Ethnic and cultural associations of the Altai krai in the structure of self-organization of the Russian Germans

The self-organization of the Russian Germans (SO RG) today is one of the main factors in preserving the culture and forming the identity of Russian Germans. The article describes the current structure of the SO RG, and functioning of ethnic and cultural organizations at the regional level using the example ofthe Altai Krai. The SO RG has a four-tier structure based on local communities (meeting centers, centers of German culture). In addition, there are regional (ethnic and cultural autonomies, Russian-German houses, and cultural and business centers) and interregional (coordinating councils of the Meeting Centers of Russian Germans) organizations. The Federal Ethnic and Cultural Autonomy of the Russian Germans, International Union of German Culture, and German Youth Association exist at the federal and intergovernmental level. The Altai Krai, along with Omsk Region, is the leading region in the number of Russian Germans. First ethnic and cultural associations appeared there in the late 1980s. Today their members have been actively working at all levels ofthe SO RG. The sources for the article are interviews with activists and leaders of ethnic and cultural associations of Russian Germans in the Altai Krai, documents of ethnic and cultural associations ofthe region, data from the official websites of associations and their official groups in social networks as well as data from scholarly literature. Main activities of ethnic and cultural associations today include teaching language, ethnic and cultural promotion, working with youth, and social work. Special focus in ethnic and cultural area is on publishing projects, supporting young scholars through "My Ethnic Roots” Competition, creating videos, cartoons, television shows, and documentaries.