2. Proejct title.
Samara Civic Network

3. Report period
May, 1998 � September, 2000

4. Names and institutions of collaborators participating in the project or express the intention both to directly participate and additionally finance this project.
The consortium of representatives of organizations involved was created for project realization. The representatives of the consortium delegated their representatives to the board of directors (Co-ordinating Council). During two years of project activity the board of directors worked with different effectiveness. It should be stated that till present time this board did not become the effective tool for project management. In fact, two part of the board are working.

Executive committee: Chertkov Boris (director of the project, Saptsin Nickolay (technical director), Dudkin Sergey (system administrator), Agapov Sergey (director of the humanitarian part of the project), Pestrikiva Valtntina (information resources for NPO, organisation of users). This executive committee in fact manages the project activity and carries out monthly meetings.

Users ' committee (consists of representatives of SCN users and HECA �Povolzje�) has advisory nature and corrects the users' policy of SCN. The committee consists of Bondarenko N. O. - president of club of leaders of Samara NPO; Lomuhina U - Altair, Otradny; Gavrilov - president Samara lawyer club; Erugin U.V. - president of Samara region branch of Assembly of Russia nations; NPO activists.

Because of a number of impartial reasons (during two years the corresponding departments of the province government had changed tree times, the president, governor, city Duma elections took place) the representatives of the local authorities were not involved to the Board of Directors. This fact significantly decreases the SCN influence on the local community. Because of the same reason the province administration did not meet its financial engagement (it is connected with the crisis of August of 1998). The financial committee was not formed because of under mentioned circumstances the "philanthropy market" had crashed down.

The technical support group was formed in 1998 and works during all project activity period.

STU technical support group:

• System administrator is responsible for work with users' work in Net. System administrator consults users for net access, homepage composing, e-mail, etc. Mainly users contact administrator through phone, rarely by e-mail. These two channels solve 80 % of problems. If it is necessary the consultant could travel directly to the access point for the consultation.

• Operator controls the users' work. If administrator can't solve a problem by phone, He goes to the access point and co-ordinates his activity with system administrator by telephone.

The group staff consists of system administrator, Web-consultant, Web-designer, database specialist. The following works are supported: hardware mounting, dial-up connection, homepages creation, consultation on e-mail, work with databases, software consulting. Both on-site and phone (8462 332508) consultations are realised.

Names and institutions of collaborators

Samara State Technical University (further SSTU) is member of the consortium.
Historical-eco-cultural Association �Povolzje�(further HecA) is member of the consortium.
Samara Regional Administration is member of the consortium.
Samara State University (further SSU) is member of the consortium.
Samara Province Administration is member of the consortium
Russian Engineering Academy, Middle Volga Branch is member of the consortium.
Samara Municipal Nayanova University is member of the consortium.
The Federation of children's organizations of Samara area is SCN user
Samara Youth Union is SCN user
The Samara lawyers club is SCN user.
Charitable fund �Fund of Toglyatty� - partner of HECA �Povolzje� (Program of support NGOs of Samara area), provides attraction for NGOs in Toglyatty to development SCN.
The club of the leaders of NGOs of Samara region provides attraction for NGOs of Samara to development SCN
Youth public organisation "Centre of youth initiatives Altair", Otradny HecA �Povolzje� branch.

5. Project aims and objectives
Samara Civic network development

SCN philosophy:
Samar acivic network is created for the sake of joining of the region and city people for solving their own problems and of problems of region.

• One person (even very talented) could no build civic network. The net could become civic in only case all citizens (the population of city and region).
• The priorities of SCN are the interests of city and region citizens directed to the development of city and region.
• SCN is non-government and non-profit network.
• SCN is based on principles of democracy, equality, full freedom idepending on nationality, religion etc.
• SCN is not to be the arena of political fighting and propaganda.
• SCN is not the place for propaganda of fascism, racism, nationalism and of ideas incompatible with principles of civilized societies.

Samara civic network objectives:

- to fill up the information exchange level that decreased significantly in modern situation in Russia;

- to improve the effectiveness of activity of non-government and non-profit organizations through the partnership in realization of joint programs and projects with partners found out by mean of electron coupling and information technology.

- to provide the access and possibility for development of cooperation inside the province, inside the Russia and with foreign partners;

- to provide the access for all interesting persons to the broad and various information about Samara province and its history, economics, culture, non-profit sector and other institutions of civic society;

- to provide the possibility for wide use of existing socially significant databases both regional and others;

- to remove the prejudice of vast masses against the help of other countries in forming of civic society in Russia through address concrete contacts of private persons and organisations with foreign colleagues etc.

Even brief review of the goals and objectives of Samara civic network shows its distinctive feature comparing with two others Russian civic networks and with classical civic networks of USA.

SCN project first of all is aimed at non-government and non-profit organizations. There are several reasons that will be mentioned further and we separate them on two groups with signs plus and minus.
 

-

+

Very low computer literacy (students of schools and universities, businessmen, and employees in natural philosophy and techniques are mainly competent in computer technologies.  Low richness of people in computer sphere both because of low computer literacy and high prices of hardware (comparing with middle level of income of main mass of population).  low computer of telephone equipping of population (in Samara the 15-20% of households have a telephone in home)  High price (with low speed of transmission) of Internet service combined with low developed users support system.  Difficult economic situation that does not promote the development of telecommunication systems and a number of other aspects.

Last years third sector (non-government and non-profit organizations) are quickly developing in Samara and Samara province and now there are 3500 NPO including near 2000 ones in Samara;  Members of NPO are most active (and probably most educated) part of population;  Non-government organisations are the way for organized manifestation of citizen initiatives;  non-government organizations express the interests of population most entirely;  because of lack of development of democratic institutes non-profit organizations often connect the population with authorities and defend their interests from state structures;  Non-government organisations by degrees become a powerful political factor;  Non-government organisations develop their technical base (computes etc) by themselves; Non-government organisations are good drivers of ideas of modern telecommunication technologies first of all for their activists, members and then for other people of city and region.

in this connexion the creation of public access points is emphasized on in SCN development. At the initial stage the most large non-government organizations of umbrella type (associations, unions, and consortiums) become these points. These associations provide the access for their organization members, individual members and for other people of city and region.

Declared and realizable aims and objective of the project "samara civic network"in 1998 - 2000.
 

Aims and objectives of the project

Declared Objectives

The main objective in 1998-2000.

The minor aim realised to a certain extent in 1998-2000.

Is not the aim but is realised to a certain extent in 1998-2000.

1.	Improve the providing of the social service through the Internet	Yes	Yes
2.	Increase the interest for local culture	Yes	Yes
3.	Improve the participation of the population in political life.				Yes
4	Increase employment				Yes
5	Popularise the economical development of the city, region, and country.	Yes	Yes
6	Provide the telecommunication needs.	Yes	Yes
7	Improve the public health service.			Yes
8	Improve the efficiency of the interconnection of the local authorities with local people.	Yes	Yes
9	Promote the culture development of the local population	Yes	Yes
10	Extend the education possibilities.			Yes
11	Promote the co-ordination of the regional information services.			Yes
12	Establish the contacts and partnership with other regions.			Yes

6. The results of reported period.

Web-server statistics:

144919 hits from more than 3000 different computers are registered since 14.08.98. It is more than 6000 hits per month. Approximately 80000 hits were form outside the Russian Federation. More detailed information about visiting the project Web-server is presented in SCN server: URL http://www.civnet.samara.ru/.

Dial-up statistics:

The statistics is kept since 01/09/99

SCN users worked through commuted connections (on basic pool since August 27, 1999) - 5743 hours. Approximately the same time was spent on reserve pool. Thus the general traffic of dual-up connection come to 11000 hours for reported period.