II. The Movement for Nuclear Safety Directs Appeal to the State Duma

III. The Saint Petersburg Music Therapy Center Helps Children

IV. A Mini-Home for the Elderly cannot Find Clients

V. "The Older Generation" Strives to Establish Diverse Ties between Generations

I. On October 9 The Moscow City Duma Discussed the Draft Law "On Civic Social Order"

The draft law "On Civic Social Order" was developed by a group of experts that included representatives or nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations. According to the draft law the financing of all of the City's social programs will be done by open competition in which governmental, private, and social organizations may take part.

According to one of the developers of the law, the president of the foundation "No to Alcoholism and Drug Addiction" Oleg Zykov, this financing mechanism will create the basis of social policy in the city. "The 'motivated' portion of the citizenry takes part in the social sphere in Moscow. Naturally, not nearly all social organizations are able effectively to resolve social problems, but on the whole there is an enormous potential here. Passage of the law will permit us to save on budget resources spent on maintaining a bureaucratic apparatus that can be used for training and retraining personnel etc."

The deputies, however, made a number of critical remarks about the draft law. For example, Deputy Krutov expressed the opinion that measures of civic order are financed from city budget funds, but social order is something "more private." A part of the speakers, who maintained that "we have no non-social programs in our city," proposed looking at social order only as an integral part of some [larger] city legislative measure. This opinion however found no support among the deputies of the Moscow City Duma.

Noting the weak development of the basic concept "social order", the inadequately expressed humanitarian direction, and other shortcomings of the draft law, the majority of the deputies nonetheless acknowledged the necessity of such a law under the conditions of a democratically developing city. Despite the disagreement that came up, at the end of the two hour discussion the draft law was accepted as a basis by a majority of the 15 [deputies] who voted (3 abstained). It was sent for revision in accordance with the adopted propositions.

II. The Movement for Nuclear Safety Directs Appeal to the State Duma

The appeal, the initiators of which were the Movement for Nuclear Safety together with a number of social, environmental organizations, expressed dissatisfaction with the reduction of the status of the Ministry of Environmental and Natural Resource Protection of the Russian Federation to the level of a committee and the termination of the Security Council's committee on environmental security.

In this situation, according to the social organizations, the Ecology Committee of the State Duma "is the only high ranking organ capable of opposing the government's breaking of the Law on the Defense of The Environment and other environmental laws." Therefore the attempt to remove the chair of the Environmental Committee of the State Duma Tamara Elotnikova also drew the unease of the social organizations. They believe that Elotnikova's joining the committee noticeably activated its legislative work, strengthened ties with voters and social institutions and changed the very style of the work. The pressure on Elotnikova is explained by her activism in the area of atomic law, especially in connection with her work on the Law on Radiation Emissions." Noncommercial organizations view her leaving the post of chair of the Environmental Committee of the State Duma as "one more link in the chain of events destroying environmental controls on the economic and financial activity of [governmental] departments."

The Movement for Nuclear Safety has asked all social organizations to support its appeal to save the Environmental Committee under the chairmanship of T. V. Elotnikova. You may join the appeal by calling (3512) 375-163 (sic) or by e mail: [email protected].

III. The Saint Petersburg Music Therapy Center Helps Children

The music therapy center was created as part of the international cultural program "People of the World Together." This nonprofit humanitarian project conducts its work in two directions: music-therapeutic aid and creating educational programs for music therapy specialists.

Music therapy is a creative, active form of developmental, rehabilitative, and psychotherapeutic activity. It is a dialog between the therapist and his patient, a dialog often conducted beyond the limits of spoken communication. In clinical practice this creates the possibility of influencing even the most difficult patients suffering from severe mental and physical disorders for whom traditional forms of spoken, behavioral and medical therapy are ineffective.

The center's clinic and social rehabilitative music-therapeutic aid service accept children with a wide range of conditions. The specialists use a unique method based on an individual approach to the patient.

The center organized informational, get acquainted seminars, trainings, and practica with the goal of more broadly disseminating knowledge of the methods of music therapy.

More information may be obtained by telephone: (812) 315-0923, 173-6571, 143-8116, 184-3950, 226-2325.

IV. A Mini-Home for the Elderly cannot Find Clients

International Elders' Day, which was marked in Moscow last week, once again gave cause to think of the possible alternative ways of resolving the problems of protecting the rights of the elderly and the well being of the aged. According to the results of one sociological investigation, around 10 per cent of those of retirement age are alone and do not have a family. Many of them need residential social assistance.

No one in Russia knows what a "mini-home (minipansionat)" for lonely elderly people is. The only experiment in creating this type of institution was established three years ago in the Zamoskvorech'e region of Moscow. The founders were commercial enterprises (the firm "AKO," the cooperative Mramor), the Russian Cossack community, the Committee for the Defense of the People of Moscow, the local administration of Zamoskvorech'e, and the local social service center for the elderly "Zamoskvorech'e."

Only 11 people now live in this home, which was designed for 40. Why? The organizers and founders of the home throw up their hands. "People are probably afraid of kindly initiatives, they see commercial interests, profits, and machinations with property behind the charity." The elderly are cautious about new ideas. The unavoidable condition [of living in the home]--exchanging their apartment for a place in the home--inspires fear of falling victim to machinations concerning apartments. Even legal guarantees and strict controls by the local administration cannot save people from their lack of trust.

But what do the elderly people now living in the home, whom it has become clear are very satisfied with their material conditions and services, think? "The matter is very simple: family members, neighbors, and doctors in the local clinic dissuade, exert psychological pressure or begin to threaten. The prevalent social stereotype that a home for elderly is a "place of ending" in which life is unbearable because of the rude treatment by the service personnel and the lack of government support for this type of institution also plays a role. This has nothing to do with our mini-home," says pensioner Iriada Georgievna Komochkina.

The pensioners find complete security and have all the conveniences. They receive meals four times a day and qualified medical assistance. At the same time their pensions remain at their complete disposal. Moreover, on request trips to clinics and sanitoria are paid for.

The mini-home "Zamoskvorech'e" is located at ul. B. Ordynka, D. 11/6.

Contact telephone: 231-0741, 231-0873.

V. "The Older Generation" Strives to Establish Diverse Ties between Generations

At the Central Spiritual Legacy House a presentation took place by the society "The Older Generation." The founders of the new noncommercial organization were the Moscow Lawyers Union (chair M. Kazymina), the center for volunteers "The Moscow House of Charity" (president G. Bodrenkova), and the Women's Information Network (director T. Troinova). Its charter was established in July of this year.

When speaking of the problems of the older generation, it is customary to mention their lack of well being and weak health while forgetting about their inadequate spiritual life. The television and the telephone are the lot of the elderly. Their rich personal and cultural potential remains untapped. Therefore the basic goal of the new organization is to attract citizens of retirement age into an active social live, to use their experience in the fields to which they have devoted their lives, to establish connections between generations, and to draw the attention of governmental organs to the problems of elderly persons.

The organization's activities will be based on the work of volunteers. It is proposed to put on a series of concerts, exhibitions, and meetings with youth, and to open clubs on different interests. The lawyers who are members of the new organization plan to use their expertise on legislation relating to the elderly and to provide legal assistance.

One of the initiators in the creation of the new organization M. Kazymina, has said: "We wish to connect two generations--grandmothers who survived the war and grandchildren who know of it only by hearsay. After all, today's children tomorrow will take the helm of state, and if we do not effectively pass on the baton, will they be able to pass it on to their own children?"

Those at the meeting also supported the idea of directing a petition to the UN with a request to change the name of the holiday Elders Day to Older Generation Day.

Contact telephones: 917-7537 (Maia Mikhailovna Kazymina, President of "The Older Generation"), 291-2274 (Tatiana Troinova), 291-3041 (Galina Bodrenkova).

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