‘NeStolitsa’ means ‘not the capital city’ and refers to the popular saying “We are not in the capital here”: Russians use this phrase to humorously reprehend a person that is not polite, is hurrying, or is behaving strangely. Thus the program is dedicated to places and people who are far away from Moscow – more precisely over 3,000 km away in the Region of Krasnoyarsk. The program works with pupils and teachers from small towns and villages. Over the course of half a year, they learn how to create spaces in their home neighborhoods that satisfy the social or cultural needs of the local society. Improvised cultural centers, cinemas or sports grounds, creative renovation of schools, parks or playgrounds – there are no boundaries to the youths’ creativity. While the pupils are devoted to the realization of their ideas, the teachers learn methods to effectively accompany and foster the pupils’ projects. Thus “Ne Stolitsa” trains young actors of urban innovation and tutors of social project management at the same time.
NeStolitsa is implemented by INTERRA and financed by the German Federal Foreign Office, the Robert Bosch Foundation, and Presidential Grants Foundation of the Russian Federation.