Centre of Voluntary Movement

CentreCentre ofof voluntaryvoluntary movementmovement ““DiGeDiGe vuvu Samara”Samara” WorkWork CampsCamps ProgrammeProgramme 20132013 DiGe vu Samara Russia 2013 1. THE SAMARA REGION  GENERAL INFORMATION

 THE CITY OF SAMARA 2. CULTURAL BACKGROUND

 NATIONAL HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS

 RUSSIAN CUISINE 3. WHAT IS DiGe vu Samara

 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ORGANISATION

 WHO YOU CAN CONTACT 4. PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS

 VISA PROCEDURES

 LANGUAGE

 PRICES 5. WORKCAMPS  PLEASE SEE DESCRIPTIONS The Samara region GENERAL INFORMATION

The Samara Region is situated in the south-eastern part of the European Russia in the middle part of the Volga, Europe's biggest river, and occupies the area of 53 600 square kilometers that is 0.31% of the territory of Russia. In the North it borders on the Republic of Tatarstan, in the South - the Saratov Region, in the East - the Orenburg Region and in the North-West - the Uliyanovsk Region. The Region stretches for 335 km from the North to the South and for 315 km from the West to the East. Being a forest and steppe zone, the Region is covered with the pine and deciduous woods in the North, and its southern part is occupied by the steppe. The largest mountain-mass and at the same time one of the most beautiful places of Russia is the Zhiguli Mountains, situated immediately in the river Volga bend - "Samarskaya Luka" in Russian. Apart from the Volga, the main waterway of the region, the major rivers are the Samara, the Sok, the Kinel, the Bolshoy Irghiz and the Kondurcha. The Samara Region has sharp continental climate with the average annual air temperature +3.8 degrees centigrade. The average temperature in January is -13.9 degrees centigrade and +20.1 in July. Adjacency to the waterless Asian deserts affects the southern part of the Region resulting in recurring droughts there. This very circumstance makes a good deal of land in the Region unpropitious for farming. 3279 thousand people live in Samara permanently. The largest cities are Samara (1210,6 thousand people), Togliatti (724,1 thousand people), Syzran (187,3 thousand people), Novokuibyshevsk (117,6 thousand people), Chapayevsk (86,7 thousand people), Zhigulyovsk (59,8 thousand people), Otradny (53,4 thousand people). THE CITY OF SAMARA

The city of Samara was first mentioned in official documents in 1586 in the reign of Fedor Ioannovich when in the spring time construction of a fortress on the Volga was started for protection from the Nogays and Kalmyks, and provision of the waterway from Kazan to Astrakhan. The fortress was small; an impenetrable forest approached almost close to it from the North and East; the river Samara protected it from the South and the mighty Volga - from the West. In 1688 the fortress Samara was renamed to the Samara city. In 1708 in the reign of Peter I Samara ranked the ninth town of the Kazan province, and since 1719 it was attached to the Astrakhan province. At that time there were 210 citizens' homesteads on the territory of the town. Since 1851 Samara was a provincial town with the population of 15 thousand. The Samara province ranked first in the whole of the Russian Empire per the amount of wheat harvested. 375 shops traded colonial, manufactured and other goods. Bazaars took place every week in two squares. Later in the 19th century there were 46 plant and factories in Samara where 2.5 thousand regular workers were employed. The rise of industry was hampered by absence of the required energy supply. The first city power station in Samara was built in 1900. By 1917 as many as 90 industrial enterprises operated in Samara, e.g. a mechanical bakery and a grain-elevator containing 140 million pounds of grain. Since the town has a convenient geographical location the Donbass and Urals became major metal suppliers for the industry that laid foundation for the set-up of a lot of big enterprises of the machine engineering and metal processing. There were such natural resources in the vicinity of the town as sulphur, phosphorites, limestone, dolomite, gypsum, chalk, clay and sand. It made for the industry of construction materials. In the 30s Samara became a center of oil production and processing in Russia. All those natural and economic conditions made for the development of the city as a big industrial city. During the World War II the local industrial potential was complemented by powerful industrial base of the enterprises evacuated from Moscow, Leningrad and other cities. NATIONAL HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS

Russian holidays present a motley picture — new and old, official and unofficial, professional and private, religious and secular. All occasions warrant a celebration. We describe here only a few principal holidays, in chronological order.

 The New Year is first on the calendar and in popularity. Many celebrate it twice, on January 1 and 14 (which corresponds to January 1 in the Julian calendar, used in Russia before 1918.  Next is February 23, Soldier's Day, known until recently as Soviet Army Day, popularly viewed as holiday for all men and closely followed by its female counter-part, Women's Day, March 8, when women receive flowers, presents and are toasted by men. Mayday, until recently officially termed International Workers' Solidarity Day, is now known as Spring and Labour Day. On some years, it occurs on or close to with Russian Orthodox Easter, so some people celebrate in church while some attend customary demonstrations. Russia celebrates Victory Day on May 9 to commemorate the millions fallen in World War II. Flowers and wreaths are laid on wartime graves on this day, and veterans come out into the streets wearing their military orders and medals. Alas, there are fewer of them with every passing year. June 12 is Russia's newest holiday, Independence Day, which commemorates the adoption in 1991 of the Declaration of Sovereignty of the Russian Federation. November 4 - the Day of People’s Unity.It was celebrated in the Russian Empire until 1917 and in Russia from 2005. Held on November 4 (October 22, Old Style), it commemorates the popular uprising which expelled the Polish-Lithuanian occupation force from Moscow in November 1612, and more generally the end of the Time of Troubles and foreign intervention in Russia in the Polish-Muscovite War (1605–1618). Its name alludes to the idea that all the classes of Russian society willingly united to preserve Russian statehood when its demise seemed inevitable even though there was neither Tsar nor Patriarch to guide them. In 1613 tsar Mikhail Romanov instituted a holiday named Day of Moscow’s Liberation from Polish Invaders. The holiday, held in October, was abandoned in 1917. November 4 is also the feast day for Our Lady of Kazan, the holy icon which the Russian Orthodox Church probably venerates most. RUSSIAN CUISINE

Original and varied, Russian cuisine is famous for exotic soups as ukha (fish soup), shchi (cabbage soup which is made of assorted meats), pokhlebka (thick broth), okroshka (cold vegetable soup). Russians are great lovers of pelmeni, small Siberian meat pies boiled in broth, bliny (pancakes) with sour cream or caviar, cabbage pie, beef a la Strogonoff. Every housewife of any experience has her own recipes for pies, pickles, and sauerkraut. Even more varied is the choice of recipes for mushrooms, one of the most abundant and nourishing gifts of our woods. They are fried, pickled, salted, boiled and what not. "No dinner without bread," goes the Russian saying. Wheat loaves have dozens of varieties. As to rye bread, Russians eat more of it than any other nation of the world--another peculiarity of the Russian diet. As the Russian custom has it, a festive table isn't worth this name without a bottle of vodka. Russians are traditionally hearty drinkers: as good whiskey shall come from Scotland, and port from Portugal, so Russian wheat vodka is the world's best. We have an amazing variety to offer, from the clear, colourless Moskovskaya and Stolichnaya to all kinds of bitters with herbs and spices. Of our folk soft drinks, kvass is the best known. Made of brown bread or malted rye flour, it goes down best on a sultry summer day. If you add it to chopped-up meat and vegetables, you get okroshka, exquisite cold soup. Tea with lemon is the traditional Russian beverage.

PRICES train ticket Moscow-Samara 900-2000 RUR bus/trolleybus/tram ticket 15 - 18 RUR entrance to cinema 80 - 350 RUR cup of tea 50-100 RUR letter to Europe 30 RUR newspaper 15-25 RUR beer 60-80 RUR lunch in a café 150 - 500 RUR

*1 EURO= ABOUT 40 RU WHAT IS DiGe vu Samara

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ORGANISATION

Center of voluntary movement «DiGe vu Samara» is a non-governmental organization. It was established on the initiative of active youth leaders. Its main activities include: - promotion of international volunteerism in the Samara region by means of long-term, mid-term projects and work camps; - involvement of active young people into the social life of the Samara region by means of youth projects, such as AIDS prevention campaigns, etc.; - involvement of the disabled people into the life of society by means of the voluntary projects; - organization of cultural activities, festivals, workshops; - organization of thematic trainings and seminars for youth leaders. DiGe vu Samara has been a partner of YAP (Youth Action for Peace) and ALLIANCE since 2005. In June 2007 DiGe vu Samara became a full member of CCIVS (UNESCO).

WHO YOU CAN CONTACT

Incoming/outgoing/EVS, LTV coordinator: [email protected] Phone: +7 (919) 8004220,007(846)3326581 web site: www.digevu.ru PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS

VISA PROCEDURES

Getting visa in Russia nowadays is not a complicated process and you will receive all the support in order to have a legal stay in Russia.

Steps to get the visa are as following:

1. DiGe vu Samara will send you the attached form (please see the questionnary below) which should be carefully filled out. Copy of your passport should be enclosed! 2. DiGe vu Samara will fill out the special application form and submit it to the visa police departement where the organisation has official registration. Please, note that we should get the form 2 MONTHS before volunteer’s departure. 3. The invitation letter will be issued and sent out via regular mail approximately in 2 weeks. We kindly ask sending organisations to take the administration expenses (250RU=about 9 EURO) from the volunteers and to send this money to us at the end of the season. 4. After getting an invitation letter an exchangee should apply for the visa in the Russian Consulate in his/her country. According to the invitation letter an exchangee will be able to obtain short-stay visa. The goal of the visit to Russia should be indicated as “youth exchange”. 5. The price and the period of the visa issue depends on the country. For EU countries average price is approximately 90 euros and it will take about 7 working days. It can be issued in a shorter period which will lead to a corresponding growth of the price. Questionnary for the Invitation Letter

1. Last name 2. First name / names 3. Date of birth 4. Citizenship 5. Passport number, date of issue, date of its validity 6. Full name and address of the organisation you work for 7. Position 8. Telephone and fax numbers 9. Date of visit from to 10. Desirable type of visa (single or multiple) 11. Cities where you are planning to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Samara visit in Russia 12. City where you are going to collect your visa 13. Person you would like to visit

Projects List code/name location dates type age limit

DGV 01 Samara 15/07/2013 – 31/07/2013 envi 18 + Argamak 1/08/2013 – 15/08/2013

DGV 02 Samara 20/06/2013 – 10/07/2013 envi 18 + “Nadezhda”

DGV 03 Samara 24/06/2013 – 30/06/2013 reno/kids 18 + Makkabi

DGV 01 Argamak ENVI

Horses are often an object for admiration, as horses are an embodiment of power and grace, beauty and intelligence. Nowadays riding a horse is not such a usual thing as it used to be in the Past. Today the admirers of the equestrian sport may find very few Riding clubs in the Samara region. Last year “Argamak” offered equestrian classes, long horse rides and short riding excursions in the forest. The club is also known for dramatizing famous battles of different epochs. “Argamak” took part in numerous festivals and presented breathtaking horse tricks. Unfortunately nowadays only volunteers and the fans of equestrian take care of the club and the surrounding areas. For the locals “Argamak” has a historical value. The club staff members need assistance of the volunteers in maintenance, restoration of the club as well as taking care of the animals. Military historical equestrian club “Argamak” is located on the 18th km in the city of Samara, 20 km from the center of city by public transport. It is possible to reach the main highway of Samara on foot. Right after you go out of the forest, you get to “civilization”. The club is very close from the very active part of Samara. It is full of big shopping and entertainment centers. The territory of the club is surrounded by the forest. A little lake is not far from the club. One can find a cottage village very close to the club which makes the life of the animals more complicated because of the forest and lake pollution. This project is offered to those who are not afraid of hard work in the open air and would not mind basic life conditions. Recruitment: - age 18+ - construction skills are welcome - motivation to take care of the animals - experience of “communication” with animals is welcome - zeal and diligence in physical and routine work - tolerance and patience - creativity and new ideas - basic Russian is very welcome Tasks: - construction of the fence - cleaning the surrounding territories - cleaning the lake - assistance in taking care of the animals (feeding, cleaning, walking) - assistance in construction of the stables - cleaning the shed Accommodation: Very basic conditions. Tents or a wooden house. Summer shower outside. Summer toilette outside. Please you’re your sleeping bags and carpets with you. No internet access on the territory of the club. There’s a possibility to have internet access in the internet café or in the office of our organization. Food: Breakfast, lunch, dinner and tea breaks will be provided in open air on the territory of the club. Participation fee is 50 euro (To cover administration costs (paid upon the arrival)

DGV 02 The shelter for animals “Nadezhda” ENVI The shelter started its work in 2011. The main goal is searching homes for lonely and homeless animals. There are about 100 dogs and 30 cats hosted in the shelter at the moment. The shelter takes care of the animals until a family can host an animal. The staff of the shelter never puts down animals, only if they are painfully ill and there is no hope for recovery. Old animals stay in the shelter till they die. The staff of the shelter takes care of each animal very well. Every animal gets professional care, cleaning procedures and all necessary vaccinations. The shelter is supported only by donations and care of local volunteers. Tasks: In June 2013 the shelter starts construction of a new building. The volunteers will help in constructing the fence, repairing and cleaning the open-air walking area as well as the pound. Requirements: - 18+ - Basic skills working with animals - Sociability - Knowledge of Russian is very welcome - Interested in animals! Accommodation: Holiday house Participation fee is 50 euro (To cover administration costs (paid upon the arrival)

DGV 03 Makkabi RENO/KIDS Samara Jewish kindergarten Makkabi was founded in Samara in 1995. The educational program aims at moral and psychological development of children. The children are taught to respect Jewish traditions and customs The main forms of the education are teaching through games and using visual means. Tasks: The kindergarten desperately needs help in taking care of surrounding area, building the children's’ playground, repairing the fence. Besides renovation tasks can also include organization outdoors activities for children in the kindergarten. Accommodation: The volunteer will be staying either in a host family or will share a rented flat with other volunteers from Europe. In both cases the volunteer will live in the city. Participation fee is 50 euro (To cover administration costs (paid upon the arrival)

MTV Projects

code/name location dates type age limit comments

DGV MTV 01 Samara Permanent/minimum stay 3 disa/kids 20+ Motivation Sail of Hope months letter DGV MTV 02 Samara Permanent/minimum stay 1 disa/kids 18+ Motivation Syndrome not months letter Verdict DGV MTV 03 Samara Permanent/minimum stay 1 kids 18+ Motivation Waldorf months letter Kindergarten DGV MTV 01 Sail of Hope DISA/KIDS

Our mission is to provide integration of the disabled children of the Samara region into society and to promote the ideas of independent life philosophy and social approach to disability. Its activities are focused on: - providing the disabled children and their families with social and psychological support; - organising and conducting conferences, seminars and lectures on the problems of the disabled children; - cooperating with other public organisations dealing with the similar problems; - revealing children´s creative and intellectual abilities. Task: - Communicating with the disabled children at the centre or at home two times a week, providing them with moral support and physical assistance - Working with children. This may include reading, drama, sports, etc. thus revealing their creative abilities. - Implementing a club for children with the aim to teach them history, culture, customs and traditions of the volunteer´s native country. Working schedule: Monday-Friday 5-6 hours per day (an hour lunch break) Saturday-Sunday – days off Accommodation: Apartment shared with other volunteers or a host family. If sharing an apartment with other volunteers, the volunteer will get monthly food money and will be asked to cook at home. Minimum stay 3 months/Permanent Motivation letter is needed DGV MTV 02 Syndrome not Verdict DISA/KIDS

In our country the diagnosis “syndrome Down” turns out to be the verdict which leads to the loss of parents in most of the cases. Nine of ten families reject their children immediately. And only five of these nine live more than one year. Only 10% of children with the Down syndrome live in families. The rest of them are grown up and educated in orphanages. There is a wide spread opinion in the society that the disabled children are usually born in the families of alcoholics and drug addicts. That is why these families get into the zone of condemnation. The children with the Down syndrome are considered to be physically weak and impossible to educate. Some of the families did not want to put up with this situation and decided to establish a public organisation of parents and defectologists. The mission of this organisation is to defend and realize the rights of the disabled guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation. The activities of the Organisation are focused on: - defense of the disabled children’s rights - participation in elaborating the laws and other juridical acts related to the rights of the disabled - providing psychological support to the children and their families - consulting the families on the questions of the disabled children’s rights - providing information on the rehabilitation and medical treatment of the disabled children - creation of library of a specific literature - organisation of the seminars and trainings for the parents and specialists - organisation of leisure time for the disabled children Task: - Assisting the disabled children - Organisation of the leisure time for the children - Creation of different activities and workshops, such as drawing, dancing, drama, handicrafts - Organisation of a specific workshop, for example, the volunteer can tell the children about the traditions, customs, holidays and day-to-day life of his/her native country - Assistance to the staff of the organization Desired Volunteer’s Skills - Aged 18+ - Motivation and desire to work with the children with the Down syndrome - Tolerance and patience - Creativity and new ideas - Knowledge of at least basic Russian is welcome - Experience of working in the spheres of Psychology and Pedagogies is very welcome Working schedule: Monday-Friday 5-6 hours per day (an hour lunch break) Saturday-Sunday – days off Accommodation: Apartment shared with other volunteers or a host family. If sharing an apartment with other volunteers, the volunteer will get monthly food money and will be asked to cook at home. Minimum stay 1 month/Permanent Motivation letter is needed

DGV MTV 03 Waldorf Kindergarten KIDS The main idea of the Waldorf pedagogical system is that childhood is a unique period in human life: it is impossible to consider this age as the same as the elder one. It is very important to give a child the opportunity for development in a natural way, according to the age and abilities. There are 40 children in the Kindergarten at the moment. All of them are brought up in an atmosphere of joy, music, songs, theatre, tails, and festivals, warmed with love and care. Task: - Work with children, which may include playing games, toy-making, reading, painting, music, modeling, theatre, etc. - Assistance in preparation for holidays and festivals - Assistance to the staff in everyday work - Organisation of any activity for parents (music, needlework, etc.) Working schedule: Monday-Friday 5-6 hours per day (an hour lunch break) Saturday-Sunday – days off Accommodation: Apartment shared with other volunteers or a host family. If sharing an apartment with other volunteers, the volunteer will get monthly food money and will be asked to cook at home. Minimum stay 1 month/Permanent Motivation letter is needed ! Participation fee for every project 150 EURO per month