UPF volunteers organized projects in June 2010 centered around creating murals, researching genealogy, horseback riding, and dart competitions for young people, including handicapped children.
Project for invalid children and their families in Yekaterinburg
Three traditional projects in city sports competitions, initiated by the Society of Invalid Children and their Parents under the leadership of an Ambassador for Peace helped support people with limited abilities.
A dart competition saw the participation of 57 teenagers and young people with limited abilities.
On June 1, Children's Protection Day, a joyful sports festival took place for 53 families with invalid children.
On June 12, a horse-riding exhibition took place on the sports grounds of the “Nadezhda” Club together with the “Elfo” Center. Among participants were teenagers and young people with limited faculties. Riding for disabled people is a unique method of improving their physical health; such programs give not only health but also the joyful feeling of belonging.
Feast of the Children's Courtyard, St. Petersburg
On June 1, 2010, UPF volunteers Michael and Natalya Kurachenkov’s from St. Petersburg, held a Feast of the Children's Courtyard in the courtyard of their house, on the occasion of the International Children's Day. The event brought together about 100 children and their parents. The motivation was the bad state of the playground, which local authorities allegedly could not afford to repair. The Kurachenkovs decided to turn for help directly to the residents of nearby houses.
Mikhail explained: "On the eve of the May holidays we put up posters in the neighborhood inviting people to take part in restoring the playground and help with materials. Several young families responded: one family gave money to buy paint, others volunteered to do the painting. Some families cleaned the courtyard collecting rubbish, because there were no stationary trash bins.
As a result, on the eve of June 1, we invited to Opening events children from the local private school "The Scientist Cat,” who helped organize competitions for children. The neighboring Pirogov House “Izyumov” workers cooked a huge pie for all participants. Despite the cold spring day, the holiday sun was shining brightly. Happy smiles on children’s and parents’ faces were the best reward for our work.
UPF projects presented at the All-Russia Exhibition “100 techniques of goodness”
On June 10, an exhibition entitled “100 techniques of goodness” took place in Crocus-Expo showing such outstanding projects of UPF as “Play football make peace” and “Mister and Miss University Pageant.”
The purpose of the exhibition was to promote UPF projects and experiences, such as supporting elderly people and children; helping people with limited faculties; caring for animals; prevention of alcoholism, drug addiction and HIV/AIDS; promotion of a healthy life style; charitable donations and social improvement; ecology and beautification of the environment. It aimed at mobilizing investment for the future development of volunteer projects and finding efficient ways to initiate cooperation with representatives of business, administration, experts, public organizations, and the media.
The exhibition was held simultaneously in eight federal districts of Russia with the support of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs.
Sea view on a fence in Moscow
On June 25, during the Week of Goodness, young Ambassadors for Peace and artist Nikolai Rzhevsky painted a sea view with rolling waves on the inner side of the fence of psychological-neurological nursing home №18, with the consent of hospital authorities. It took him 12 hours to complete, and it offers a more appealing and optimistic atmosphere at the hospital.
The reaction of the personnel was very positive. They expressed hope that it would encourage patients to think about something good. Hospital patients came up and by words, gestures, and exclamations expressed their interest and approval.
The young Ambassadors for Peace are planning to paint more pictures.
St. Petersburg: "My clan. My family"
UPF volunteers Denis and Tatiana Pigasov were invited by a municipal organization in St. Petersburg to develop and carry out a project called “My clan - my family.” The purpose of the project is to explain to children the values of a clan and a family as foundation for personal happiness, a harmonious society, and peace on the planet.
The project included preparing a children's manual and conducting a one-year program in the schools of the Petrograd District. This manual helps the children take the first step in understanding a clan culture by collecting information about themselves and their parents, creating a genealogical tree of their family, making a list of family traditions, and sharing dreams, purposes and a life strategy for the glory of their clan.
In May they organized a presentation of the manual and meetings on the themes “Family as a school of life,” “Genealogy is the fruit of my life,” and “My life – my way.” The project will begin in September and continue until the end of the school year.