The project was to create a friendship school model aiming at strengthening multiculturalism as well as the participation and well being of young people, focusing on the development of peer student activities for the 7th to 9th classes in comprehensive schools. Th e project would involve 27 North Karelian schools, three of which as pilot schools. Surveys on attitudes towards multiculturalism would be performed in the pilot schools to plan the background for friendship school activities. Th e project aimed at training 3-5 trainers as well as students for peer student work at schools and in advanced training camps for peer students. Peer student camps and friendship meetings would be organised for young people on both sides of the border. Th e applicant was granted Finlands cooperation with neighbouring areas funding for activities in Russia. Achievements: The project developed friendship school activities between three pilot schools in: 1) Kitee and Sortavala, 2) Joensuu and Sortavala and 3) Tohmajrvi and Sortavala. The schools designed activities to meet their own requirements and committed themselves to continuing them after the project. Young people were offered the chance for multicultural meetings (two basketball tours as well as floor ball games). The young people met each other during various visits in the friendship schools and during their performance trips. Students were trained in using computer technology in the cooperation between the schools. The students made project assignments about their home regions in Finland and in Russia and got to know the history and the present day of Old and New Valaam. The project also implemented student exchange for the peer students, as well as visits between the teachers of the friendship schools. 12 trainers were trained to develop the peer student activities, who familiarised themselves with the projects annual themes and held various training events for the students. The annual themes of the project and types of training were the self-esteem of young people and the appreciation of oneself, the prevention of bullying, and building an enjoyable school environment. Young peoples knowledge about choices supporting their own health and well-being were increased by themes concerning self-knowledge, the prevention of drug abuse and the assurance of sexual health, thereby increasing their own knowledge about the issues. Action models to prevent bullying were developed. The project organised a total of eight camps for young people on both sides of the border. Altogether, 21 students from a Finnish school and 6 Russian students attended the camps. Additionally, training events in Finland gathered a total of 3002 participants, and the education and information events in Sortavala saw over 6500 participants. The project also brought up the need for young people to have a say in the improvement of the physical school environment. Sortavala School No. 1 and the Joensuu Comprehensive Lyceum continued the operations in the Our City is Our Home project.