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The educational part of the project “Heritage of Eurasia: Rural Communities,” which took place in Moscow on April 10-11, 2024, ended with an internship in the Vachsky municipal district of the Nizhny Novgorod region. Some of the participants went there following the results of the Business Communication Strategy Game “Happy Villages”.
The location was not chosen by chance. Experts of the competition for the best rural practices, which took place within the framework of the project “Heritage of Eurasia: Rural Communities,” noted the project “The Kingdom of Filigree - a Cluster of Creative Industries,” presented by the team of the administration of the Vach Municipal District, as the most successful experience in supporting and developing local communities.
The two-day internship program was interesting, rich and multifaceted. The participants were met by: Member of the Federation Council from the Nizhny Novgorod region Olga Shchetinina, Minister of Culture of the Nizhny Novgorod region Natalya Sukhanova.
The finalist competitors not only presented and discussed projects they are already working with in their territories, but also developed new joint projects, and immediately received their expert assessment: the director of the autonomous non-profit organization “Resource Center in the Sphere of National Relations” Evgenia Mikhaleva clearly and professionally highlighted not only the positive aspects in the projects of activists in rural areas, but also shortcomings that are worth paying attention to.
The team of partners of the competition organizers: Galina and Evgeniy Tsyshchuk, Olga Sorokina, Olga Bychkovskaya, Yulia Kruse - experts from the Center for Social Technologies "Dealing with Meaning" - structured the educational process in a flexible way, using different technologies and keeping the internship participants interested in what was going on.
A valuable discovery of developmental opportunities for the internship participants was the coordinated work to develop their territory by the administration of the Vach municipal district, caring citizens and businesses in tandem with professionals in value leadership. With the help of experts from the Center for Social Technologies “Dealing with Meaning,” the territory is being transformed, new “growth points” are appearing, and ideas are being translated into concrete actions.
In the internship program, acquaintance with the objects, enterprises and institutions of the Vach municipal district was harmoniously combined with the continuation of the business communication strategy game “Happy Villages”, started as part of the Educational Forum in Moscow. This form of work allowed the internship participants to transform from outside observers into assistants, tips, and, in the end, into good friends of those caring residents with whom fate brought them together during these unforgettable few days.
The public space “Zemskaya School” in the village of Vacha, opened last year, has brought together a variety of people: local historians, artisans and masters of arts and crafts, employees of municipal cultural and educational institutions, and concerned citizens. Today, thematic halls operate here: “People’s Museum”, “Kondratov’s Legacy”, “Soviet Space”, and exhibits are being collected.
LLC " Kondratov’s Trading House" - the city-forming enterprise of the village of Vacha - is famous far beyond the borders of the Nizhny Novgorod region. It is here that axes, sledgehammers, cutlery and other household metal products that every Russian family has are produced.
The unique Kazakovsky artistic products enterprise has been producing various objects and decorations using the filigree technique for more than 90 years.
The Vach land is rich in temples and historical places. The rural estates of Chulkovo and Koshelevo add a special flavor. All these are points of attraction for not yet numerous pilgrims and tourists.
The head of local self-government of the Vach municipal district, Sergei Lisin, trying on various roles during the internship days - either a participant in the educational forum, an activist and project developer, or a guide to the iconic places of the Vach land, noted that the Forum and the internship helped to take a fresh look at the usual things, to learn a lot of useful and important things from colleagues from rural areas of other regions and countries. At the end of the second day of the internship Sergey Viktorovich received comprehensive answers to two questions: "What can you offer us?" and "What can we offer you?". All born joint initiatives will certainly be continued if they are in the hands of caring people, patriots of their small Motherland.
“Sergey Viktorovich Lisin is a true leader of values, this is confirmed by his deeds, his ability to rally people around him, his vision of the prospects for the development of the territory,” noted Olga Nefedova, Deputy Head of the General Secretariat of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly.
Alexander Aigistov, President of the Russian Municipal Academy, President of the National Union of Non-Profit Organizations, Co-Chairman of the Federal Expert Council on Local and Public Self-Government and Local Communities at the National Association of Territorial Public Self-Government (ATOS) under the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, working as part of the team during the internship days experts, presented Sergei Lisin with the Golden Badge of the Russian Municipal Academy “For his great personal contribution to the formation and development of municipalities and local self-government in Russia.”
“Eurasian Transit”, “Museum on Wheels”, “Peace Belt”, “Day of Single Action”, “Cultural Exchange” - perhaps very soon the names of the projects born these days will again bring together the participants of the educational forum and internship of the project “Heritage of Eurasia: Rural Communities".
The finalists of the competition were the following projects:
- “The Kingdom of Filigree – a cluster of creative industries” (Nizhny Novgorod region, Vachsky municipal district);
- All-Russian festival of amateur folk song performers “Zavalinka” (Syktyvdinsky district, Vylgort village);
- “We are MASTERS” (Penza region, Kuznetsk district, Nizhnee Ablyazovo village);
- Festival of young sculptors and designers “Marble Mile”: CAREER growth” (Sverdlovsk region, Polevskoy);
- “Nomadic interregional festival of horse decoration “Heritage of the Ancestors” (Republic of Sakha, Yakutsk);
- “New Generation” (Kyrgyz Republic, Chui region, Zhaiyl district, Kara-Balta);
- “Promotion of family tourism in the Kostanay region” (Republic of Kazakhstan, Kostanay region, Kostanay);
- DaMİR – HOUSE OF İMAGİNATİON (Republic of Azerbaijan, Ismailli district, Ivanovka village);
- “Rest in the Nuratau Mountains” (Republic of Uzbekistan, rural gathering of citizens Ukhum, Hayat village);
- “History and traditions of the most ancient spring holiday Navruz” (Republic of Tajikistan, Sughd region, Kanibadom)
At the end of the internship, the participants shared their impressions and all said one thing - such educational projects give a tremendous desire to develop oneself and help others:
Ekaterina, Kazakovskaya filigree, Kazakovo village, Nizhny Novgorod region, Russian Federation
“I implement the project “Creative Laboratory of Kazakovsky Filigree”. Colleagues opened my eyes to mistakes. The problem was that I didn’t have good communication with the people for whom I was organizing this project. I do not inform anyone about what work and actions are being carried out and the fact that I am generally implementing this project for people who do not know about it. Thanks again to my colleagues, I found points of growth and understood where to move next and in which direction to grow.”
Tatyana Parnikova, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russian Federation
“We found new points of intersection of our project “Interregional Horse Dressing Festival” as part of an educational internship. We had a question about how to find partners who would provide horses at the event site. Partners must participate in a joint exchange and understand that it is valuable and beneficial. We aim to hold Festivals in places where there are already horses. In joint work with colleagues, a new project was born, which could be carried out on the basis of the Equestrian Club “Dachny Manege” in the village of Chulkovo, Vachsky district, Nizhny Novgorod region. In the future, in other countries. I feel inspired. I want to do and do.”
The organizers wish the authors of the winning projects of the competition of rural initiatives “Heritage of Eurasia” not to stop there, make life around them better, develop their territories and be sure to remain in the community of like-minded people, which was formed through joint efforts within the project “Heritage of Eurasia: Rural Communities”, implemented with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives.
