Social sector leaders from 21 regions presented projects in Nizhny Novgorod.

      From November 28 to December 1, the final module of the fourth cohort of the "Institute of Advisors for Social Change" took place in Nizhny Novgorod. Thirty-nine participants of the educational program from 21 regions of Russia presented projects to help orphans, people with mental disabilities, mothers in difficult life situations, SVO veterans and their families. The projects address topics such as bullying prevention in schools and destructive behavior among adolescents, detection of postpartum depression in young mothers, assistance in employment for people with disabilities, creation of public spaces for people with mental disorders, and many others.

      Deputy Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Andrey Gneushev congratulated the participants of the "Institute of Advisors" on the defense of their projects. He noted that thanks to this program people learn to reorganize work in the social sphere based on the principle of caring for the individual.

      "We must all help those who most need support at a given moment. And for the participants of the 'Institute of Advisors' this is the meaning of life that you dedicate to serving people. And your initiatives are real deeds that help and change the lives of thousands of people. Congratulations to everyone on defending your projects and I wish you success in their implementation!" said Andrey Gneushev.

      "The Institute of Advisors for Social Change" is a cross-sectoral leadership training program in the social sphere implemented by the People's Front project "Region of Care" and the Corporate University of the Government of the Nizhny Novgorod Region. The task of the "Institute of Advisors" is to form a professional community of representatives from different fields: executive authorities, non-profit organizations, business, media, managers, and socially oriented social institutions, so that they work together for the benefit of the most vulnerable. The project started in 2021; during this time 154 people from 36 regions have participated in the educational program. Graduates have successfully implemented 39 projects that help vulnerable categories of citizens.

      "There is a concept called 'descending social blindness': the higher a person is in rank, the harder it is for them to see details and individual people. The Supreme Commander sees the army, the president sees the population, the mayor sees the city and its electorate. In the family we see each specific person, but at a high level it is impossible to respond to the needs of everyone, because the state's task is to distribute resources evenly. In this context the 'Institute of Advisors' plays an important role, it removes this gap between the authorities and the people, between the 'top' and the 'bottom'. Working together, we can see the individual person, understand that any rules, protocols and laws are needed in order to free up time for an individual approach," noted Nyuta Federmesser, adviser to the Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region and author of the People's Front project "Region of Care".

      During the course, program participants travel to educational modules in different cities across Russia to study advanced practices of providing assistance. They visit children's and adult residential care institutions, hospices, crisis centers and foundations, in order to later apply the experience in their work.

      During the sixth module, program participants visited the Arzamas social care home "Mayak", which houses children with severe developmental disorders. The director of "Mayak", Institute of Advisors graduate Evgenia Gabova, with the support of "Region of Care", is implementing a unique program — restoring family ties: finding biological relatives or substitute families for the children. Over time, "Mayak" is being transformed from a children's boarding school into a multidisciplinary center to help families raising children with mental disabilities. In such a center parents will be able to bring children aged 4 to 18, similar to a kindergarten.

      "This center will give the child the opportunity to live in a family, and the mother — to live a normal life, to work, to socialize, to spend time with friends, to have time for treatment, for hospital visits and for vacation. I really hope that we will live to see the time when institutions like ours no longer exist at all," said Evgenia Gabova.

      The "Institute of Advisors" forms a community of like-minded people who continue to share practices and implement joint initiatives even after completing the course.

      Thus, the experience of "Mayak" inspired this year's program participants Mikhail Petukhov, director of the Kuzmiyarsky Psychoneurological Boarding School, and Alexey Gribanov, director of the Vetluzhsky Psychoneurological Boarding School, to create their own project — "Path to the Native Harbor". For people with mental disorders they will search for relatives to restore communication.

      Background:

      "Region of Care" is a social project of the People's Front to protect the rights and freedoms of vulnerable groups of citizens: terminally ill people, adults and children with impaired mental functions, orphans and children left without parental care. "Region of Care" began in 2019 as a project to develop palliative care in Russia at the regional level and transformed into a comprehensive project that united several directions: the development of palliative care, the reform of the psychoneurological residential care system, and training for specialists and managers in the medical and social sphere.

      The "Institute of Advisors for Social Change" program is implemented by the People's Front project "Region of Care" and the Corporate University of the Government of the Nizhny Novgorod Region with the support of the Government of the Nizhny Novgorod Region. The program is free for students. Graduates of the "Institute of Advisors" receive a professional retraining diploma "Methodologist in Project Management in the Social Sphere" from the Corporate University of the Government of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.

      Press release

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      Projects to help vulnerable population groups were presented in Nizhny Novgorod

      Photo: People's Front project "Region of Care"

      From November 28 to December 1 the final module of the fourth cohort of the "Institute of Advisors for Social Change" took place in Nizhny Novgorod.

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