take part in sport activities· combine sport with play.The project is primarily aimed at 10 to

13-year old. At this stage, 75 schools and122 sports clubs are involved inHandslaget. Hopefully more will beinvolved as the project draws to an endin 3 years time.

Further information:Ms Lillian WesterbergCity of Stockholme-mail: Lillian.Westerberg@stockholmregion.org

BCB 2/200416

The Tallinn Edu-cationDepartment is

active in promoting education throughsport via �Tallinn Students� SchoolSport Games� project.The project has been implemented

under various names since 1922, whenthe Association of Tallinn SecondarySchool Sports Clubs was founded. Thecurrent students� sport games have beenheld since 1981, yet the aim has stayedthe same: to promote sports, healthylifestyles and positive attitudes into youth.Tallinn School Sport is a working,

dynamic system and quite unique inEurope. The sporting competitions spanover the entire school year, energizingsporting life at schools and giving almost13500 students the opportunity tocompete in various fields. There arechampionships in 14 fields: track and

STUDENTS�SPORT GAMES

Further information:Mr Wieslaw SeidlerWest Pomeranian Region YachtingAssociation, City of Szczecine-mail: biuro@zozz.com.pl

UNDER THE SAILS OFMARITIME EDUCATION

field athletics, relay race, relay swimming,checkers, chess, skiing, cross-countryrunning, orienteering, football, handball,basketball, badminton, volleyball andtable tennis.Start forcross-country runningChampionships are held for boys and

girls in two age groups: basic schools (13-15 years old) and upper secondaryschools (16-18 years old).All students inthese age groups in Tallinn�s schoolsystem are eligible and almost all of themare part of the process.Andres Vakra, Coordinator of the

project, considers the importance of thesustainability of the project: �The sportiveyoung person is healthy, with biggerworkability and always in goodmood. Theteachers have a significant role to educatethe young people with healthy attitudes.It is only natural that every student�s path

in sports starts with school spirit, anddefending his or her own alma mater.Winning is not everything, an activeparticipation and perseverance are heldin high regard.�

Further information:Mr Andres VakraCity of TallinnTel. +372 645 7883e-mail: Andres.Vakra@tallinnlv.ee

Maritime education brings new life style

Start for the cross-country running

Here in Szczecin�the maritime edu-

cation� means a real working educationmodel, resulting in positive effects bothfor the teachers and other people forwhom the sea is passion, including pupilsand alumni.Yachting becomes a style ofliving for many. Young citizensparticipate in the Maritime Educationof Children and Youth Programmeimplemented in Szczecin, probably theonly one arranged in Poland on such alarge scale. Developed for 10 years nowby the City Department of Education andPhysical Culture with the West-Pomeranian Yachting Association, theProgramme gathered nearly 75educational institutions of all types,starting from kindergartens, throughgrammar schools, special posts,institutions and yachting clubs for youth.More than 10 thousand children have

been covered by the programme, of which800 pupils annually are winners ofcompetitions and contests, or awardedprizes in form of participation in variousforms of training on water, from voyageson board the pleasure boats across theport, through first steps in yachtingtraining on the D¹bie Lake, to the mostdesired sea voyages on the City�s flagship�The Gift of Szczecin� or on the tall ship

the �Captain Głowacki�. Forfifteen years the future �sea dogs�have been acquiring theoreticalknowledge also in the �RadioSchool under The Sails� � theweekly live programme broadcastby the PolishRadio Szczecin. Someprogram graduates are at presentstudents of theMaritimeAcademy,the Szczecin Technical Universityor the University of Szczecin, withsailing licences, and they keeptaking part in voyages covered bythe program, but now as tutors and carers.This continuity of activities, from pre-

school pupils to secondary schoolgraduates and students, combined withrehabilitation character of the programmeand with gathering around it a greatnumber of teachers-volunteers is themainachievement. Every year they keep sailingfurther, under the sails of maritimeeducation in a dozen or so Baltic voyagesrounding up to nearly a hundred for 10years. The tenth anniversary of theprogramme, the 35th anniversary of the�Gift of Szczecin�, the 60th anniversaryof the Polish yachting in Szczecin � it isa good occasion to sail still further tothe North Sea, to the Atlantic Ocean,around the world. Before all this happens,one can take part in the races such as the

Tall Ships�Race.Numerous tall ships fromSzczecin participated in this year�s eventalong the route: Antwerp�Aalborg �Stavanger�Cuxhaven. Among them the�Gift of Szczecin�, with the maritime-educated crews on board, promotedSzczecin � the host port of the 2007 TallShips� Race. Large-sized tall ships andgreat �Tall Ships� Race� will be also thesubject of competitions and contents inthe new school year, giving the prizewinners a chance for a next sea adventure.

BCB 2/2004 17

In 1994 Turkulaunched a seven-

year project MOTION 2000 for thedevelopment of prerequisites forphysical activities by different Cityadministrative bodies together. Itsoperating model was finally formedinto a permanent practice uniquecountrywide, based on four strategies.The Physical activity counselling

aimed at encouraging e.g. customers ofthe Health and Social Welfare sectors torehabilitating physical activity. Theresults showed improvement in the basicphysical condition of the elderly inparticular.Working out of the lower limbshelped many older people abandonwalking sticks or rollators and continuenormal life at home.The Environmental Strategy focused on

intensifying the use of existing facilitiessuch as benches and improving them.Thus, the passive benches have becomefacilities that support active living. TheService Strategy drew attention to thedevelopment and production of districtservices for physical activities. There hasbeen rare instructed physical activitiesavailable for inactive adults in particular.Originally with three physical activity

instructors, and later onwith sixmore, wewere able to place instructors in each citydistrict. Together with sports clubs, they

MOTION 2000 TO IMPROVE HEALTH

The equipment of the popular �Wonder-land of Children�s Motion� encouragechildren to move

tailored services for people of differentages who were not used to be physicallyactive, says Minna Lainio, Head ofSection of Physical Activities in Sportsand Recreation Department.Children are encouraged to moveOrganised in Turku�s largest sports hall

and in a number of suburban schools,�TheWonderland of Children�s Motion�sets a successful example encouragingchildren to move. Every Sunday, nearly4,000 children with their families gathertogether to play with balls, buildingblocks and bouncingmattresses. The ideaoriginally came from Bergen, Turku�stwin city in Norway.All day nurseries in Turku � about 80 in

total � employ a person responsible forphysical activities and for regional stocks

of sporting equipment. Kinder-gartenteachers have been trained e.g. inswimming instruction. Consequently,elementary swimming instruction isgiven to each child in municipal day care.The goal of the Communication andMarketing Strategy was to spread themessage of suitable physical activities byTurku on the magazine that is distributedto the 100,000 local households threetimes per year. The magazine has beenpublished for ten years.Making physical activities a daily

routine. According to Minna Lainio, thebiggest challenge of the Sports Board isto activate the passive. The City will actas a mediator and co-ordinator betweenthe inhabitants, clubs and organisations.Sports clubs are usually dealing withactive people who knowwhat sports theyare interested in. The passive do not joinclubs and are easily passed unnoticed.Therefore, with different sectors, the Cityshould pay special attention to encouragethem to health enhancing physicalactivity to prevent national diseases suchas type 2 diabetes.

Further information:Mr Harri FalckCity of TurkuTel. +358 2 2627146e-mail: harri.falck@turku.fi

The key objectivesof the education

through sport campaign are to show thesociety, especially to the young people,that sport is very important in thedevelopment of the personality andsocial abilities, improving students andyoung people�s quality of leisure,fostering cooperation between sportand educational institutions. Thecampaign in connection to EYESstarted on January 1, 2004.The year of education through sport has

given new impulses to education andsport and stimulated a rebirth of physicalsport.Alongwith strengthening of sport�ssocial role and increased globalrecognition, acquisition of know-how ofeducation through sport as well as its

adaptation brings real and inevitablenecessity to formulate a personality forfull-fledged life.Secondary schools of Vilnius have

taken an active participation amongsports� games of the secondary schools.Vilnius city education and sports�institutions set to implement programsengaging children during summer;swimming training, etc. Theseprogrammes had a partial financial supportfromLithuanian Government andVilniusCity.One of the most impressive events was

The children and youth festival �Moveyour body, stretch yourmind� which tookplace on 1 May 2004 and was devoted tocommemorate the Lithuania�s accessionto the European Union as well as

Education through Sport 2004. On thatday different sport competitions,tournaments have been arranged in theparks ofVilnius.

Further information:MsVilma JunevicieneCity ofVilniuse-mail: sportas@vilnius.lt

Children and Youth festival �Move yourbody, stretch your mind�

EYES 2004 CAMPAIGN

BCB 2/200418

There is a wonderful annual traditionin town Viljandi - Sunday hikes, whichdestinations are beautiful natural placesand cultural sights. People ski in winter,but during summer, spring and autumnseason there are bicycle rides. Families,friends and also work companions take awalk together.The walks offer many opportunities to

discover and learn more about localhistory, nature and cultural heritage. Thedestinations of hikes have been oldmanorhouses, tourism farms and various kindof sights. Organisers have arrangedexcursions and concerts of national musicat the destinations. It is not difficult tofind destinations of the Sunday hikes,because Viljandi area is culturally andnaturally very rich.

The chosen destination places are farfrom the main roads where people go notso often. Usually there are 35 such eventsduring a year including 10 ski hikes andin total about 550 participants participatein different age participate in these hikes.At the end point participants are

welcome with hot or cold drinks and it ispossible to get an occasional stamp. Two-three times a year in connection withthose hikes a competition with prizes isorganised in order to activate morepeople.

Further information:Mr Igor TavasteCity of Viljandie-mail: krista@lv.viljandimaa.ee

SUNDAYHIKES

These hikes give two different experi-ences: one is the sports and on theother hand, it gives possibility to seeinteresting places and get more informa-tion about them. Hikes are great familyevents and it is fun to be together andput to the test the sports abilitiesbetween family members.

In the BCB 1/2004 we have published an interview withthe Mayor of the City of Kiel on her expectations relatedto the EU enlargement in the Baltic Sea region. By mis-take we have printed the wrong name of the Mayor ofKiel. The correct name of the Mayor of Kiel is AngelikaVolquartz.A person responsible for editing kindly apologizes forthis mistake.

CORRECTION

THE OLYMPIC IDEAWith establishing

this year the year of�Education Trough

Sport� all educational institutions inPruszczGdański have undertaken a lotof initiatives aiming at promoting therole of sport in education andpopularization of the Olympic idea.The activities undertaken by one of the

schools are worth noticing. A specialprogramme comprises the aim, tasks andways of carrying the enterprise into effect.Promoting the values connected with theOlympic idea and the rule of �Fair play�in sport and everyday life are superior inthe programme. Sport integrates differentfields of life, the local environmental(street, housing estate, quarter, city,commune), is meaningful in fighting eviland pathology, popularizes alternativelifestyle, is not expensive and is suitable

for financial abilities of school and othereducational institutions. The venueswere: the sports hall, computer rooms andclassrooms.Within the confines of the action

�Winter holiday in the city� teenagerswith their PE teachers took part in sportsactivities and competitions at the schoolsports hall and primary school swimmingpool. One of the schools was anorganizer of games within �Gimnazjada

Szkolna� and Provincial Olympics forSchool Children. The students ofgrammar school took part in a school artcontest �On the way to Athens� andschool Olympics knowledgecompetition. What is more, a literarycompetitions was carried out at the highschool level - the students wrote anessay related to the Olympic Games.Another point was a football tournament.Its aim was to integrate the schoolenvironment and show the funny andeducational aspects of sports rivalry.Secondary school students, teachers,and officials from theMunicipal Counciland districts authorities took part in thefootball tournament. In the teamconsisting of local government people aspecial guest from the Polish nationalfootball team has appeared. After thematch students had a chance to talk withMr Sokołowski about football and askquestions also about his private life. Aspart of the celebration of the EYES awomen volleyball match between themajor league squad �Energa-Gedania�Gdańsk and the team fromKiev (Ukraine)was held in the sports hall. After thematch there was an opportunity to meetthe players of both teams, talk to them,take photographs with them and get theirautographs.The above mentioned action was to

introduce the young people to the beautyof sport, the idea of �fair play� and showthem the useful ways of spending freetime. According to the authors anddirectors of the programme all those aimshave been achieved.

Further information:Ms Róża Lademann−BłochowiakCity of PruszczGdańskie-mail: larosa@go2.pl

Volleyball match between Gdañsk andKiev

Angelika VolquartzMayor of Kiel

BCB 2/2004 19

II. UBC TODAY41ST EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING IN RIGAThe 41st meeting of the UBCExecutive

Board was held on 15-16 October 2004in the City of Riga, upon the invitationof Mr Gundars Bojârs, Mayor of Riga,UBC Vice-President. The meeting wasdivided into the closed session attendedby the members of the Board and thegeneral session open to the commissions,cities and guests.The meeting in Riga raised a great

interest among the cities - over 70delegates from 32 member citiesparticipated in the open part.Additionally there was a workingmeeting of the leaders of UBCcommissions and networks in order tostrengthen the coordination betweenthese UBC working bodies. Also UBCNetwork on Youth Issues held its sessionin connection with the Board meeting.Observer status in CORSecretary General Paweł Żaboklicki

informed that UBC received an observerstatus to the Committee of the Regionswhich proves that Brussels recognizes thework carried out by our organisation.Through the participation in CORPlenary Sessions UBCwill have a chanceto influence the work and policies of thisimportant EU institution.VIII GC in TurkuThe Board decided that the theme of

the VIII UBC General Conference to beheld in Turku in 2005 will concern thetransportation corridors in the Baltic SeaRegion.Vice-PresidentArmas Lahoniittywarmly invited all member cities toattend the GC inTurku. UBC realises thatimprovement of transportation corridorsis crucial for further development of thewhole region. UBC received the ECconsultation document on �Motorways ofthe Seas� concept to be financed throughthe revised Trans-European NetworkTransport Guidelines. UBCwelcomes theCommission�s implementation frame-work of the �Motorways of the Seas� andhopes it will contribute to theimprovement of intermodal transpor-tation system in the BSR. Mr MikkoLohikoski, Turku, on behalf of the UBCLogistics Task Force invited all member

cities to Brussels on 24Novemberto discuss how we can benefitfrom the EU resources allocatedto this new initiative.BSR - 2010The Board supported the

conference �Baltic Sea Region-Perspective 2010� to be held inBrussels on 23 November 2004at the premises of the Committeeof the Regions. The conference isco-organised by several Brussels officesof our member cities. The aim of thisevent is to promote the Baltic Sea Regionamongst the Brussels policy actors�politicians, representatives of EUinstitutions, business community, NGOs,media. UBCwill take an active part in thisimportant forum. All member cities arewelcome to attend this conference.Cooperation with CAACIn July UBC signed the cooperation

agreement with the Conference ofAtlantic Arc Cities. UBC cooperationwith CAAC focuses on lobbying for citiesinterests as well as on facilitating jointprojects between our cities. Actingtogether make our voice stronger inBrussels. UBC and CAAC prepared ajoint comment on the EC communication�Dialogue with associations of localauthorities on the formulation of EUpolicy�. In this paper the Commissioninformed about launching annualhearings for associations to inform themabout its annual program and majorpolicy initiatives that have a significantlocal impact. In the statement sent to theEC President we welcomed anopportunity to meet the Commission onregular basis and at the same time weexpressed our opinion that organisationsshould not only be informed about EUpolicies but also should be given a chanceto influence them. Our reactionwas notedin Brussels. Director General of RegionalPolicy replied in a letter that annualmeetings �will offer the opportunity tothe associations to inform theCommission about the expectations oftheir members concerning thedevelopment of EU policies�.

Maritime bordersThe Board in Riga once again raised

the issue of maritime borders in the BalticSea Region. UBC wants the EuropeanCommission to treat themaritime bordersin the BSR in similar way as the landborders. We oppose the limit of 150 km -in case of BSR such distance can not beset definitely. We expect a more flexibleapproach taking into account historical,social, cultural and economical factors,in order to support the cross sea-bordercooperation between the Baltic cities.Cooperation with CBSSUBC cooperates closely with the

Council of the Baltic Sea States. At theBoard meeting in Riga the chairman ofCBSS Committee of Senior Officials MrJózef Wiejacz presented the priorities ofnew CBSS Presidency (Poland) andinformed about current CBSS initiatives.Mr Wiejacz stressed that CBSS highlyappreciates the practical and politicalwork carried out by the UBC. CBSSrepresentatives participate regularly inthe UBC meetings.Commissions&NetworksDuring the open session, eleven leaders

of UBC commissions & networkspresented the annual activity reportssince theGeneral Conference inKlaipëda,October 2003. The Board praised thecommissions & networks for the vastrange of projects, activities and eventscarried out in last 12 months andencouraged them to continue theirimportant work.

written byPaweł Żaboklicki

Secretary General

BCB 2/200420

WELCOME TO TURKU IN 2005!VIII GENERALCONFERENCE OF UBC

Further information:

Mr Mikko LohikoskiCity of Turkue-mail: mikko.lohikoski@turku.fi

UBC Secretariate-mail: info@ubc.netwww.ubc.net

4TH ABC URBAN PLANNING SEMINAR IN VILJANDI

Aura river landscape in Turku

* * * *

The City of Turku is proud to hostthe forthcoming General Conferenceof UBC in 2005. Although details ofthe contents and agenda will beannounced later, now it is the time tomark the dates in your calendars! -from Thursday, 29 September toSunday, 2 October 2005!- We are very proud that UBC has

chosen Turku for the venue of theConference, states Mr ArmasLahoniitty, Mayor of Turku and 1stvice-chairman of UBC. Turku will doits very best to ensure that themeetings as well as technicalarrangements will satisfy ourcolleagues from the Baltic sistercities, he promises.- According to Lahoniitty, Turku

has already started preparations to the

General Conference. He says that amongtopics to be discussed there will be issuessuch as Logistics in the Baltic SeaRegion, including Highways of the Sea,as well as how to strengthen the structuresand operating capacity of the UBC tomeet the expectations of member citiesin the enlarged Europe.

We hope that the Turku Conferencewill be an important milestone inUBC�s development. Our regionneeds strong structures to tap all thedevelopment potential it possesses.For this, we need a stronger UBC,emphasizes Mayor Lahoniitty, whowill end his long career after the UBCconference and retire from his post.

Further information:Mr Lars-GöranBoströmCommission on Urban PlanningCity ofUmeåe-mail: lars-goran.bostrom@umea.se

The 4th ABC-seminar was held inViljandi, in September 2004. The maintheme was �Culture and Nature meets theBuilt Environment�. The seminar startedwith a brief look at the urban structure ofTallinn.Afterwards the participants wentby bus to the city of Viljandi.A city architect and his colleagues gave

basic information on town planning ofViljandi and presented the Estonianplanning system. The group then took aguided tour around the city, also visitingthe sites to be subject of the workshops.During the workshops, proposals wereworked out for solutions and small-scaleinvestments related to three themes: 1)connecting the historical town with thetown centre, 2) wooden ecologicalhousing and 3) development of lakesidearea of Viljandi.After visiting the sites, the groups

worked intensively on conclusions andhow to present ideas and proposals oftheir tasks solutions. The results of theirwork were presented on the third day.Some best practice examples of urban

planning were also given from Porvoo,Lahti and Helsinki. A visit was made to

the city of Tartu, with the aim ofstudying the planning situation inTartu and the renewal of historicalwooden house areas. The seminargroup also gave feedback on thetotal ABC-project so far, anddiscussed the future of the ABC-method of common working withprofessional colleagues.The seminar had over 40

participants. The seminar reportwill be presented at the Gdyniaseminar in April 2005.ABC � Alliance of Baltic Cities, a

project run by the UBC Commission onUrban Planning and Design, is supportedby the BSR INTERREG IIIB. It createsa network of city planners and architectsfrom 27 cities in 8 UBC countries. TheLead Partner is the City of Malmö witharchitect Lars Brattberg as a projectleader.Within a project six seminars were

planned: in Kolding, Vaasa in 2003,Liepâja, Viljandi in 2004, and in Gdynia,Malmö in 2005.Each seminar starts with information

about the host city, and the planning

legislation in that country. Themain focusis then on workshops about actual localplanning problems, introduced by thehost city itself. Materials from thoseworkshops are compiled in a report.

Viljandi City Architect discussing planningquestions with the ABC seminar group

BCB 2/2004 21

The EMAS Peer Review for Citiesproject is drawing to a close and willshortly conclude with its Final Eventon November 3-5, 2004 in Gdańsk,Poland.The main aim is to share cities� further

plans and commitments concerningenvironmental management systems intheir own city and further collaborationbetween other cities. We discuss andanalyse our achievements and lessonslearned. The project main outputs -Workbooks for Implementation ofEMAS (European Union Eco-Management and Auditing Scheme)and carrying out Peer Review as wellas EU 6th EAP (Environment ActionProgramme) � EMASResearch � will beintroduced. Important developments atthe European level concerning UrbanThematic Strategy will be shared anddiscussed.The results will be disseminated via

project Newsletter and Web-site.

WELCOME TO

EMAS PEERREVIEW

Further information:Ms Tea NõmmannCommission on Environmente-mail: tea.nomann@turku.fi

COMMISSION ON TOURISM&BALTICWELCOME CENTRE IN KALMAR!

Women�s representation in thedecision-making in energy, transport andconstruction fields are studied in Climatefor Change - Gender Equality & ClimatePolicy project which is carried out incooperation betweenClimateAlliance andUBC EnvCom.The vision of the project is to achieve

a well-balanced participation of womenand men in decision-making processesrelevant to climate protection. Ten citiesfrom Germany, Italy, Finland andSweden carry out a local survey to get agood view of the representation ofwomenin climate change decision-making. Theresults are complemented with nationalstudies including facts and figures aboutgender equality in the climate changearea and framework conditions.The project will deliver a toolkit that

other cities can use to raise awareness onthis issue. A database of female expertsworking in the Climate area and a BestPractice database will be put together and

CLIMATE AND GENDERopen to public on the project web-site inthe autumn.At the second international meeting

21-22 June in Lahti, Finland, the citiesmet to exchange their experiences andto compare the studies that had beencarried out. Surprisingly for the cities,the differences were not as big as wasexpected.In the autumn, national meetings will

be organised to promote the project andthe outcomes of it to a broader public onthe local level. The national meetings forSweden and Finland will be co-organisedand will take place in Malmö on the 10of November (tbc).The project started in December 2003

and will be finalised in February 2005.

Further information:Ms Anna GranbergCommission on Environmente-mail: ubcenv@netti.fi

The seminar will take place in the Cityof Gdañsk (in the photo: the Crane)

Heartily welcome to Kalmar!

by Viktor Rydell, SecretaryCommission on Tourism

Further information:Mr Kyrre DahlChairman, Commission on TourismCity of Kalmare-mail: kyrre.dahl@kalmar.se

The Commission on Tourism meets inKalmar on November 10-12. This timethe meeting is combined with the finalconference of the UBC Interreg IIIBproject called �Baltic Welcome Centre�.The project will present its results fromthree years of activities, TouristInformation Centres (TIC), Internationalstandard for TIC, Marketing etc. TheBWC conference actually starts at Växjöon November 8-9, 2004 and thencontinues in Kalmar. The program offersa study visit to the Salve village and amedieval Kalmar from 1397 adventure.Salve is a new attraction in Kalmar,focusing on knowledge of the medievaltimes and especially pedagogical

activities for children. Salve village is aresult of another Interreg IIIB projectANCIENTIMES. More informationabout that project can be found at http://www.ancientimes.net.If you would like to participate in the

meeting or read about the conference,please visit the conference homepagehosted by the City of Kalmar: http://www.kalmar.se/konferens/BWC-mote/UBC.The Commission on Tourism annual

meeting this year will, amongmany otherthings, discuss a new SteeringCommittee.

BCB 2/200422

The 20 cities and 20 other partners inthe project Baltic University UrbanForum have taken part in 9 BestPractice workshops in the 9 out of the10 themes during the project period ofone and a half year. The theme still tobe addressed is theWasteManagementand this will be done during the BUUFseminar on October 30, in Turku.Apart from organising Best Practice

seminars the project activities are toreview the cities� sustainability plans,monitor the improvements throughindicators, produce benchmarkingreports and 10 guidebooks. An advisory

council with scholars representing all thethemes will support this process. During2005 the project focus will be on themonitoring of the progresses but also theorganisation of integrated seminarsaddressing a number of themes forexample waste, waste water and energymanagement.The project is coordinated by a steering

committee at the Royal Institute ofTechnology (KTH) in Stockholm, inwhich BUP and UBC EnvCom as wellas the municipality of Nacka takes part.UBC EnvCom coordinates the work onthe sustainability indicators andcoordinates the project with Europeanprojects on the topic.

BALTICUNIVERSITYURBANFORUMGOESINTEGRATED

FIRST STEPS TO IMPLEMENT GOODPRACTICESWithin the feasibility study, the

ten cities taking part in theTBestC have now handedreports based on the infor-mation collected at their studyvisits. The findings show that itis possible to transfer thepractices and the first steps toimplementation are underway.The target cities for transfer,

Liepâja, Riga, Kaliningrad, Sopot,Sillamäe, Jelgava and Cçsis havenow visited the origins of the goodpractices: Kristiansand, Kaliningrad,Malmö and Turku, and are preparingimplementation of the good practices.The way for this is being paved byspecific feasibility studies.The findings in the feasibility studies

clearly indicate that it makes sense totransfer and adapt the good practicesfrom one city to the other. Actually, mostof the target cities have already taken thefirst practical steps towards theimplementation. The final conclusionsand experiences of the whole �transferexercise� will be presented at the finalseminar in Turku on 27 October and willthereby be available also for a wideraudience of cities outside the project.Before the final meeting, there is still

one very interesting activity left for theproject cities. They go on a study visit tothe U.S. to learn from activities takingplace over seas. The project group was

ENVCOMMEETS IN TURKU

in Portland visiting different environ-mental projects. This has been madepossible thanks to the partnership withthe U.S. Baltic Sea Regional Environ-mental Office.The whole project will close by the end

of 2004. The final report covering allactivities and especially lessons learntwill be disseminated to all UBC membercities and all interested can get it also bycontacting the EnvCom Secretariat. Asecond phase of the project is underplanning with the purpose of facilitatingthe implementation of the practices.The TBestC project has received co-

funding from the Nordic Council ofMinisters and Finnish Ministry of theEnvironment.

BUUF seminar which was held in Örebroin September. The man cycling is Mr LarsRyden from Uppsala University, theleader of the Baltic University Programme

photo Peter FagerströmFrom left Eugeniya Ilina from ECAT Kaliningrad,Magdalena Leszczyñska-Czeczatka from Sopotand Elisabeth Helle from Kristiansand duringthe TBestC workshop in Sundsvall in April

Further information:Mr Dick Urban WestbroKTH-Infrastrukture-mail: dickurba@infra.kth.se

Back-to-back with the conferenceTowards Waste-Free Lifestyles, on27th October, the Annual Meeting ofUBCCommission onEnvironmentwasorganised in Turku.The meeting discussed inter alia UBC

input to current European Policydevelopment on Urban Environment,prepared for Baltic Cities sustainabledevelopment survey 2004-2005, andnominated the Editorial Board for BalticCities Environmental Bulletin. UBCEnvCom Secretariat, in cooperation withACRR (Association of Cities andRegionsfor Recycling), launched a new projectinitiative at the Waste-free Lifestyles

conference. This initiative was alsodiscussed and finetuned by the EnvCommeeting, and interested cities wereinvited to join. The goal of this project isto share experiences and promotematerial efficiency in Baltic Cities.ACRRwill bring into the project insightsfrom other parts of Europe. Moreinformation on the meeting and on thenew initiative can be obtained fromUBCEnvCom Secretariat.

Further information:Mr Risto VeivoCommission on Environmente-mail: risto.veivo@netti.fi

Further information:MsAnna GranbergCommission on Environmente-mail: anna.granberg@turku.fi

BCB 2/2004 23

BICYCLEWORKSHOP

The first meeting in 2004 for theCommission on Transportation tookplace inKaunas, Lithuania, 10-11 June2004. 55 participants from 22 differentcities in the Baltic Sea Region came tothe City Municipality Hall in Kaunasto participate in the conference.From a questionnaire sent out during

autumn 2003, and also from discussionsat previous meetings, we learnt that manyTransCom members felt the need formore information about EuropeanTransport Projects and fundingpossibilities. Since the Baltic countriesand Poland just entered the EU, it wasnow the right time to discuss andexchange ideas about what funding

EUROPEAN TRANSPORT PROJECTS& ANNUAL MEETING

In the first week of September 2004,6th-7th, 18 persons fromEstonia, Latvia,Poland andSweden gathered inÖrebroto participate in a bicycle workshop,organised by the city of Örebro andUBC Commission on Transportation.Afirst bicycle seminarwas held inCçsis

(Latvia) in September 2002, and that timean idea was born to organise a smallerworking meeting for bicycle plannersaround the Baltic Sea to work aroundconcrete problems and questions. Themain problems for the new EU-memberstates are that cycling is traditionally notpart of the city transportation and theinfrastructure for cycling is very poor.The first day started off with a

presentation of Örebro as a �Bicyclefriendly city�. Then the National RoadAdministration presented a project wherea 4 km long bicycle lane has been plannedand built, as an example of how you canhandle all kinds of problems in a citycentre, along busy streets and in housingareas. In the afternoon the whole groupwas taken on a bicycle tour aroundÖrebroto see and to test how that bicycle networkhad worked in practice.The day after was dedicated to the

workshop. Apart from a presentation ofsome practical examples from Malmö,the group has had a lively discussion.Issues such as a bicycle network, a needfor single/double directed bicycle lanes,safety, security, road signing,information, marketing and influencingbehaviour were treated.The Commission on Transportation

would like to thank all participants andthe City of Örebro for planning andhosting the seminar.

Two commissions of UBC, theCommission on Transportation and theCommission on Environment arepreparing an application for the 7th callof Interreg IIIB Baltic Sea Region. Thepurpose of the proposed project is toinvite cities to work with Transport andUrban planning issues with the aim tomove towards a more sustainable andintegrated planning process in the city.There are envisaged to be three groupsof cities in the project depending on whatstate they are in their Sustainableplanning process; beginners,intermediates and forerunners. Afeasibility study mapping the state of theart in the cities will be made inNovember-December 2004. If your city

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT ANDURBAN PLANNING

possibilities there are in the sustainabletransport field. The speakers from theEuropean Commission and fromSwedishAssociation of Local Authorities gave aninsight in priorities within EU andInterreg funding possibilities.After the more �theoretical� aspects,

speakers from the Guidemaps project,Göteborg, Tallinn, Malmö, Gdynia andKaunas showed some practical examplesand their experiences from different typesof European projects.The following day, 11 June, theAnnual

Commission Meeting took place. Theparticipants discussed, among otherthings, how the commission could work,how to use the network as efficient aspossible, what could be the future topicsfor seminars etc.The Commission on Transportation

would like to thank all participants andthe City of Kaunas for hosting theseminar and the Annual meeting.

Further information:Ms Lisa SundellCommission on TransportationCity of Göteborgtranscom.ubc@trafikkontoret.goteborg.se

is interested, please contact the UBCEnvCom or the UBCTransCom for moreinformation.

Further information:

Ms Sofie VennerstenCommission on Transportsofie.vennersten@trafikkontoret.goteborg.se

Mr Sakari SaarinenCommission on Environmente-mail: sakari.saarinen@turku.fi

* * * *

A press conference during the meetingof the Commission on Transportation

Presentations of bicycle practicalexamples during the meeting in Örebro

BCB 2/200424

THE 3RD UBC IS COM MEETING IN TAMPEREThe 3rd meeting of the UBC IS COM

was held in connection with theseminar �Baltic Sea Cooperation in theChanging Europe - the 10th AnniversarySeminar of the Baltic Institute ofFinland� (BIF) organized in TampereonOctober 20, 2004.The speakers of the high-level

anniversary seminar of BIF included e.g.the Finnish Foreign Minister Mr. ErkkiTuomioja, St. Petersburg Vice GovernorMr. Valery Tikhonov, Director of BalticDevelopment Forum Mr. Ole Frijs-Madsen andMr. Adam Rotfeld, Secretaryof State of the PolishMinistry of ForeignAffairs.The UBC IS COM meeting took place

in Tampere after the BIF seminar onThursday 21 October, and it consisted ofa general session and the following threeworkshops under the main theme

�Promoting eGovernment in the BalticCities�:Workshop 1: eCardsWorkshop 2: eParticipationWorkshop 3: eInfrastructureNew eGovernment related project

initiatives between the Baltic Cities werediscussed and elaborated in theworkshops.UBC IS COM aims at promoting and

accelerating development of informationsociety in the UBC member cities byfacilitating exchange and disseminationof experiences, information, bestpractices and successful applications oftechnical innovations acquired in localinformation society activities. The goalis to enhance knowledge and capacitiesof the local authorities responsible forinformation society issues to design,develop and manage innovative

information society policies andactivities.UBC IS COM activities follow and

support the guidelines, strategies andgeneral objectives set out in eEurope,eRussia, Northern eDimension andvarious national e-initiatives promotingthe Information Society development inthe Baltic Sea Region.Dr. Sergey Zhdanov, Chairman of the

Committee for Informatization andCommunications of the St. PetersburgAdministration, acts as the UBC IS COMChairman. The Baltic Institute of Finlandoperates as the Commission Secretariat.

Further information:Mr Esa KokkonenCommission on Information SocietyCity of Tamperee-mail: esa.kokkonen@tampere.fi

NEWS FROM THE COMMISSIONON BUSINESS COOPERATION

The participants of the Commission�s meeting infront of the Kronoborg Castle in Växjö

Further information:Mr Lennart GårdmarkCommission on Business CooperationCity ofVäxjölennart.gardmark@kommun.vaxjo.se

In-between the yearly meetings severalbilateral or multilateral meetings takeplace covering more in detail subjects ofparticular interest for the membersinvolved. Växjö has, for example,organised such meetings with Kolding,Kaunas and Tampere on subjects relatedto Science Parks, Science Centres, ITClusters, Shopping Centres, cityattractiveness as a business developmentfactor, etc. Some of these visits anddiscussions have led to EU projectproposals.Tampere�s projectTampere, when chairing the

Commission, was asked to organise aproject: Developing a Technology Parkand Business Incubator Concept inLithuanian Cities. The overall aimbehind the project was to promote andsupport innovative entrepreneurship inthe cities of Klaipëda and Panevezys byimproving the services of existingregional support structures, new businessdevelopment services developed forresearch-based and technology-orientedsmall and medium sized enterprises(SMEs) and start-up entrepreneurs.

Klaipëda Regional DevelopmentAgency was the project leader andthe Baltic Institute of Finland wasthe Finnish coordinator. Financedby PHARE CBC Small ProjectFund (Lithuania), the kick-offmeeting was held in Klaipëda onApril 6, 2004 and the last meeting washeld in September. There are currentlydiscussions going on regarding acontinuation of the project.The Commission�s meeting in VäxjöThe meeting, chaired by the Chairman

Lennart Gårdmark was held at the VäxjöUniversity Campus on 10-12 June 2004gathering representatives from 15 cities.The presentations covered subjects

such as:- Videum Science Park,- Växjö City Branding,- InternetCity, the regional IT Cluster,

and Web Service Competence Center,- BioEnergy Småland � Expo Växjö,

the regional bioenergy export clusters:city, university and companies,- Växjö University,- Swedish Business Incubators,- Swedish Industrial Design,

- Young Entrepreneurs,- Accelerators versus Incubators.During the second day other subjects

were discussed and representatives ofvisiting cities made very interestingpresentations. It was also emphasised thatthe city planning is a rather importantfactor for business development. The newmembers gave introductory informationabout their cities. The City of Tallinnextended an invitation to the 2005meeting and the main themes of thatevent were already discussed. Turkudeclared its willingness to host themeeting in 2006.

BCB 2/2004 25

WOMEN´S NETWORK SEMINAR

MEETING POINT OF DIFFERENT CULTURES

Nordic Forum. As a member of theInternational Programme Committee theco-ordinator participated in the planningprocess of the 10thAnniversary Seminarof the Nordic Forum that took place inTurku12-13.8.2004.TheSeminar, arrangedby the Nordic Council of Ministers, Cityof Turku and Åbo Akademi Universitygathered ca 500 participants from 11countries to evaluate how the themesfrom ten years ago have progressed. UBCWomen�s Network was given a quotawhichmade it possible to invite interestedmembers to participate in this processcampaigning for equal opportunities foreveryone in accordance to the theme ofthe seminar �Equal Opportunities � forWoMen�. The seminar reviewed thethemes through working life, socialinfluencing, as well as private and familylife. In addition,women trafficking aswellas violence towards women and itsconsequences received a great deal ofattention.Women�s Network seminar. The

theme for the seminar, that was organisedon October 14, was �Municipalities andGender Equality in Baltic Sea Region andas a Nordic Dimension�. The Women�sNetwork discussed iter alia: the programfor the autumn, the importance of awoman to be elected to UBC Presidium,

common projects and answers tothe questions: how to promoteGender Equality Cooperation; howto create a supportive environmentfor Gender Equality Policy, how tostrengthen the role of women indecision-making and politics andhow to use Women�s Network toenhance that purpose?It was extremely important to get

the views of some very prominentwomen in politics andadministration from Russia, Estonia andLithuania, the representatives from LakeVictoriaWomen�s Network and to get thegrass-root opinions from the women�scentres in Kalmar and Turku.The participants formulated project-

ideas (to be further developed) andexpressed many important thoughtsanswering the questions above. One ofpresented ideas was to build a permanentstructure within the UBC consisting ofrepresentatives from UBC commissionsand networks, representatives from UBCcities and Women�s NGO�s andresearchers. This structure could be usedas well as an advisory or as a consultativecommittee with the goal to implementcommon standards on equalopportunities, rights, freedom andresponsibilities and to promote policies

Students made a time travel to 70sand 80s

to helpmember cities to developmunicipalequality plans, promote standards andnorm, to promote gender mainstreaming.Two women from the LVRLAC

Women�s Network participated in theseSeminars. One of the best experiencesfrom these days in Turku was thatwomen�s organisations and groups arecooperating to become stronger. In orderto obtain that goal LVRLAC Women�sNetwork would like to get in touch withdifferent UBC member cities for furthercooperation.

Further information:Ms Ulla LundqvistUBCWomen´s NetworkCity of Turkue-mail: ul@feminaaboensis.com

The method used, circulating people in so calledLearning cafés, made it possible for everybodyto participate in the dialogue

Further information:Ms Annely VeevoCommission on EducationCity of KärdlaTel. +372 463 20 10e-mail: Annely.Veevo@kertel.ee

The 4th UBCYouth Camp took placeon the island Hiiumaa on 13-18 June2004. Over twenty young people fromEstonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finlandand Swedenmet atKõpu to develop theproject �Weremy parents Europeans?� 1970�s - 1980�s�.Each group had to prepare an overview

presentation and an exhibition of thatperiod. During the camp days thestudents participated in severalworkshops to discuss fashion, music,dance and everyday life of seventies andeighties. It was a pleasant surprise for thestudents to find out that there had beenfew differences in the discussed topics.Along with those thematic discussions,

other interesting actions took place.Islanders appreciate the cleanenvironment so one day all the members

of the camp went to clean the beach. Theaim was to sort out the garbage broughtby the sea and by people. The studentsenjoyed the extreme walk to Tahkunabankers, a trip to the neighbouring islandSaaremaa and the sights of Hiiumaaguided by the Estonian students.Some of the students´ opinions: Maris

thinks that the camp was just great. She

would do it over and over again. Stiinaenjoyed the workshops. The themes andthe workshops also gave a chance to gettogether with different people. It wasinteresting and easy to discuss the topicswith the open-minded people. After thecleaning of the beach Aaro found it muchmore important to keep the nature clean.Kersti knows that she will never forgetthe time she spent in this camp and hopesthat there will be many more interestingprojects like that one.

by Diana Liivat and Milvi Tikka

BCB 2/200426

NETWORK ON YOUTH ISSUES SETS ITS GOALSThe working group of the Network

on Youth Issues worked out the mostimportant issues for theNetworkwhichare inter alia: to organise the youthconference, to present and promote theYouth Chronicle and the website andlast but not least is to fond a way toincrease young peoples possibility toaffect both the UBC and locally in themember cities.

For the first time a working group(WG) met in Kalmar, Sweden inFebruary 2004. At the meeting the aimsand goals of the Network were discussed.Among other things it was decided towork towards a youth Conference in2005, where also several young peopleoutside of the Network will have thepossibility to take part. It was also decidedthat the Network should produce a

booklet with chronicleswritten by young peoplearound the Baltic Sea, set upawebsite of the Network andto keep working on invitingparticipants from countriesthat are not participatingtoday.The following WG

meeting took place inKolding, Denmark in May.The Network haddiscussions how they shouldbe able to monitor theagenda and documents of the

BALTIC PEARLS AND ARS BALTICAAStrand ofBaltic Pearls:AHistory of

Cities in the RegionThe working meeting on a previously

approved book and lecture �A Strand ofBaltic Pearls: A History of Cities in theRegion� was planned to be held inSzczecin in October 2004. That meetingwas postponed and it will take place onthe beginning of the next year on Visby,Sweden.The authors who will contribute to the

book and the related lecture series willbe invited to discuss their efforts ingreater detail. There will be prof. Jan M.Piskorski, the leader of this project; prof.Nils Blomkvist fromGotlands UniversityCollege, Centre for Baltic Studies; prof.Alvydas Nikzentaitis from LithuanianInstitut of History; prof. Jens E. Olesenfrom History Institute of the GreifswaldUniversity and prof.Edward Włodarczykfrom History Institute of the SzczecinUniversity.Ars Baltica ForumThe Ars Baltica Forum held on

September 23-25, 2004 inGdańsk, was thevenue where representatives of policymakers, cultural operators and artists

discussed the conditions and challengesfor the cultural cooperation in the BalticSea Region.The Forum was organised by the Ars

Baltica Secretariat at the Baltic SeaCulture Centre in Gdańsk and the ArsBaltica Organizing Committee. TheForum�s cooperation partners are thePolishMinistry of Culture and the Officeof the Marshall of the PomeranianVoivodship.The UBC General Secretary Paweł

Żaboklicki, the Chairman of theCommission on Culture SławomirSzafrański and editor of theMareArticummagazine Magdalena Lewoc wererepresentatives of the UBC during thismeeting.Mrs Lewoc presented the magazine,

that from 1999 holds the Ars BalticaLogo, and Mare Articum editorial boardplans for the future. Mr Szafrańskiproposed to organise ameeting of culturalnetworks that are active in the Baltic SeaRegion. It could be possible to organiseit together with Les Rencontresassociation based in Paris at thebeginning of 2006 in Vilnius, Lithuania.

UBC Commission on Culture vowed totake a more pro-active stance indeveloping the network of culturalinstitutions in UBC member cities. Thisincludes more frequent correspondencewith city officials and those from localinstitutions about ongoing and incomingcultural events and efforts to improve thefrequency of information updates on theUBC web site.

Further information:Ms Marlena ChybowskaCommission on CultureCity of SzczecinTel. +48 91 4245660e-mail: mchybow@um.szczecin.pl

UBC from a youth point of view and itwas decided that each participant withinthe Working Group shall take part of theinformation from the networks andcommissions. The website was also animportant issue for the Network since itis essential to reach out with informationto enable the members to get in contactwith each other more efficiently.The Working Group (WG) consists of

one youth representative and one civilservant rom eight member cities, an EUadvisor, a representative from Baltic SeaSecretariat for Youth Affairs, Kiel and arepresentative from Kumulus, Kalmar (aSwedish project on developing theinternational dimension in the youthpolitics).

Further information:Ms Sara PerssonNetwork on Youth IssuesCity of Kalmare-mail: sara.persson@kalmar.seNetwork on Youth Issues last meeting in Riga,

15 October 2004

BCB 2/2004 27

The Association of Cities andRegions for Recycling (ACRR) inpartnershipwith theCity ofTurku andthe Turku Waste ManagementCompany organised Towards Waste-Free Lifestyles European conferenceon local authority actions. Theconference took place in Turku,Finland on October 29, 2004.A growing generation of waste

characterizes lifestyles in industrialisedcountries. Each European producesalready 500 kg of household waste duringone year. This is the visible side ofconsumption. The hidden sidecorresponds to 3500 kg of industrialwaste and 50000 kg of natural resources.For instance, manufacturing a 5-gramgold ring requires the extraction andprocessing of about 3000 kg of resources.Thus, it is crucial not only to focus on

waste but also to consider the productsand resources behind it. This requires theinvolvement of all actors of theproduction and the consumption chain.The attitudes and demands of

consumers influence the development ofmore environmentally-friendly productsand services. Consumers need support

TOWARDS WASTE-FREE LIFESTYLESand ideas to change their behaviour.Withadequate information, they can bringconcrete changes to the consumption ofresources and the production of waste.Local and regional authorities are in a

good position to raise awareness of theirconstituencies. They are the closest publicactors to citizens. They represent areliable and credible source ofinformation. They also have influence onmany aspects of waste management. Assuch, cities and regions are the centraldrivers of resource management as wellas of the development of a localsustainable culture.The conference gathered waste

management actors from Europe andRussia with the aim to review the actionsof local authorities to tackle the above-mentioned issues and to facilitate theexchange of experience between new andolder EU Members and Russian CitiesThe conference was tailored for

decision-makers and experts from citiesand regions, industry and NGOs. Theydiscovered local efforts to reduce wasteat each stage of the consumption chain.They gained new ideas and tools toimplement actions in their communities.

Plenary sessions and parallel workshopsfacilitated exchanges and dialogue.Visits to various waste management

facilities and project sites were organisedon October 29, to discover and to learnhow sustainable waste managementpractices were organized in Finland.The conferencewas a part of the project

ELISEE (Encouraging Local InitiativesFor Sustainable Lifestyles in EnlargedEurope) which receives financial supportfrom the European Community.

Further information:Ms Maria EkbladCity of Turkue-mail: Maria.ekblad@turku.fihttp://www.acrr.org/wastefreelifestyles

The conference �Baltic Sea Region -Perspective 2010� takes place inBrussels on 23 November at theCommittee of the Regions premises.The aim of the conference is to confirm

the Baltic Sea Region as a model regionin Europe, to discuss the futuredevelopment and the necessary actionsthat need to be taken and indeed topromote Baltic Sea Region cooperationamongst Brussels policy actors.

CONFERENCE �BALTIC SEA REGION -PERSPECTIVE 2010� IN BRUSSELS

The conference is jointly organised byCity of CopenhagenHanse-OfficeMecklenburg-Vorpommern EU-OfficeTallinn EU OfficeStockholm RegionSouth Denmark HouseOslo Region European OfficeCity of MalmöCity of Helsinki

The expected participants of the eventare: politicians (COR, EP, national,regional, local), representatives from theEU institutions, academics, thepermanent representations in Brussels,the business community, NGOs and themedia. UBCwill take an active part in theconference.

Further information:www.kk.dk/baltic-conference

BCB 2/200428

III. NEWS FROM MEMBER CITIES

International National Mino-rities Festival in Jõhvi

On 15-17 July 2004 the town of Jõhvihosted a lot of people of differentnationalities living not only in Estoniabut also from abroad to celebrate thenational minorities festival called �APot of National Cultures in Ida-ViruCounty�.

Hipotherapy � a Good Elementfor a Resort City

Hipotherapy as a method includesphisical, psychological, pedagogicaland social rehabilitation by use ofhorseback riding an aim of which is toimprove, restore partly lost orcompensate completely lost functionsof movement.Hipotherapy also improves self-balance

and coordination by normalising themuscular tonus as well as increasing self-confidence. As a method it includes not

Children andYouth�sCentre

CçsisChildren andYouth�s Centre isone of the largest education establish-ments, out of 172 of them throughoutLatvia, providing a rich choice of well-organized and interesting extra-schoolactivities for Cçsis children andyoungsters. Everyone has his leisure,spare hours, which could be spent onrecreation, entertainment, physicaland mental development.CCYC offers many-sided possibilities

for self-expression, development ofabilities and talents. Every year CCYCoffers educational programmes in visualapplied arts, technical crafts, culturaleducation and areas. More than 1200youngsters willingly attend these activitygroups.The widest and richest in traditions are

activities in visual and applied arts.Drawing, painting, pottery, wood-working, wicker works, work withdifferent nature materials, knitting,crocheting, dress-making, sewing,weaving, silk-painting � all these makeup only a small part of the numerouspossibilities. It is pleasant to see thatregardless of the ever-growing influenceof modern technologies such ascomputers on our everyday life there arestill children and young people who arereally interested in needle-work, keen todevelop their abilities and talents, acquirenew skills for their future life. Even theparticipants themselves consider self-made articles much better to those boughtin shops. They make small householdarticles, things for everyday use, and nicepresents for friends. Cçsis Children andYouths� Centre�s creative work is

only medical rehabilitation but also horseriding sports for disabled people andrecreation measures.There was established the only one

institution of hipotherapy in Latvia, inJûrmala seven years ago. It is attendedby 90 pacients per month. Thecompetition �Calk� for disabled peoplewas organized for the first time in 1999in cooperation with Jûrmalamunicipalityand The National Hipotherapyassociation of Latvia.

Further information:Ms Anita GetauteCity of JûrmalaTel. +371 77 64446e-mail: gita@jpd.gov.lv

Hipotherapy specialist helps to becomefriends

The festival starts with a marchChildren and Youth Centre providesextra activities for youngsters

regularly reflected in annual exhibitions,which are so popular with Cçsis public(and well-attended by them).TheCentre offers also different culture-

educational activities - concerts, contests,shows as well as organizes holiday campsin summer.In recent years the work of Cçsis

youngsters has become more interestingand active. They themselves take anactive part in solving different problems,organizing parties, youth days. They arethe authors of a lot of original ideas andgood organizers, too.Cçsis Children and Youths� Centre is

rich in traditions and has gained a greatpopularity among Cçsis children andyoungsters. CCYC is well supported bythe children�s parents, local and regionalgovernment.Research work has been regularly

carried out at CCYC. Everything is beingdone to find out the children andyoungsters� interests to offer the activitygroups meeting their needs and desires.Every year there are opened some newactivity groups giving our young peoplenew possibilities of self-expression,evoking their interests.

Further information:Ms Ieva MalcenieceCoordinator of Foreign AffairsCçsisCity CouncilTel. + 371 4124702ieva.malceniece@dome.cesis.lv

BCB 2/2004 29

Almost 500 participants came to takepart in the festival and they introducedtheir national culture and showed theirdances, songs and folkmusic. There werealso four delegations from abroad �Uzbek people, Lithuanians andByelorussian and Finnish culture groups.The festival included discussions on theproblems of the development possibilitiesfor national minorities in the EuropeanUnion.Ida-Viru County, a border Estonian

region, is known for its ethnic diversity.This is partly due to the large-scale oilshale-based industry here as people from

all over the former Soviet Union came towork in its mines and factories. Foralmost 10 years folk culture societies ofdifferent nationalities have been active,teaching their native language andculture.For three days people could visit the

handicraft fair and workshops. Theparticipants of the festival were especiallyinterested in national food: Chuvashconfectionery products and health drink,Uzbek plov (rice pilaf), Hungarian hand-made candy, Ukrainian pies, etc. Thecostume chess game also attracted a lotof attention � the game was shown onthe Central Square of the town and thecounterparts were the culture societies ofnational minorities and the delegationfrom the European Commission. Thebattle that began with the king�s gambitended in the 21st move with a friendlydrawwhich in away symbolised that evenin the European national minorities willhave their place in a nation-state.This festival was organised by the Jõhvi

City Government and supported by theDirectorate General for Education andCulture of the European Commission.

Further information:Ms Lea KüngasCity of JõhviTel. +372 3363749e-mail: lea.kungas@Jõhvilv.ee

European Meetings � New EU,New challenges

Between May 26th and 30th, 2004,within the framework of the town-twinning program, the delegationsfrom Berlin, Neubrandenburg,Neumünster, Roermond, Gladsaxe,Bourges, Seinäjoki and Kristianstadtook part in the �European Meetings�in Koszalin. Common meetings,discussions, sightseeing, visitingdisplays and cultural institutions wereplanned to indicate cultural diversityof Europe.The �European Meetings� can be

treated as an undeniable success. One ofthe most significant consequences of theevent was a partnership agreementbetween the city of Koszalin and the cityof Kristianstad (Sweden). The spirit ofcooperation that prevailed duringnumerous conferences held by that timeenabled all the parties to conduct

constructive talks which will certainlyresult in better cooperation at all levelsof the functioning of Europeancommunities. Meetings of such kind areplatform to create new quality ofcooperation between local communitieswhich constitute the basis of theEuropean Union.A conference that took place in the

Technical University was devoted to theidea of promotion and supporting younggeneration of Europeans. In theMunicipal Culture Center, therepresentatives of twin-cities met at aconference on the exchange ofexperiences in provision of aid to disabledpeople in the light of the European Union

regulations. There was also displayed amedia presentation in order to make theguests familiar with Koszalin itself, itslocality and numerous advantages of theKoszalin region. Issues such as culture,education, sport and the development oftourism were also discussed at theconference.One of the focal points of the event was

to integrate youth from the twinningtowns since actions targeted at youngpeople have the greatest chances to bringlong-lasting effects. Young Europeanswho visited Koszalin had the opportunityto get to know with Polish teenagers. Ina historic �Executioner�s House�, a playwas performed by a youth theatricalgroup from Denmark. There was also ameeting organized in the �Club of theEuropean in Koszalin. Young peoplegave a presentation on the EuropeanUnion and expressed their attitudetowards the accession of new countries.Pupils fromKoszalinMusic College gave

a concert of classic music in thePhilharmonic of Koszalin and dancegroups from twin towns presented theirdancing skills during InternationalModern Dance Tournament.

Further information:Ms Joanna SochaCity of KoszalinTel. +48 94 348 87 97e-mail:joanna.socha@um.man.koszalin.pl

The participants of the �European Meetings� at an inaugural meeting on 26th May2004 in Koszalin

* * * *

BCB 2/200430

CultureCapital of Europe 2010

The Hanseatic City of Lübeck isapplying for the title of �CultureCapital of Europe 2010� in competitionwith 11 other German cities. The finaldecision will be made in late 2005 orearly 2006.In order that cities in all of the 25 EU

member states will have a chance to sharein the contest in the foreseeable future,two European cities will hold thisdistinguished title in 2010, as it hassometimes been the case in the past.Beside the German city there will be aEuropean cultural capital in Hungary aswell.Lübeck is optimistic about obtaining

the title � and there are many reasonswhy it has such a good chance. Even inthe past the old Hanseatic city profitedfrom a cultural infrastructure far superiorto that of other German cities of its sizedue to its status as an independent city-state, which lasted until 1937. Thehistorical centre of Lübeck has a wealthof historical buildings, which is why theOld City has been protected as part ofthe UNESCO Cultural Heritage since

ThePlaque ofHonour

The Municipality of Karlskrona hasbeen awarded the Council of Europeprize the Plaque of Honour in aceremony during the Baltic SailFestival last summer.Mr Benno Zierer, former German

member and honorary member of theParliamentary Assembly of the Councilof Europe, delivered the Plaque ofHonourto the Mayor of Karlskrona Mr MatsJohansson, framed by fluttering flags andblaring trumpet fanfares.In the justification for the prize was

announced that many citizens ofKarlskrona had been participants ininternational contacts especially inKaliningrad,Lithuania,Poland,Germanyaswell asDenmark, Finland andNorway.Mr Zierer meant that the award was an

encouragement to new efforts in theinternational work. Mr Johanssonexpressed pressure and pride in that theMunicipality of Karlskrona is the onlymunicipality in Sweden that has got thePlaque of Honour.As early as fourteen years ago we did

see possibilities in cooperation withKlaipëda and some years later withGdynia. On many levels we have had aconscious strategy, said Mr Johansson,and he considered that the internationalwork would give positive effects in tradeand economic growth as well. Thecooperation is not only economicmatters;it is to a great intent human exchangee.g. tourism, culture and town twinning.

Further information:Mr Lars FryksénCity of Karlskronae-mail: lars.fryksen@karlskrona.se

Project Baltic CruiseCommences

Twelve ports in ten countries fromthe Baltic Sea Region have joinedtogether to form a major new cruisepartnership, in order to create oppor-tunities for continued growth in thenumbers of incoming cruise ships tothe Baltic.The Baltic Cruise is the largest ever

project of international cooperationwhere, together with the leading ports ofthe region, Klaipëda City Municipality,State Seaport Authority and Tourism andCulture Information Center will takepart. The number of the project partnersamounts to 23 institutions - one or twofrom Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki,Oslo, Turku, Rostock, Kalmar, Gdynia,Riga, Tallinn and St.Petersburg(observer). Partners and sponsors also areSASGroup and Rezidor SAS, which are,respectively, official airline and hotelpartners.TheBaltic Cruise project will be based

around two specific areas: developingdestinations, and joint marketing. Theoverall aim of this cruise tourismpartnership will be to ensure 20%increase in cruise ship guests coming tothe region and a 4% increase in the Balticregion�s market share of cruise shipsglobally.With this new Baltic cooperation we

will be able to ensure a stronger positionfor the Baltic in the international cruisemarket. Ole Andersen, the leader of theproject, sales and marketing director ofTourism Board Wonderful Copenhagen,says, that activities will primarily focuson propagation of the Baltic as a singleproduct among shipping companies andpotential passengers of the world. Closerelations among the harbours areimportant in persuadingmore cruise linesto choose the Baltic as a destination fortheir cruise ships.The benefits of the project Baltic

Cruise forKlaipëda and Lithuania will betruly great as the city shall become moreknown and accessible to all potentialworld cruise companies, our institutionsresponsible for cruise tourismdevelopment. The agencies serving fortourists will benefit from knowledge and�best practices� sharing. It is forseen alsothat the port ofKlaipëdawill sooner reach

the highest European level standard inpassenger servicing.The project is financed by INTERREG

IIIB program and partially by the projectpartners themselves. Total budget of theproject is 1,3 mil Eur � half of the sum isallocated by the EU. The project willcontinue for 3 years until July 17, 2007.

Further information:Ms Ina SidlauskieneProject CoordinatorCity ofKlaipëdaTel. +370 46 410053e-mail: ina.contacts@klaipeda.se

Mr Benno Zierer, Council of Europe, andMr Mats Johansson, Mayor of Karlskrona(photo by Marcus Palmgren/BLT)

This season Klaipëda was visited by15 000 cruise tourists

BCB 2/2004 31

1987. Lübeck has another great advantagecomparedwith other German competitorssuch as Bremen, Potsdam, Karlsruhe orKassel: its ideal geographic location.Situated on the southwest brim of theBaltic Sea, Lübeck has for centuries beenthe centre of trade for men andmerchandise between the Baltic Sea citiesand the continent. The town even earnedthe medieval title of �Queen of theHanse�. This position will be turned togood account during the event year of2010 by offering each of the statesbordering on the Baltic Sea a month-longplatform in Lübeck to present theirculture to the people of Europe, thusgiving the new EU members, as well, anopportunity to grow together not onlythrough political and economicalcooperation, but also through culturalintegration. Lübeck�s historical HolstenGate will serve as a symbol for thisencounter.In light of this competition strategy, the

City of Lübeck kindly requests themember cities of the UBC to show theirsupport for Lübeck�s application bycontacting the German Federal Council,the German Federal Parliament and theEU Commission in Brussels, eitherdirectly or via their nationalgovernments.

Further information:Mr Holger WalterCity of LübeckTel. +49 451 122 7550e-mail: holger.walter@luebeck.de

MalborkActive inEUProjects in2004

Three of the projects coordinated bythe city ofMalbork, which concentrateon tourism and economy, had alreadygot anEU funding. The partners in thatprojects are cooperating cities from thePomeranianProvince (Poland), theCityof Kaliningrad (Russia) and the City ofKlaipëda (Lithuania).The project �Intensification of the

economic competition of the BalticEuroregion in the European Union�concentrates on cooperation of the citiesin order to strengthen the economiccompetitiveness by cooperation andpromotion actions between cites andcompanies from the northern part ofPoland, Lithuania and the District ofKaliningrad. That cooperation will equalthe chances of new countries in the EU:Poland and Lithuania on the basis ofeconomic cooperation with District ofKaliningrad. The participants of theproject are going to organise promotioncampaign, Economic Forum and anexhibition promoting cities in Poland, inKaliningrad and inKlaipëda as well as toorganise business meetings.Malbork Welcome Center. The aim

of the project is the development of thetourism based on the city�s touristadvantages. It is planned to improveMalbork�s tourism offers, to develop theexisting structures and to establish a basefor further development and investmentsin the context of spatial planning of thecity and its region. Malbork aims atincreasing its importance as a touristcenter in North Poland. The establishedlink to the Interreg IIIB project �BalticWelcome Center� is seen as added valueelement, providing for more efficient andcoordinated implementation of it. Theactivities mainly will concentrate oninvestigations, analysis, development ofMWC strategy and tourism developmentstrategy according to international qualitystandards, supported by study visits,training and workshops as well as know-how exchange between Interreg andPhare partners. The Tourism informationcentre will be further developed.Elicitation of navigation on the River

Nogat nearby Malbork castle as a formof promotion of the Town. This projectwill concentrate on supporting and

drafting the future direction of awaterwaynetwork development in a context of atourist product and increasing the levelof tourist attractiveness ofMalbork. It willalso increase cooperation betweendifferent actors promoting tourist andecological development. The project willstart the annual workshops for youngpeople on ecology and tourism. Duringthe project realisation there will be twodocuments created which will show thedirection of water tourism developmentand ways of future investing nearby theNogat River. The Documents will alsoshow ecological menaces and point outthat only clean environment can attracttourists and tourist investors. Realisationof the project would enable a permanentcooperation between non-governmentorganizations withmunicipality.

Further information:Ms Krystyna ChabskaCity of MalborkTel. +48 55 647 99 00e-mail: bps@um.malbork.pl

Malbork castle by night

BCB 2/200432

New Ways Towards a NewEurope

On7-9October Szczecin city hosts aninternational conference devoted to thefutureof cross-border cooperation.Afteralmost 10 years Szczecin City, for thesecond time, hosts representatives ofEuropean border and cross-borderregions who come to discuss the futureof cross-border cooperation inEurope.With its unquestionable position on the

map of European border regions, and asa capital of Polish-German-SwedishEuroregion Pomerania, the city leads oneof the most dynamic euroregionsgrouping Polish municipalities andpoviats. Here, in 1995, the city hostedfor the first time in Poland a GeneralAssembly and Annual Conference ofAssociation of European Border Regions(AEBR). As a result of the meeting, themost important programme document ofthe organisation - European Charter forBorder and Cross-Border Regions, calledsince then the Szczecin Charter, wasupdated. Szczecin�s representatives sit inthe AEBR Executive Board where theyrepresent the Euroregion Pomeraniasince the beginning of its membership inthis European and regional repre-sentation.Established in 1971, the Association

of European Border Regions operates onthe territory of EUREGIO � the oldestcross-border region in Europe on theGerman and Dutch border, and with theseat in Gronau (Germany). TheAssociations� most important aims are toidentify problems, chances andachievements of border and cross-borderregions, represent their interests on theEuropean level, initiate, support and co-ordinate the cooperation and exchange ofexperiences among border regions. It alsooffers its support in solving various dailyproblems in the border areas. PresentlyAEBR lists about 120members.The events related to the EU

enlargement and resulting from this factthe movement of the existing externalborders eastwards and southwards, andfinally publishing of the Third CohesionReport by the European Commissionrequire a separate discussion devoted tothe cross-border cooperation. It is a mustto adjust �the European Charter forBorder and Cross-Border Regions� to thenew reality. The conference�s leading

Festivity ��iauliai Days � 2004�

This year the city of �iauliai celebratesthe 768 city�s anniversary. Indeed, the citydoes not get along in years but the city isgrowing rapidly. It is gratifying that theCity of �iauliai becomes more dynamiccity with much potential to grow and todevelop science, business and any otherform of creativity.The festivity ��iauliai Days � 2004�

started on the 9 th of September with thefifth international theatre festival that hasgot another shape. The former children

The festivity of �iauliai starts in thebeginning of September

theme: �New ways to a new Europe�completed with other themes such as �theEuropean commonwealth of values vs.European Constitution� or �the signi-ficance of cross-border cooperation as anelement integrating EU�. The represen-tatives of the European Parliament, theCommission and the Committee of theRegions have already confirmed theirparticipation in the discussion panels.AEBR appreciates Szczecin�s

significant contribution into thedevelopment of euroregional cross-border cooperation through placing itsAnnual Conference here.Also, the city�scloseness to the EU�s new internalborder was significant. The conferencegrouping about two hundreds fiftyparticipants from all of Europe wasorganised under the patronage ofthe Polish President AleksanderKwaśniewski.

Further information:Ms Olga OlszewskaSecretariat of Euroregion PomeraniaCity of SzczecinTel. +48 91 4860815e-mail: olgaols@poczta.onet.pl

and youth theatre event this year hastransformed into the theatre festival �seminar. The organizers developed afresh idea to combine the childrenperformances with adults stagedperformances. An excellent basis wascreated for the actors to exchangeexperience and best practice. Thestudents of �iauliai University performedthree days on different stages in the citycenter. Four university choirs performedconjoint pieces already rehearsed insummer for the Baltic States StudentsFestival �Gaudeamus�. It was followedby the concert of the students folk group�Saule � and the group �Sound Makers�.The main accent of the festivity was

the marching parade comprising ofschoolchildren, students , people fromvarious organizations and art groups andthe so called The Sun Train full ofchildren. Each carriage diverged inoriginality and flamboyance. The awardfor the most colorful carriage wasestablished by the organizers thus,everyonewere keen on creating extremelygorgeous carriage. The parade endedwiththe hundreds of balloons rising to the sky.Hoist of the �iauliai flag declared theopening of the festivity ��iauliai Days �2004�.During two days of festivity the citizens

and the guests could buy a lot of giftsand souvenirs at the folk art fair and aswell to attendmany art, photo exhibitionsand concerts dedicated to the �iauliaiBirthday.The spectacular concert �Love

Beginning of the Sky� crowned thefestivity. The citizens could admire animpressivemusic, light and fire show thatended with the fireworks.The citywas extremely attractive by the

fancy scenery for two days. Everyonecould feel the celebratorymood of the citybirthday that gives an impetus andinitiatives to create a distinctive citywhere it is comfortable to live and tomeetnew challenges.

Further information:Ms Audrone JaugelavicieneCity of �iauliaiTel. +370 41524116e-mail: audrone.j@siauliai.lt

* * * *

CITIES-MEMBERSOFTHEUBCEXECUTIVEBOARD:

PRESIDENT OF THE UNION OF THE BALTIC CITIESMr Per Bødker AndersenCity Hall, Akseltorv 1

DK-6000 Kolding, DenmarkTel. +45 79 302025

e-mail: borgmesteren@kolding.dk

VICE-PRESIDENTS OF THE UNION OF THE BALTIC CITIESMr Armas Lahoniitty

City Hall, Kristiinankatu 1FIN-20101 Turku, FinlandTel. +358 2 262 7223

e-mail: armas.lahoniitty@turku.fi

Mr Arno PökerCity Hall, Neuer Markt 1D-18050 Rostock, GermanyTel. +49 381 381 16 00e-mail: ob@rostock.de

Mr Gundars BojârsCity Hall, Râtslaukums 1LV-1539 Riga, LatviaTel. +371 7 026 101

e-mail: gundars.bojars@riga.lv

SECRETARIAT OF THE UNION OF THE BALTIC CITIESMr Paweł Żaboklicki

Secretary GeneralWały Jagiellońskie 1

PL−80853 Gdańsk, PolandTel. +48 58 3010917e−mail: info@ubc.nethttp://www.ubc.net

GdańskNew Town Hall

Wały Jagiellońskie 1PL−80832 Gdańsk, Polandcontact: Mr Maciej Lisicki

Tel. +48 501 188415Fax +48 58 3012620

KaunasCity Hall

Laisves AV. 96LT-3000 Kaunas, Lithuaniacontact: Ms Lina Duobaite

Tel. +370 37 424011Fax +370 37 425443

KotkaCity HallP.L. 205

FIN-48101 Kotka, Finlandcontact: Ms Sirkka Kotola

Tel. +358 5 23 44208Fax +358 5 23 44234

KristiansandCity Hall

Radhusgata 20N-4604 Kristiansand, Norwaycontact: Ms Trine Marit Aasen

Tel. +47 38 075009Fax +47 38 075600

KronshtadtCity Hall

Lenina pr. 36189610 Kronshtadt, Russiacontact: Mr Ivan Tarasov

Tel. +7 812 236 4649Fax +7 812 435 0742

LiepâjaCity Hall

Rožu iela 6LV-3400 Liepâja, Latviacontact: Ms Ligita Pudža

Tel. +371 340 4789Fax +371 340 4777

LübeckCity Hall

Rathaus, Breite Str. 62D-23552 Lübeck, Germany

contact: Ms Beate WaldtmannTel. +49 451 122 2046Fax +49 451 122 1090

NæstvedCity Hall

Teatergade 8DK-4700 Næstved, Denmarkcontact: Mr Søren Revsbæk

Tel. +45 55 44 50 76Fax +45 55 78 45 14

StockholmStockholm Reg. European Committee

Gota Ark 190S-11872 Stockholm, Sweden

contact: Ms Lillian WesterbergTel. +46 8 615 8882Fax +46 8 615 8889

VõruCity HallJuri 11

EE-65620 Võru, Estoniacontact: Ms Tiina Hallimäe

Tel. +372 78 50918Fax +372 78 50902

41st UBC Executive Board meeting, Riga, 16 October 2004

40th UBC Executive Board meeting, Kristiansand, 16 May 2004

Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC) is a network of over 100 member cities from all 10 Baltic countries, with an overriding goalof contributing to the democratic, economic, social, cultural and environmentally sustainable development of the BalticSea Region.

The Union has based its operational activities on ten working Commissions on Business Cooperation, Culture,Environment, Education, Health and Social Affairs, Information Society, Sport, Tourism, Transportation and UrbanPlanning. The Commissions coordinate and execute specific projects, activities and special events. Each city is capable tohave its own creative and fully independent input to the Commissions' work.

The Union has an observer status with the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), the Parliamentary Conference onCooperation in the Baltic Sea Area, the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), the Committee of the Regions and the Councilof Europe's Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (CLRAE).

The Union is open for new members. Any coastal city of the Baltic Sea or any other city interested in the development of theBaltic Sea Region may become a member of the Union by making a written declaration of its will to enter UBC.

Please contact the Union's Secretariat in Gdańsk for more informationabout the UBC work and the rules of entering the Union.