Day of Families Celebrated throughout Russia

International Day of Families observances throughout Russia featured sports events, a festival, a character and beauty pageant, forums, classroom lessons, and role-playing games.

Moscow

On May 15, in Moscow school 1143, a Family Festival with the motto “Peace in the family – peace on the planet” took place in commemoration of the International Day of Families.  More than 200 children and parents participated in the opening ceremony and different sports contests organized by activists of the Universal Peace Federation and Children of the Streets Inter-district Center, South-east Administrative District.

At the opening event, representatives of the district authorities, the head of the school, and officials from the Universal Peace Federation were on stage. The UPF members explained to the guests the meaning of this special UN day and the activities going on worldwide in commemoration of the International Day of Families.

Then schoolchildren and their parents took part in various sports competitions: relay races, table tennis, darts, and checkers. However, the most interesting event was the mini-football tournament under the motto "Play Football Make Peace."

It is worth mentioning that on such a remarkable day as the UN International Day of Families, sports events help unite different people, preserving the best family traditions to be passed on to younger generations, and strengthening relationships between generations. To involve children and young people in sports and creative activities is an excellent way to promote the motto of the event: “Peace in families – peace on the planet,” making it closer to each and all.

On May 16, the finale of the character, beauty, and lifestyle contest "Mister and Miss University 2010," was held at the Moscow Academy of Economy and Law. Russian and foreign students from nine Moscow universities participated in this contest. This event brought together youth from different nationalities and cultures. Within the framework of the contest, contestants organized several charity projects and participated in a round-table discussion on the role of youth in creating a culture of peace. At the finale of the content, participants spoke about their dreams, values, and life goals, demonstrated their talents, and answered the questions of the jury. Almost all contestants expressed gratitude to their parents and said that they dream to build a good and strong family in the future. The "Mister and Miss University 2010" contest showed  that in Russia there are not only beautiful and talented youth, but also altruistic and moral.

St. Petersburg

During celebration of the UN Day of Families, a role-playing game on family and marriage issues was organized for the members of the young Ambassadors for Peace Club “Guiding Star” The schoolchildren role played a State Duma meeting with factions representing businessmen, youth, families, and the Red Cross. Each faction was given a proposed legislation on family and marriage to study and propose changes and amendments. After ardent debates and general voting, participants of the “State Duma meeting” came to the unanimous conclusion that society can only be prosperous when families and marriage traditions are strong and the time before marriage is used by young people to foster personal moral qualities that they will need in their future family life. Children from schools No. 44, 53, 106, and 113 of the Primorsky region of St. Petersburg participated in this event.

Nizhni Novgorod

In Nizhni Novgorod, in A.S. Pushkin City Park, young volunteers organized a project related to the International Day of Families. The subject of the UN Day of Families 2010 was the Influence of Migration on Families around the World. A poll on ‘Why do I like living in a multinational country?’ was conducted with park visitors. While parents were writing down their answers on a poster, the kids were playing games and running relay races. The following opinions were recorded: living on one territory with people from other nations is mutually enriching; it allows people to inherit the best of each other’s traditions; it unites people and, in the opinion of schoolchildren, it helps to make new friends. Overall, nine volunteers, about 30 adults, and 30 kids were involved in the project.

Ryazan

The Ryazan Regional Public Organization “Teachers for spirituality and morality” together with the Universal Peace Federation conducted a classroom session on ‘Peace in family.’ In the course of the event, students worked on creating ‘My ethical code’: a set of rules that included ‘Help others,’ ‘Work together,’ ‘Listen when others talk,’ ‘Don’t leave people in need,’ ‘Speak out your opinion with dignity.’ The meeting with parents covered the subject ‘The family is a school of love.’ Participants discussed the importance of parents showing personal example of altruism and humanitarianism.

On May 14, a meeting of the Committee of Public Security of the city Ryazan was held with representatives of 25 organizations. UPF representative Mrs. Larisa Shmakova gave a speech entitled "The Family Is a School of Love." She initiated an annual celebration of the UN International Day of Families at the city level.

Rostov-on-Don

To promote family values and attract attention to marriage and family issues, an event commemorating the International Day of Families was held in Rostov on May 16. The event took place at the park near the public library. People who took part in an interview were asked to write their opinion on family values or to support opinion of others. As a thank you for participation, they were given cards with quotes by great writers and peacemakers about the family and true love.

Both participants and organizers were pleased to learn that family and family values are still important to people, and  despite crises or financial difficulties, people still give priority to love, mutual understanding, patience, children, and responsibility. Approximately 100 people participated in the event.

Yekaterinburg

On May 15, the Universal Peace Federation held a "Best Dad" contest at the Luvena Rehabilitation Center for children and teenagers with limited abilities. Three generations of men from the participating families prepared materials about the history of their clan, family presentations, creative performances, and some “specialties of the house." Grandmothers, mothers, and daughters were not only the cheerleaders but helped carry out various tasks. The atmosphere was so sunny and friendly that it could hardly be called a competition. In fact, participant families created an atmosphere one unified family of friends.

Revda, Sverdlovsk Region

The students of the Revda branch of the Ural Economics College participated in an interactive lesson on “Love and infatuation.” They participated in group discussions to analyze and compare such concepts as love, infatuation, friendship, and dislike according to the following criteria: appearance, social status, income level, commitment to the other person, responsibility in relations, stability of feelings, mutuality, etc. What is the essential difference between love and infatuation? They concluded that love grows from the ability to make friends combined with responsibility in relations, while infatuation often ends up with dislike and breaks the relationship.

Serov, Sverdlovsk Region

International Day of Families events were organized for the students of high school 14 and their families. The grand opening featured songs and poems about home and family, and excerpts from the message of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was read. The parents could also visit classes and attend eight open lessons. The lessons covered moral moral topics, including an ethics lesson on altruism and selfishness, writing and speaking on the theme “The one who accepts is rich, the one who declines is poor,” and a reading lesson on the theme “Kindness must be wise.” Presentations of children’s research projects were given special consideration. Families who worked on the projects together received special diplomas with the emblem of the International Day of Families.

Ufa

On May 15, volunteers of the Universal Peace Federation and CARP youth movement with the support of the Bashkir State University administration held an educational project for students on the themes of Family, Love, and Sexuality. The students were given a presentation on family values and their impact on building a harmonious society, on strengthening the power of love and chastity, and on the importance of character development. The event was attended by 30 people, among them S.V. Korlykhanov, Bashkir State University pro-rector of educational work, and D.F. Shamsutdinova, associate professor of sociology at the Ufa State Aviation Engineering University.

Novosibirsk

On May 15, in Novosibirsk, an International Day of Families project took place at St. Nicolas Orphanage. Students from different city colleges played outdoor games with kids and organized interesting quizzes and funny competitions. Volunteers had to show their maximum communicative skills and knowledge to enter into trusting and warm relations with the small children ages three to five. After the project ended, adult organizers commented: “Winning children’s hearts is not an easy task; we had persist and be patient, and then love, love, love them as our own children."