The Matka.ru project is a cross-border youth educational tourism project funded by the European Union, Russia, and Finland. It aims to promote youth educational tourism in the Karelia region to support sustainable social and economic development. The project will create a network of 40 regional organizations and establish the Matkachi youth educational center by reconstructing buildings at a camp site. It is implemented by partners from Russia, Finland, and the EU to encourage international youth cooperation and tourism through activities like seminars, study visits, and pilot camps.

1. MATKA.RU
PROJECT
MATKA.RU
(KA 342)
The Matka.ru project is financed by the European Union, Russia and Finland in the
framework of the Karelia ENPI CBC Programme .
The Karelia ENPI CBC Programme is a cross-border cooperation programme implemented in
the regions Kainuu, North Karelia and Oulu in Finland and in the republic of Karelia in
Russia. The key objective of the programme is to increase wellbeing in the programme region
with cross-border cooperation.

2. The Matka.ru project is implemented in the
framework of the ENPI Karelia Program
 The program is implemented by the European Union
together with Finland and the Russian Federation basing
on intergovernmental agreement, ratified by the State
Duma
 Matka.ru project gained financing from the fund of the
ENPI Karelia program of cross-border cooperation in the
amount of 640 000 Euro (25.6 million Rubles)

3. The project is implemented by
partner organizations:
 Lead partner: Karelian Education Development
Fund (Audit-center)
Partners:
 Ministry of Education of the Republic of Karelia
(Russia, Republic of Karelia)
 Republican children ecology and biology center
(Russia, Republic of Karelia)
 Hyvärilä Youth Center (Finland, North Karelia)

4. Associates:
oCentre for Cultural Development “Nordicum” (Russia,
Republic of Karelia)
oPedagogical college of Petrozavodsk (Russia, Republic
of Karelia)
oHUMAK - Suomen Humanistinen
Ammattikorkeakoulu Oy (Finland, Eastern Finland)
oKarelia Expert Tourist Service Ltd Finland North
Karelia

5. The goal of the project is
to promote youth
educational tourism as a
factor for sustainable
social and economic
development of the
region.
 The key idea of the project is to create a Network for
youth educational tourism development comprising at
least 40 regional organizations such as youth NGOs,
schools, colleges, centers for supplementary education
etc.

6. Program component
• Establishment of a Network for development of youth
educational tourism.
• Series of actions on training experts and
establishment of system of cooperation
Investment component of the project
• Creation of the Matkachi youth educational center
• Reconstruction of a camp base of the Republican
children center of ecology and biology in Matkachi
village.

7. Main project actions
• Selection of project participants
(educational institutions, youth
organizations.)
• Opening seminars for project
participants (for Russian participants
in Karelia, and for Finnish
participants in Finland)
• Development of products of
educational tourism by project
participants, posting offers on the
Matkachi.ru website.

8. Main project actions
• Study visits for youth leaders and young
journalists (trip to Finland and Karelia)
• Internship for experts and volunteers of
the Matkachi youth center in the
Hyvärilä center.
• Organization of pilot youth camps in the
Matkachi center

9. Hyvärilä youth center (Nurmes)

10. Educational center in Weimar
(Germany)

11. Investment: creation of the Matkachi center

12. Investment: creation of the Matkachi center
Reconstruction of two existing big buildings on
existing foundations, the buildings will be
constructed from the ground.
As the result the following buildings will be put in
operation:
 - an administrative building of 249 sq m, which
will include kitchen, dining room, meeting room,
restrooms, showers, staff rooms.
 - a residential building of 247 sq m with place for
accommodation of 50 persons.

13. Investment: creation of the Matkachi center
Action plan:
 September 2012 - ordering the project documentation.
 January 2013 – state expertise of the project
documentation.
 March 2013 – tender on the first stage of constructing
works.
 May 2013 – tender on the second stage of the
constructing works.
 April – December 2013 – implementation of the
reconstruction.
 June 2014 – opening of the Matkachi international
youth center.

14. Investment: creation of the Matkachi center
The Matkachi will be a multifunctional center
that will conduct:
 Organization of rest and recreation of children;
 Offering services of extended education for
children;
 Support of children and youth public
organizations;
 Development of international youth cooperation
and tourism.

15. Partner’s role
 Lead partner: Karelian Education Development
Fund.
Project management, coordination of the
partners’ activities, financial management,
reporting.
The Fund is liable for project implementation
quality to the Managing Authority of the Karelia
Program.

16. Partner’s role
 Hyvarila youth center, Finland: coordination of
activities of the Finnish partners, dissemination
of the model of international youth center in
Republic of Karelia, coordination of the Network
for youth educational tourism development
created within the project.
 Ministry of Education of Republic of Karelia: co-
financing of project activities from the regional
budget and development of a sustainable model
for the Matkachi educational center in long term.

17. Partner’s role
 Republican children ecology and biology centre:
The partner manages work of the Matkachi
camping center under the rule of operative
management. The partner will manage regional
co-financing for reconstruction of the Matkachi
center and will be responsible for construction
works in general.

18. Financial aspects of the project
 Total project budget– 800 thousand Euro
 Financing from the Karelia program– 640
thousand Euro (25,6 mln. Rub)
 Partner’s financial contribution:
 RK budget funds: 149 500 Euro (6 mln. Rub) –
investment to the Matkachi center reconstruction
 Financial contribution of the Hyvärilä center– 10,5
thousand Euro.
Payment is implemented in three installments, the last
one (128 000 Euro) is paid after reporting on
expenditures of the whole sum (800 000 Euro)

19. Financial aspects of the project
 Each partner who incur expenses in the
framework of the project is subject to two audits.
 Expenses that were identified as
inappropriate will be claimed from the last
installment.
 The program will conduct random financial audit
 Expenditures can also be checked by the RF
controlling authorities

20. Financial aspects of the project
Financial contribution of the EU, Russia and
Finland
EU Financing
 300 000 Euro, it amounts to 37,50 % from total
project budget
Financing of the Russian Federation
 290 000 Euro, it amounts 36,25 % from total project
budget
Co-financing of Finland
 50 000 Euro, it amounts to 6,25 % from total project
budget
Total co-financing of the project from the Program’s
fund amounts to 640 000 Euro

21. The Matka.ru project website
http://matkachi.ru
http://matkachi.ru