A series of “Run Hour” events took place in Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan, Tula, and other cities of Russia on April 22 promoting the Spring Week of Goodness, which is connected with Global Youth Service Day.
During the activities, participants congratulated passers-by on the occasion of the Spring Week of Goodness, interviewed people, distributed booklets with information about this broad-scaled project, and called upon people to join the upcoming projects or do something good for their friends and relatives, showing an example of healthy lifestyle.
It was interesting that this year some of the passers-by said they knew about the all-Russia “Spring Week of Goodness” and/or showed sincere interest in it. Organizers hope that after such activities promoting the value of volunteerism and a healthy lifestyle, the number of people involved in the Spring Week of Goodness and “Run Hour” will significantly increase.
The Spring Week of goodness
The all-Russia annual volunteer action “Spring Week of Goodness” was held on April 21 – 23 2012. Usually, the program of the action includes many events under the slogan “Together we create our future.” The participants cleaned streets and court territories, planted trees and arranged charitable concerts, helped children, invalids, and elderly people.
Universal Peace Federation joined the action in different cities of Russia in 200, and in 2011 became a member of the coordinating committee. UPF volunteers and Youth Ambassadors for Peace realized about 100 social projects: cleaning territory of city parks and psycho-neurologic boarding houses, giving lessons of goodness, arranging concerts for Great Patriotic War veterans, conducting ecological actions and sports events aimed at promoting healthy life style, especially among young people.
Moscow
During the action “Spring Week of Goodness”, UPF together with Young Ambassadors for Peace participated in this significant all-Russia event. Thus, on April 21 we participated in 4 different projects, including 2 annual ones: aid to the children’s home #20 and the psycho-neurologic clinic #16.
The football project in Udelnoye children’s home on April 20, and in Mytishi children’s home on April 28 were two significant events including master-classes and a mini-football match scheduled to the big project “Create dreams-2012”.
Other UPF projects that were held on April 21 were of the same character. Participants washed windows, cleaned the territory, disposed of the garbage, and painted children’s playgrounds, and walls in the veterans’ boarding house.
Celebration for children-refugees from the Center of adaptation and education under the Committee “Civil Assistance” took place in the club “Chinese flier Chzao Da” on April 22 under the slogan “Create goodness.” Young people from the All-Russia Youth Alliance and Young Ambassadors for Peace prepared delicious meals for the children, and a number of games. Children performed a staged Russian folk tale “Turnip”, recited poetry and sang songs. At the end of the event they received gifts; in return they prepared a colorful poster with words of thanks.
A contest in mini-football under the slogan “Play football for peace” took place in Lyublino district of Moscow on April 27. It is the usual practice that during the All-Russia Spring Week of Goodness, the Universal Peace Federation together with association “Children of the streets” holds a football tournament in a warm and friendly atmosphere. Such sports events, especially during the Spring Week of Goodness, unite on the football field different people, promote healthy life style, and involve children and teenagers into sports.
On April 28, the UPF activists together with Young Ambassadors for Peace completed the set of projects related to the Spring Week of Goodness, by a number of events. Youth from the Moscow Academy of economics and law together with UPF volunteers helped with improving the territory of the children’s boarding house #81: they removed the garbage, washed and painted windows. Young Ambassadors for Peace show a good example to the young generation of this school.
One more event was organized in a boarding home of war veterans in Konkovo district of Moscow; it was initiated by Women’s Federation for World Peace. The program included performance of the ensemble “Angels of Peace” and the dance studio “Allegro”.
Nizhny Novgorod
The ecological action of cleaning adjoining to the railway station territories and courts of houses with participation of UPF volunteers and representatives of Sovetsky district administration, started on April 21, 2012. Both volunteers and inhabitants of the district were greatly satisfied with the results of the work. The latter expressed their sincere gratitude to the participants of the beneficent action. The work united representatives of different categories and professions; the participants worked out a plan of their future joint activity aimed at development of ecological understanding among the population of the city.
On April 23, the same group of young people demonstrated an interesting approach by organizing a series of actions “3 good deeds.” Having divided into several groups, they went in search of people who needed practical assistance. First, people showed mistrust, then their hearts melted and they welcomed the volunteers, who did all kinds of work for all who needed help. There was one man who needed help very much; cheated by crooks and robbed of all his money he had no means to return to his home place. The “3 good deeds” action was an inspiring experience for the participants.
On April 25, the Universal Peace Federation held an ecological action in the city zoo “Limpopo.” During the action, volunteers cleaned the territory of debris.
On April 26, Universal Peace Federation gathered together volunteers of all ages and professions to the action in the city boarding home for veterans and invalids of Nizhny Novgorod. Volunteers rendered a practical assistance to the inhabitants of the house: washed and painted windows, cleaned the territory, stubbed old trees. Elderly people expressed their heart-warm gratitude. They were also happy to communicate with young people and share with them their problems and hope for the future.
One more UPF action related to the Spring Week of Goodness in Nizhny Novgorod was a concert given in the boarding home of veterans and invalids on April 27. The action was aimed at creating an atmosphere of unity and harmony in relations of generations. Among the performers were students, young families, and children. The repertoire included folk songs of different nations, poetry and dances. In conclusion, the spectators expressed their gratitude and best wishes.
Yekaterinburg
Representatives of UPF Ural chapter many years render aid to the Children’s Ecological Center and their sensor garden. At the end of April, UPF volunteers arranged a community work day involving not only youth but also adults. Especially important for the initiators was participation of young families, because later they would come to enjoy this wondrous place together with their children.
Traditionally, a team of UPF volunteers, representatives of the Women’s Federation for World Peace, Youth organization CARP, and students came to clean up the Center together with the teachers and children. They washed windows and disposed of garbage and last year foliage. Such assistance is important for the children to feel community’s sincere interest in their wellbeing and concern for the future of them who came to be in difficult life circumstances. Besides, volunteers gained a precious experience of participation in projects of the kind that promote positive social changes.
Perm
Children’s municipal library #5 of Perm under active support of the Women’s Federation for World Peace local branch, participated in the Spring Week of Goodness-2012. They gave lessons of goodness to the first-year schoolchildren. “We are responsible for those whom we tamed” – such was the theme of the meeting on April 25. Its purpose was to awaken in children compassion for and responsible attitude to homeless animals. The library staff organized collecting food and rags; they also placed a special donation box for those who would like to support volunteers who took care of homeless cats and dogs.
On April 25, children met a children’s writer of short fairy tales and stories about good and evil, Svyatoslav Koshkin.
Children could both listen and participate in an improvised sketch of one fairy tale. They felt greatly inspired. Activists of the Women’s Federation and the local self-government association “Vodniki” also participated in cleaning the territory around the memorial to the soldiers who perished in the Great Patriotic War, on the picturesque bank of the Kama River.
The All-Russia UPF event “Run Hour” scheduled to the Spring Week of Goodness took place in Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan, Tula and other cities of Russia. This time, during the action, the participants congratulated the passers-by on the beginning of the “Spring Week of Goodness,” did questionings, handed out fliers with information about this large-scale event, and called upon people to join one of the projects during the Week, or just do something good for their friends. In comparison to the last year, many more people knew about the action. Let us hope that after such bright projects promoting values of volunteerism and healthy life style, the number of supporters and participants of the Spring Week of Goodness will grow considerably.
