Bolshoy Kamen is a small city with a population of 38,100 (2008) people located in Primosrky Krai (Region). This administrative center of the Shkotovsky District is a two hour drive from Vladivostok. Bolshoy Kamen is a “ZATO”, or a closed administrative territorial formation by Russian standards. The city’s main employer, the Zvezda Far Eastern Shipyard, is involved in the repair and dismantlement of nuclear submarines. Many local citizens are employed by the defense enterprises. To learn more about Bolshoy Kamen, click here.

Partnership Project: Promoting Youth Entrepreneurship and Employment Opportunities in Bolshoy Kamen
Project Start and End Dates: Jan 1, 2009-Dec 31, 2009 

Tackling youth retention through youth entrepreneurship is one of the strategic priority issues of socio-economic development for Bolshoy Kamen. The partner cities of Bolshoy Kamen and Kenai together with the Primorsky Center for Local Self-Governance (Bolshoy Kamen) began implementation of their partnership project to leverage city-to-city relationship, to promote youth entrepreneurship and employment opportunities, and motivate youth to get involved in entrepreneurship activities in Bolshoy Kamen. The partners will develop municipal governance regulatory documents that promote youth entrepreneurship and employment opportunities. They conducted a Kenai exchange visit to bring American partners to Bolshoy Kamen to share experience on issues of youth policy, job shadow program, and cooperation of local government with youth and youth organizations in Kenai and Alaska. The project will also establish the Youth Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment Support Center aimed at providing consultation and information services to young people in Bolshoy Kamen.