Training seminars for Ladya program

Several training seminars took place in October-November 2017 on Ladya program for preventing risk behaviours and HIV/AIDS among teenagers.

From October 2 to 6, a training seminar for Ladya program took place at the Sverdlovsk Regional AIDS Center, which was attended by specialists from the Lado Center for Psychological-Pedagogical and Medical-Social Aid, a state-run social service institution.

One of the tasks of the Sverdlovsk Regional AIDS Center is to train as many specialists as possible in various departments for taking HIV/AIDS prevention measures. The seminar was conducted by practicing trainers for Ladya program, including Ms. Marina Alferova, PhD (Pedagogy) form the Center for Additional Education in Social Sphere in Chelyabinsk, and Ilya Akhlyustin, PhD, a psychologist, Chelyabinsk Regional AIDS Center.

The trained attendees of the seminar will be able not only to begin implementing Ladya program already this year but also to launch a series of similar training seminars for specialists working with teenagers in their own administrative districts.

From materials on centerlado.ru

From October 16 to 29, a training seminar for Ladya program was held at the Evrika training center in Noviy Urengoy. It was attended by over 30 social educators and psychologists from educational institutions and specialists working with teenagers and youth.

From materials on www.newurengoy.ru

From November 7 to 11, a training seminar for Ladya program took place at School of General Education №15 in the city of Rubtsovsk. It was attended by psychologist educators and social educators from city schools.

From the materials on www.rub15.ru

From November 13 to 17, a training for Ladya program took place at the Youth House in the Vladimir region. It was conducted by Zdorovoye Pokolenie (Healthy Generation), an NGO for promotion of healthy way of life and prevention of dependencies. This organization is engaged in the work for social adaptation of orphans and children left without parental care, as well as disabled children. It carries out its work in three areas, one of which is lessons under Ladya program.

The training held by the organization was aimed to unite all the socially motivated citizens, volunteers, representatives of NGOs and charities for joint effective work in social institutions in the city of Vladimir and the Vladimir region. Participating in the training were activists from the cities of Vladimir, Kovrov, Murom and Suzdal.

The training was held with the support of NGOs 'House' in the Vladimir region.

From the materials on ngo33.ru

From November 13 to 17, a training seminar for Ladya program was held at the St. George church in Chelyabinsk. It gathered together specialists from all over the region. Among the attendees were social workers from Orthodox parishes, school psychologists and social educators.

From materials on mitropolia74.ru

The 13th Pokrovskie Readings

The 13th International church-public and academic conference was held from November 9 to 11 in Vladimir. It was organized by the Vladimir Theological Academy of St. Theophanous, the Catholic Parish of the Holy Rosary of Virgin Mary in Vladimir, the Higher Catholic Seminary 'Mary the Queen of the Apostles' in St Petersburg, the Stoletovs Vladimir State University, and the Pokrovskie Vorota cultural center, Moscow. Its theme was indicated as 'thanksgiving', and its motto was expressed in the words of St. Gregory of Nyssa: '… zeal in giving thanks to God augments the mercy of the Benefactor towards those who acknowledge good works'. The conference was held with the support of Kirche in Not foundation.

The first day of the reading took place at the Pedagogical Institute of the Stoletovs State University in Vladimir. In her welcoming speech, its director pointed out to the importance of the conference's theme for future educators and expressed hope that the cooperation will continue. Ms. Giovanna Parravicini of Pokrovskie Vorota and the Italian foundation 'Christian Russia', in her presentation on 'Father Romano Scalfi, Russia and West: Exchange of Gifts', spoke about the founder of the Christian Russia foundation. With regard to Father Romano, thanksgiving is understood in two ways: it comes from him and is returned to him. 'In his meeting with Russia, as is evident from his biography and experience, Father Romano felt a living encounter with Christ, whom he loved more than everything in the world, as well as a concrete from of his priestly vocation. In this lies the true source of his freedom and, therefore, joy', she stressed.

Father Romano's speech on the occasion of his 90th birthday should be also understood in the sense of thanksgiving: 'I thank for the example offered by Russian martyrs and, in the first place, for the example of the historic phenomenon of samizdat: dissidents were not primarily against the authorities; they were not very interested in our dubious Western democracy; they were inspired by the value of personality and the life with Christ. It is the point from which the efforts to change the world should begin'.

Ms. Margarita Nelyubova, a staff member of the DECR, in her paper on 'Diakonia in persons' united the subject of thanksgiving with diakonia understood as service for the needy. She spoke about differences between diakonia and secular social work and private and public diakonia and then presented a kind of a gallery of merciful saints. In special detail she spoke about the Venerable Martyr Elizabeth Feodorovna, posing the question about the reasons of her popularity. A special role was played by the saint's personal qualities, such as justice, empathy, responsibility, which helped her to change the conventional ideas of social service and charity and the role of women in church and society. A part of the paper dealt with the personality of the 'holy doctor' Feodor Gaaz (1780-1853), and his concrete works: the improvement of prison conditions, building of churches and hospitals, writing textbooks, making appeals against unjust sentences. A sign of gratitude in response to his life was given when the burial service for Feodor Gaaz, a Catholic, was given in an Orthodox church, and former prisoners later twined 'Gaazian shackles' round the fence of his grave.

Spouses Miriam Nembrini and Tino Bonaiti, Italy, who work in Adoptive Families, an Italian Catholic association, shared their experience of family life and bringing up adopted children. They said that it is necessary to get prepared for the adoption of an others' child, to learn to become open. Childless spouses should adopt children not when they wish to fill the void but when they wish to share over-abundant love. And family life, which is a school of forgiveness and gratitude, is the teaching of love for one who is different from you but has the same desires and needs as you have.

Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Apostolic Nuncio in Russia, participated in the second day of the readings. He visited the university Chapel of Ss Cyril and Methodius, met with the university rector A. Saralidze, Vladimir Regional Governor Ms. S. Orlova and Metropolitan Yevlogy of Vladimir and Suzdal.

During the conference, papers were read by Archpriest George Gorbachuk on 'The Divine Eucharist as the highest thanksgiving', P. Gumenyuk, Germany, on "'People are better than we think': the life of great benefactor Father Werenfried van Straaten". The story related by the Kirche in Not Russian department head about the founder of the foundation was accompanied with an exhibition arranged in the university hall.

Ideas of thanksgiving in the Gospel, the Church and the life of modern man were also shared by Rev. Yevgeny Heinrichs, Petrozavodsk, member of the clergy council of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow, and A. Safyan, Sergiev Posad, a post-graduate student of the Moscow State University chair of philosophy. The latter stressed that lying in the foundation of the Christian attitude to the world is gratitude, and the Church, in her central sacrament of the Eucharist, is manifested as embodied gratitude of the whole creation to the Creator for the gift of being.

From Svetlana Martyanova's materials on blagovest-info.ru

Round table on the protection of motherhood and childhood

The round-table conference on 'Protection of motherhood and childhood: Concept, practical approaches, cooperation within common Christian values' took place on November, 2017, in Nizhniy Novgorod.

Metropolitan George of Nizhniy Novgorod and Arzamas chaired the meeting. Among the participants were Archpriest Sergiy Matveyev, secretary of the diocese of Nizhniy Novgorod, Ms. Olga Barayeva, adviser to the head of the Metropolia of Nizhniy Novgorod, Archpriest Alexander Malafeyev, head of the diocesan organizational department, Archpriest Mikhail Poroikov, head of the diocesan department for cooperation with medical and social institutions, and Ms. Maria Dugina, his deputy. The round table was attended by deans of the diocesan districts, Ms. Margarita Nelyubova, Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations, Ms. Nadezhda Otdelkina, Nyzhniy Novgorod human rights commissioner, Ms. Margarita Ushakova, regional commissioner for the rights of the child, Ms. Maria Semerikova, regional chief obstetrician-gynecologist, Mr. Peter Gumenyuk, head of the Russian department of Kirche in Not, Ms. Giovanna Parravicini, Italy, representative of the Christian Russia foundation, and Father Marcello Dominizi, Italy, Catholic order 'Jesus - the Divine Teacher'.

Before the beginning of the event, its participants were introduced to the experience of social service implemented by the diocese of Nizhniy Novgorod. They visited the Center for Assistance to Family and Children 'To Be Mother', where they could see how women with children, who found themselves in trouble, were getting on, and met with psychologists and social workers of the 'Saving Life' program.

Opening the meeting, Metropolitan George said, 'Today we have gathered together to discuss a very important problem directly linked with demographic issues, therefore also with the future of our country. We are aware how important is social work today for support of the family and preventive anti-abortion activity and for this reason we give special attention to this field of our work. I hope that our joint efforts will produce good results'.

Archpriest Mikhail Poroikov spoke about the work carried out in the diocese of Nizhniy Novgorod to protect motherhood and childhood, noting that this work implies not only anti-abortion activities. 'The protection of motherhood should begin with the awareness of the sanctity of this feeling, with the awareness of the most important predestination of woman, which is childbearing', he stressed.

The participants watched a film about the work of the diocesan social aid service 'Always Alongside'.

Ms. Giovanna Parravicini, representative of the Christian Russia foundation, spoke about the work of the Adoptive Families organization. Frere Marcello Dominizi shared his experience of work to help victims of violence and work with men who use violence in their families.

Peter Gumenyuk, representative of Kirche in Not foundation, noted in his remark that 'what we have seen today and our exchange with workers of the Nizhniy Novgorod diocesan social department and psychologists have been very impressive. We could feel their great desire to help people and love that lies in the basis of their work'.

Among the speakers were also Ms. Nadezhda Otdelkina, Nizhniy Novgorod regional high commissioner for human rights, Ms. Margarita Ishakova, regional high commissioner for the child's rights, and Ms. Marina Semerikova, chief obstetrician-gynecologist of the region.

From materials on www.mospat.ru

A seminar on 'The nursing of sedentary patients'

On November 13-14, 2017, a seminar on 'The nursing of sedentary patients' took place at the social service center of the Southern district in Orenburg. It was attended by 27 junior and paramedical personnel of in-patient social service establishments for the elderly and disabled and medical deputy directors.

The seminar was conducted by sisters of the St. Dimitry Sisterhood, Moscow, and teachers of the St. Dimitry Sisterhood Nursing School and the medical college of the Moscow healthcare department. The lessons included theoretical studies and master classes. The participants learnt about the latest techniques of nursing patients with incurable diseases and the spiritual and social aspects of help.

Ms. Tatyana Kravchenko, a teacher at the St. Dimitry Nursing School, informed the participants about the peculiarities of meeting the needs of palliative patients.

Master classes were held on 'Preparing the bed for sedentary patients' and 'Principles of safe movement'. Practical lessons were conducted in two groups with the use of functional beds and nursing devices. The attendants were introduced to the techniques developed by sisters of mercy at the First City Hospital in Moscow.

Rev. Roman Batsman, who supports patients at the Bakulev Cardiovascular Surgery Research Center and the Sklifosovskiy Emergency Aid Institute, spoke about the spiritual and psychological support of patients suffering from HIV infection and oncological diseases.

From materials on www.msr.orb.ru and miloserdie.help