As part of the "City Helps Village" program, a summer volunteer camp was organized in the Pokrovskoye village in the Sverdlovsk region of the Ural Mountains from August 1 to 16. There were a variety of activities. Young volunteers from Yekaterinburg and Kurgan reconstructed two playgrounds for children. At the same time, several women from Yekaterinburg met with senior residents of the village as part of an ethnographic expedition.
Pokrovskoye is one of the oldest villages in the Sverdlovsk region, with an interesting and eventful history. Talks with the inhabitants of the village and learning about handicrafts popular in this area gave the young volunteers opportunities to know more about the rich heritage of the Ural culture. Another feature of the project was programs for children and teenagers prepared through the joint efforts of teachers from Pokrovskoye and Yekaterinburg.
The project was interesting and successful thanks to the joint efforts of organizers, the Ural branch of the Universal Peace Federation and the Youth Federation for World Peace, with the support of the village administration and the Veterans’ Council. The efforts of enthusiastic local citizens and volunteers who helped organize and carry out the project were much appreciated.
On August 8, there was a concert in the Center of Culture. The villagers demonstrated their talents for the enjoyment of their new friends. Also, there was an exhibition of antiques.
About 30 volunteers from Yekaterinburg, Kurgan, Serov, and Pokrovskoye took part in the project, which was coordinated by Tatyana Turchaninova and Natalia Yerofeyeva.
Tourist trail near Lake Baikal
A joint ecological and tourism project, “Baikal 2009,” involved constructing and reconstructing four pedestrian bridges along the tourist path between the town of Sludyanka and Chersky Peak in the Irkutsk district of southern Russia. The July 2-August 6 project was initiated by the Ural-Siberian office of the Youth Federation for World Peace and supported by the Baikal research and rescue team of the Emergency Management Ministry of Russia and other public organizations.
Forty-one young people participated in the project; they came from different parts of Russia, including Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk.
In addition to building bridges, they organized discussions about developing local volunteer activities. In fact, the natural environment, the spirit of cooperation, and the challenges posed by the different situations were the best educational programs. They proved to the participants the importance of the project and the value of their contributions.
The project was held under aegis of the Global Peace Festival and the Year of Youth in Russia. A Russian website listed the project as one of the ten best projects in the series of “technology for goodness” programs.
Another project is being planned for the summer of 2010. It will include a Youth Volunteer Forum, bringing together volunteers from throughout Russia and local young people. Offers and ideas have been received about how to organize such a forum.
