On December 1st and 2nd, the participants of Stadt im Dialog 3 met all together in St. Petersburg, Russia. They presented their project ideas to the open public and began shooting a video, in order to share their keen insight on peer to peer learning, with all of Russians speakers around the world.
This project’s participants are 12 diverse individuals of all ages, from cities and towns in Leningrad region of Russia. For the last six months they have been working and meeting in each other’s sites, to better understand each others’ challenges. On December 1st, the group divided into subgroups in order to demonstrate how their individual projects relate with others in the region. With a big audience, made up of activists and even some local political representatives, the groups self-organised and delivered their message of what their ideas are and how they can get there. In a reflective manner, they looked back on various case studies that they were presented in Russia (read article) and Germany (read article) and found some keen insights that have shaped their idea and mind all together.
Following the presentations, four workshops were designed and assisted by local St. Petersburg experts. This allowed all those in attendance to hear and share their experiences, with possibility for multiplying peer to peer network. Some participants even formally requested assistance for opening a museum in the near future and matched an experienced member in the audience! That was a very enriching day, that allowed for sharing and receiving ideas and criticisms, which ended with laughter and even the creation of a song.
December 2nd was a day of reflection for all the 7 activities and how far each participant has come as an individual and part of the group. The day featured the presence of a professional film maker, who collected the participation testimonies and cooperation stories – the project promises to share the concept of in region peer to peer activism with all those interested for years to come. The last all together group meeting was emotional and promising, as participants agreed not only to support each from near and afar, but also to visit each other and continue to cooperate and collaborate. Until the end of the year there are already planned multiplier events, spawning the rest of December and the beginning of January of 2019. We bid the participants of Stadt im Dialog all the success in their implementation/continuation and thank all individuals who have helped in create a positive learning environment for the last six months.
