Project Activities of the Sergiev Posad Civic Network
http://stPosad.friends-partners.ru
Executors of the Project:
Foundation for Social Problems
Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Sergiev Posad
Director of the Project: Victor Nemov
Description of the Project
The project is designed to promote a broad dialog among various
organizations and individuals in this district of the Moscow Region. Using
the telecommunication network sponsored by the Russian Civic Network and modern
technologies, the project aims at demonstrating the way social
organizations can help stimulate people for the improvement of their lives
and of their community, and to serve the needs of disadvantaged citizens -
refugees and newly arrived re-settlers from CIS countries, demobilized
military, unemployed and others - through access to electronic information
services, specific training and various opportunities.
Of the three communities involved in the RCNP at this stage, the Sergiev
Posad Civic Network (SPCN) has had to work the hardest to establish the
technical and engineering elements of the project. Starting with very
little technical experience (and almost no local Internet infrastructure),
the SPCN has successfully installed all equipment provided by F&P,
established local Internet connectivity (through a good partnership with a
commercial ISP which sees the value of the SPCN to the local community),
and is currently implementing local modem access to the SPCN.
The special strengths of the SPCN are found in its strong relationship to
the local Chamber of Commerce and its efforts to involve government,
non-government and commercial organizations in the development and
governance of the SPCN. The successful integration of both public and
private organizations is encouraging to other RCNP communities and to
project organizers. The consortium of local organizations involved in the
development of the SPCN include the "Russia House" Foundation (local
migrant and social service organization), the "Golden Ring" tourism firm,
the Sergiev Posad Chamber of Commerce, local libraries, hotels and the
Sergiev Posad Humanitarian Institute. These organizations participate
directly in the governance of the civic network through their involvement
in the central Council of Directors. But the SPCN has made special
effort to reach a broader section of the community through their
agreements with local Internet service provider, the local mayor's office,
district newspaper, regional newspaper, local rescue service, local
university, a hospital for socially unsupported people, a union of invalid
artists and craftsmen, and other units of local administration. This very
broad outreach into the community (and to government, non-government and
private firms) represents a primary goal of civic networking.
The SPCN has provided four seminars and workshops for leaders of local
NGOs and mass-media, involving 24 individuals. They have also established
agreements with different NGOs libraries, local government offices to
open 6 public access locations.
The project has successfully installed the technical equipment provided by
F&P, has established the initial WWW site for the RCNP, has established
public access sites (located at different sites in the area), and begun
developing local information content about Sergiev Posad and the
surrounding region.
Description of the Grand Opening Ceremony
The grand opening ceremony of the Sergiev Posad Civic Network (SPCN) was
held on March 23, 1999 with many participants from the local community and
some guests from other locations. Participants in the day's ceremonies
and meetings included: Victor Nemov (project director and head of
foundation for Social Programs), Oleg Starkov (co-director and head of the
local Chamber of Commerce), Larissa Voitkova (head of Public Women's
Organization "Soglasiye"(Harmony)), Tamara Kobyakova (head of
Interregional Public Association for disabled painters and retired
painters), Olga Kosenko (head of Public Ecological Movement "Biosphere and
Biopolicy"), Oksana Samoilenko (Rescue Service), Irina Lenskaya
(Cultural-Education Center "Inga"), Vladimir Lebedev (network development,
Sergiev Posad Humanitarian University), local students, librarians, local
administration, and local newspaper, radio and television media
representations. Special guests included Natasha Bulashova, Tanya
Stepanova, Greg Cole (all representing F&P), Chris Kedzie (Ford
Foundation), Alexander Stolyarov (Moscow Institute of Oriental Studies),
Sergey Agapov (Samara Civic Networking Project), Alexander Vasilyev
(Pereslavl-Zalessky).
The ceremonies began with representatives of local NGOs talking about
their activities and plans and about significance to such of the Internet
and Civic Networking. Victor Nemov told about the project "The Town of
Craftsmen" - the unique Cultural and Ethnographic town similar to the open
air historical/ethnographic museum in Williamsburg Virginia (USA). After
meeting with local NGOs and educational representatives, the group met
with Deputy Head of Region Administration - Alexander Dolotsev. He
expressed gratitude to organizers for creation of civic networking. He
told about interest of local administration in continuation of this
project, about public benefit of this project for every city's service,
about its significance for direct communication with population of
Sergiev-Posad.
The ceremony then moved went to Gorlovsky Municipal Library, where there
was held a grand opening of the new public access point. Visitors of
library, students, and journalists attended this ceremony. This event was
of great importance for Sergiev-Posad city as the visitors of library have
a free access to Internet and local resources. Local TV channel showed a
fragment of this ceremony in its show "The Day of City". Local newspapers
"Vpered", "Vash Interes", "Zerkalo' published articles about the Grand
Opening Ceremony.
The second half of day was devoted to the work in office of Foundation for
Social Programs. Discussions about further work of the SPCN, further
development of civic networking in Moscow region and about specific plans
to develop civic networking project in Michourinsk town (Tambov region).
A newspaper article describing the Sergiev-Posad
Grand Opening Ceremony
Information about local government in Sergiev Posad
An extensive directory listing of public, private
and non-profit
organizations in Sergiev Posad
Complete information about the Chamber of Commerce and
industry
of Sergiev Posad
More information about Sergiev Posad can be found at Russian Communities
on the Net page.
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