Редакция журнала «Позитивные изменения»
Позитивные изменения. Том 2, № 2 (2022). Positive changes. Volume 2, Issue 2 (2022)
New Life of the Publishing Project "Catalog "Social Entrepreneurship of Russia"
Vladimir Vainer
"A Magazine Within a Magazine" – that’s what you could call this block of material. The authors of the "Social Entrepreneurship in Russia" collected works, published since 2014, have moved their activity to a dedicated column in the Positive Changes Magazine in 2021. From now on, every issue will present case studies of social enterprises with a focus on the results of each project.
In this issue, we have compiled a list of businesses implementing social impact projects. The organizations are numerous, but not all of them match their activities with the emerging opportunities of Social Impact Bonds (SIB). Their format is defined by Decree of the Russian Government No.1491 of 21.11.2019 "On the Organization of Pilot Testing of Social Impact Projects by the Subjects of the Russian Federation in 2019–2024" and described in detail in the articles by Yuliya Vyatkina "The Long Game: Growth Points and Prospects of Social Impact Bonds in Russia" and Ivan Smekalin "The Social Investment Sandboxes: How Social Impact Bonds are Developing Globally".
In each case below, we find it important to show the reader that an environment for social investment is already actively developing in Russia, which may include not only large businesses, large corporations and entire regions of the Russian Federation, but also those agents that remain invisible on the social investment map of business publications, but actually represent the real foundation of this social investment and act on the cutting edge of social and economic development.
If this invisible "middle class" of social investors, on the one hand, and another frequently invisible class of the leaders of positive changes – social entrepreneurs, on the other hand, can get together and join efforts, understand and create a shared vision of the future, then the social entrepreneurship market will benefit from increased awareness and a surge of social investment using a variety of tools, including SIB.
Enjoy discovering a new, positive economic agenda for our country!
Vladimir Vainer
Director of Positive Changes Factory
Special Assembly
A Social Enterprise for Employment of People with Intellectual Disabilities
https://clck.ru/pWqZP
The Special Assembly Project provides a full range of hand-packing services for small and medium-sized businesses and assembling corporate gifts. The social enterprise employs more than 100 employees with special needs. They perform commercial orders and get paid regularly. The most successful participants are employed in various enterprises of the city, if they wish.
PROBLEM ADDRESSED
There are more than 3,000 people with mental disabilities in Moscow that would like to get a job but remain unemployed. The "Special Assembly" social enterprise was created specifically for the employment of people with intellectual disabilities. Most of them are very responsible people who want to do good for the society. They are ready to perform simple labor tasks following a given pattern for a long time.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND AWARDS
Repeated winner of the Presidential Grants Fund, the Absolute-Help Foundation, the SAP UP Grand Prix, winner of the Russian Public Chamber’s competition "My Project for My Country".
FUNDS RAISED IN 2021
RUB 13.5 million
WHAT WAS DONE LAST YEAR
The social enterprise has reached the break-even point; the School of Employment, which trains and employs people with mental disabilities and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the open labor market, was established; an original "inclusive employment" technology has been developed and implemented. The School of Employment operates all year round, training people with special needs on the basics of various professions (picker, courier, baker’s assistant, call center operator, cloakroom attendant). The school is open to the most successful employees of the "Special Assembly" social enterprise who have mastered the necessary work competencies and are socialized in the work team to the greatest extent.
DIRECT RESULTS FOR THE YEAR
30 people have been employed in the open labor market; 123 people worked at the "Special Assembly" social enterprise.
SOCIAL EFFECTS ACHIEVED OVER THE YEAR
All the project beneficiaries improved their financial situation. 87 % of parents had extra free time to spend on leisure and work. 75 % of project participants have developed strong social ties, and 95 % feel more successful. The result is an improved quality of life for all project beneficiaries.
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT
The company provides services including manual packaging, labeling, assembly, picking, quality control of commercial products for small and medium-sized businesses. The services are provided by people with disabilities, and in doing so they acquire work skills that allow them to find employment in the open labor market.
The New Friendly Town
An Innovative Program for Children with Special Needs and Abilities
https://clck.ru/pWr37
The Friendly Town is an inclusive camp project that socializes children and young adults with disabilities. Here children learn things beyond the school curriculum, things they cannot always learn at home, such as accepting themselves and others as bright individuals, being ready for challenges and changes in life, being able to listen and negotiate, accepting failures positively and striving for development. The project also features the Inclusive Gathering – an experience-sharing and training event for representatives of NGOs and educational institutions of the Perm Territory. The event brings together those eager to contribute to the development of an inclusive environment for children and youth.
PROBLEM ADDRESSED
Socialization of children with disabilities and the formation of an inclusive space for children and youth.
METHODS USED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM
The New Friendly Town program is implemented in an overnight camp format for unaccompanied children. Inclusive volunteers work to develop the communication between children with different abilities within integrated units, rather than helping program participants with developmental disabilities.
Children with disabilities help their non-disabled peers fundamentally change the way they view themselves and the world around them. One week in the Friendly Town «recuperates» ordinary teenagers, changing their values – they no longer treat special friends with pity and sympathy, but see them as competitors, someone to learn from and compete against.
The program develops approaches for systematic immersion into basic applied and educational modules for additional education specialists, volunteers, NGO representatives. Technologies like this can become the foundation for the successful development of inclusion in Russian schools.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND AWARDS
Badge "For Special Services in Protection of Children’s Rights and Legitimate Interests in Perm Territory" (2017); Diploma of the Chairman of the Federation Council of Russia (2018); Diploma of the Head of Rosmolodezh (2018); Rybakov Prize, International Award for Philanthropists in Education (2020); inclusion into the Agency for Strategic Initiatives list of 14 federal projects creating inclusive environment, children’s recreation and tourism (2020); Recognition by the UN and inclusion of the program into the list of the best global practices in the field of Sustainable Development Goals (2021); The Impulse of Kindness Award of the "Our Future" Foundation in the "Best Impact Project" nomination (2021); in 2021 the program became the inspiration for Anton Bogdanov’s film "Only I Am Normal", with children from The Friendly Town starring in the motion picture.
FUNDS RAISED IN 2021
A subsidy for the development of inclusive technology from the Ministry of Social Development of the Perm Territory; cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Youth Policy of the Perm Territory as part of the Inclusive Gathering; presentation of the program in movie theaters as part of the debut of "Only I Am Normal" movie.
WHAT WAS DONE LAST YEAR
• Six inclusive shifts were held in the Perm Territory, with 350 children and adolescents from different regions of Russia taking part;
• A week-long field training for the program’s inclusive team was held as part of the School for Kindness Instructors event. The issues of organizing work in inclusive groups with the help of creative methods have been elaborated;
• An inclusive meeting was held in the Perm Territory to share the program’s experience in implementing the technologies for successful integration of children and young people regardless of age, status, geography of residence, physical, mental, and psychological abilities.
DIRECT RESULTS FOR 2021
• 35 people gained experience in organizing inclusive spaces at all types of institutions (a professional team of inclusive specialists, "kindness trainers", have been trained);
• 90 participants of the camp’s shifts, aged 14 to 17, acquired the skills of inclusive volunteers, tutors and inclusive ambassadors in educational institutions;
• 150 inclusive volunteers from educational institutions of the Perm Territory have been trained on the basics of working in inclusive groups and interacting with children with disabilities as part of the program’s inclusive gathering;
• 30 representatives of NGOs and educational institutions from the Perm Territory acquired new knowledge and practical experience of setting up an inclusive environment in the children-youth community as part of the program’s inclusive gathering.
SOCIAL EFFECTS ACHIEVED IN 2021
• Conditions were created to improve the professional competencies of inclusive specialists to work with integrated groups;
• Inclusive volunteers acquired practical competencies as part of the technology implementation of the New Friendly Town program;
• The conditions were established to prevent teen depression and suicide, bullying and unmotivated aggression;
• Conditions were established for improving the relevant competencies of families with disabled children in difficult situations.
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT
• A 20 % increase in the number of program participants in each subsequent year of the program;
• A 20 % increase in the number of children with disabilities actively engaged in creative or volunteer activities;
• A 15 % annual increase in the number of inclusive volunteers trained;
• A 25 % annual increase in the number of inclusive specialists trained, representing educational institutions and NGOs.
FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY MODEL
Participation in the program is provided on a paid basis (most of the fees are directed to the organization of the program shifts, staff wages, and program development). Large partners are involved in the organization of the program shifts: MTS, Alfa Bank, Ministry of Social Development of the Perm Territory.
Everland
An inclusive business project offering people with disabilities training and jobs in the field of design, content management, digital competencies, consulting
https://clck.ru/pWrV2
Everland is an inclusive project based on the social entrepreneurship model, which is running since 2016 and offering people with disabilities jobs in the open labor market, regardless of their region of residence. Every Everland employee receives a free internship with professionals. The key element of the Everland ecosystem is a web-based employment platform that allows reducing social costs. The project’s current cost of impact is 35,000 rubles – that’s what it costs on average to integrate 1 person into the labor market.
PROBLEM ADDRESSED
Sustainable integration of people with disabilities into the open labor market. Everland provides services to businesses and NGOs in the digital industry: design, content, web-development, as well as legal support services, adaptation of business services for clients with disabilities, and helping employers build inclusive teams. For people with disabilities, the project implements regular programs including training, psychological aid, assistance in the first experience-gaining steps, and the creation of special employment niches for people with disabilities of various nature. Everland also conducts research and implements special projects enabling a more effective dialogue with all the stakeholders – businesses, government, people with disabilities and their families. Today, the Everland community consists of more than 1,800 people with various disabilities from 76 regions of Russia and abroad (7 countries total), with more than 600 people working on a permanent basis in the Everland ecosystem or with partner employers, earning an average of 30,000 rubles monthly.
METHODS USED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM
1. An algorithm for psychological and occupational testing, followed by training for people with different types of disabilities in suitable professions.
2. Algorithms for inclusive team-building at employers – internal research in companies, onboarding programs, fine-tuning suitable vacancies and recruiting respective candidates, support and mentorship programs, legal support and supervision.
3. Systems for adapting business services and platforms to customers with disabilities – research, audit programs, focus groups, staff training programs.
4. Offline tools and social programs – family outreach, assistance in education and career guidance, appearance management, and other tools.
5. Popularizing the image of a person with a disability as an independent, active, working member of society.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND AWARDS
1. Everland online platform for professional training and employment of specialists with various types of disabilities is a finalist of the first national ranking "Our Contribution". The ranking is compiled by ANO "National Priorities" based on the 2021 results. The project was implemented by Everland together with its partner, VimpelCom PJSC.
2. Alexey Gorshenin's photo project, "An Ordinary Family", is the winner of #WEARETOGETHER 2021 International Award in the "Media Volunteering" nomination. The project, implemented jointly with the Everland community, provided employment to 16 specialists with disabilities.
FUNDS RAISED IN 2021
13.25 million rubles, including:
• 2.5 million grant from the Presidential Grants Fund
• 3.55 million private donations
• 2.9 million donations from businesses
• 2 million donations from NGOs
• 2.6 million interest-free loan to open a co-working space.
WHAT WAS DONE LAST YEAR
1. Everland has opened Moscow's first inclusive co-working space for people with disabilities to learn and work, as well as to test hypotheses for offline work together with businesses.
2. Everland has completed more than 10 high-level projects with businesses to make services accessible to customers with disabilities in offline infrastructure (Perekrestok – 5 regions, 400 stores, 4,000 employees trained) and online infrastructure (website, mobile app): Tinkoff Bank, Alfa Bank, Pyaterochka, M.Video – Eldorado Group, Leaders of Russia competition, Sovcombank, MegaFon, Rosbank, etc.).
3. Large-scale projects have been implemented to create inclusive teams in three companies – more than 160 people employed in total.
4. Another large-scale project, called «OncoNavigator», has been launched to raise awareness of cancer patients. Roadmaps have been developed for 20 localizations of cancer (lung, breast, nasopharynx, reproductive system, gastrointestinal tract, etc.). Materials are presented in the form of patient guidelines adapted to the Russian experience. The project audience is more than 3 million people.
5. The following research has been conducted:
• accessibility of digital infrastructure (websites and mobile applications) for blind users – 12 industries, 50 companies, more than 100 platforms;
• the key barriers to entry into the labor market for job seekers with disabilities.
6. Everland participated in an international project involving a study of the barriers and incentives for social entrepreneurial projects operated by people with disabilities. The study was conducted jointly with the INTAMT (International Academy of Management and Technology) on behalf of the German Foreign Ministry. In addition, Everland founder Igor Novikov worked on developing a strategy for employing people with disabilities in Kyrgyzstan.
DIRECT RESULTS FOR 2021
More than 550 people with disabilities got jobs in the open labor market with an average salary of 18,000 to 40,000 rubles a month.
SOCIAL EFFECTS ACHIEVED IN 2021
We believe the key effect is the identification of the niches that will help us reduce the cost of impact to 25,000 rubles and improve the consistency and sustainability of our work by introducing a system of employment pre-training for people with disabilities. Also we managed to implement several major projects in different areas, to ensure the service availability – these will likely be implemented on our partner companies’ platforms. This is extremely important for the business and for our target audience. We managed to create two sustainable projects for the employment of people with disabilities in partner companies – more than 20 people were hired in the first project and more than 100 people in the second one, they went through onboarding and have been working for more than 8 months so far. We were also able to launch an inclusive co-working space and test important hypotheses related to offline work for people with disabilities.
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT
Sustainable and real integration of people with various types of disabilities into the open labor market, with performance-based compensation based on general market terms. Empowering a person with a disability from an encumbrance into a full-fledged value-adding member of the society.
FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY MODEL
70 % of project’s income comes from provision of services and 30 % is raised from various programs.
My career
Developing Young People's Employment Skills
https://clck.ru/pWs4t
My Career project aims to create conditions for an equal and successful start in life for vulnerable groups of young people. This goal is achieved by developing their social skills, increasing motivation and opportunities for employment and career building. The project includes online job skills training, on-the-job internships and trainings.
PROBLEM ADDRESSED
The secondary vocational education (SVE) system produces between 750,000 and 1.2 million graduates a year. At the same time, graduates of these programs demonstrate a high unemployment rate (31 % in Russia as of 2019). About 40 % of SVE graduates work outside their profession, mainly choosing jobs that do not require special education. Young people from this group feel less confident in the labor market, with little opportunity to "see the profession from the inside" and to see what suits them best. My Career project addresses the issue of the lack of preparation for the start of professional activity.
PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:
1. Vocational guidance, improvement of employment skills and career development for the graduates of primary and secondary vocational education institutions with the aim of realizing the abilities of young people from vulnerable groups, improving the competitiveness of human capital.
2. Improving the quality of life for graduates of primary and secondary vocational education institutions from vulnerable groups, as well as their family members.
3. Developing the practices of vocational guidance and additional career education systems for primary and secondary vocational education graduates.
METHODS USED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM
• Two-day training sessions for teachers and staff of the SVE institutions on the use of My Career online platform.
• Deployment of My Career online platform, enabling vocational guidance and development of employment skills for vulnerable youth at SVE institutions. Organization and support of training for vulnerable youth on My Career platform, with special modules for young people with disabilities. Conducting two online workshops (webinars on two topics built into the training course on the platform) and 10 face-to-face ones and/or consultations by experts and representatives of employers for students on the My Career platform.
• Selecting at least 20 most active students for My Career Journey peer mentor training.
• A 5-day My Career Journey training program.
• Cooperation with regional employers and HR departments, Center for Promotion of Graduate Employment, strengthening interdepartmental cooperation between all stakeholders.
• Organizing and supporting training for vulnerable groups of youth on My Career platform, with a special "Starting Your Own Business" module, and other courses. Organizing internships and tours of production facilities and companies for project participants.
• Organizing support/mentoring for graduates with disabilities and people of other vulnerable categories: locating a mentor, organizing meetings and workshops, special events (preparing an individual plan, job search, support during interviews).
• Organizing supported employment for vulnerable groups of graduates, monitoring and support for workplace retention.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND AWARDS
2nd place in the "Leaders of corporate philanthropy" competition (2016), the project is the winner of the Presidential Grants Fund competition (2018), the competition of the Public Relations Committee of Moscow, a finalist of the competition "Testing Pilot Projects of Social Impact in Supported Employment, Development of the Monitoring and Evaluation of Socially-Oriented Non-Profit Supported Employment Organizations under the Government Decree No. 1491 of 21 November 2019 "On the Organization of Trials of Social Impact Projects by the Constituent Units of the Russian Federation in 2019–2024"
FUNDS RAISED IN 2021
11.7 million rubles
WHAT WAS DONE LAST YEAR
• More than 90 educators received training with My Career online tool. 3,200 young people from six regions registered on My Career platform; almost 1,035 completed all training courses and prepared a high-quality resume; of these, more than 250 gained experience of temporary or regular employment, more than 340 people participated in internships at hotels, banks, manufacturing companies and small businesses;
• For 80 adolescents with disabilities, the training program was adapted – using the platform under the guidance of supervisors, including active college students. The participants learned not only the basic employment skills, but also the safe job search rules, which is very important for this category; 148 vulnerable teenagers were trained on the "Starting Your Own Business" platform module;
• 600 high school and college students from 6 Russian regions (City of St. Petersburg and Leningrad, Volgograd, Nizhny Novgorod, Sverdlovsk and Moscow regions) attended two online lectures on successful career building and job search, held together with representatives of large businesses – Schneider Electric, Caterpillar and SVEZA.
DIRECT RESULTS FOR 2021
A survey of project participants trained on My Career platform showed the following results: 80.7 % of the respondents made a choice of their future profession;
75.2 % reported a significant improvement in communication, presentation, and resume writing skills;
44 % of the respondents said the platform helped them shape their plans for the future;
46 % of the respondents believe it is currently possible to find employment in their chosen profession or in the field of work that is attractive to them;
45.9 % of the participants reported increased confidence in achieving their goals after completing the training on My Career platform;
40.4 % realized that more knowledge and skills were needed;
38.5 % gained job search skills.
ASSESSMENT OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC EFFECTIVENESS
The final estimated benefit with an expected investment of 5.5 million rubles is 1 to 4.5 (1 ruble of investment will generate a total of 4.5 rubles of benefit for the society). Over the span of three years, cumulative effect will reach 107.8 million rubles. Over the span of 15 years, cumulative effect will reach 591.9 million rubles. The effect for the state in the first year of the project will be 7.7 million rubles, in 3 years after the end of the project – 28.8 million rubles, in 10 years – 88.1 million rubles. Key government stakeholders in the project are the bodies responsible for employment (Ministries of Economic Development, Ministries of Labor). Secondary stakeholders are regional authorities responsible for education and the development of the SVE system.
Rabota-i
An Employment Center for Orphanage Graduates and Young People with Disabilities
https://clck.ru/pWssd
Rabota-i is a social project that helps orphanage and correctional school graduates and young people with disabilities acquire their first long-term work experience.
PROBLEM ADDRESSED
We are developing a comprehensive solution to the problem of social adaptation and employment of young people with low start-up opportunities. Young people often fail to secure a job and provide for themselves, which results in social exclusion and a low quality of life.
METHODS USED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM
Supported Employment technology, through which the applicant (beneficiary) acquires the necessary professional skills, job-seeking and onboarding experience, while the company builds an inclusive team and develops a socially-oriented corporate culture with the benefit for the business. We work within the framework of the "environmental approach", achieving social impact by satisfying the business interests.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND AWARDS
Rabota-i is the winner of the "St. Petersburg's Best Entrepreneur" contest in the Admiralteysky District (2021).
Melon Fashion Group and "It Will Work Out!"/ Rabota-i are finalists of the Russian national inclusive practices contest according to the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (2022).
Melon Fashion Group and Rabota-i are the winners of the "Labor Forum’s HR brand" rating of the VI International Labor Forum in the "Corporate Social Responsibility" nomination. The winning project was Supported Employment (2022).
The case "Supported Employment of Young People with Disabilities and Orphanage and Correctional School Graduates", implemented by Melon Fashion Group and Rabota-i, ranked 2nd at the annual Russian Sustainable Development Awards "Change Management. Visionaries" in the nomination "Society. Business" (2021).
Melon Fashion Group and Rabota-i won the first place in the 2021 Ranking of Social and Environmental Practices according to the Delovoy Peterburg newspaper.
Melon Fashion Group won the "HR Brand 2020" award in the special category "Equal Opportunities", with its Supported Employment project created in partnership with Rabota-i.
Winner of the "Act without Borders" grant competition by "Our Future" Foundation for Regional Social Programs (2017).
Winner of the creative social projects contest (Gazprom Neft’s social investment program, Home Towns, 2016).
Ilya Smetanin, director of the Rabota-i center, is the winner of the 10th "Boss of the Year" Independent Business Award (2016).
Ilya Smetanin, Director of the Rabota-i center, won the "Expert of the Year 2016" award (according to the "Expert – North-West" business magazine) in the nomination "Volunteering and Charity Expert".
FUNDS RAISED IN 2021
• Renewed donation agreements with three major donors from 2014–2018.
• A new grant of 2.9 million rubles received from the Presidential Grants Fund.
• "It Will Work Out" project implementation continued in cooperation with Sberbank's charitable foundation "Contribution to the Future" (new stage of financing).
• A job placement contract was signed with BAT (British American Tobacco) to fill vacancies under the disabled quota.
• Eight new outstaffing deals with small businesses were signed.
• A new fundraising partner has been engaged – the Naked Heart Foundation.
• An agreement was signed with the Public Employment Service of St. Petersburg to hold a "Professional Route" fair and funding was raised.
• Re-negotiated job placement contracts to fill vacancies under the disabled quota with three major companies (partners from 2019–2020).
WHAT WAS DONE LAST YEAR
• We conducted a "Business and Social Organizations" forum, which brought together commercial companies, public and nonprofit social organizations in a single platform.
• We held a "Professional Route" exhibition and fair, which was attended by more than 300 young people with low start-up opportunities.
• We have launched a new career counseling service for candidates with disabilities who have past work experience.
• We have expanded the number of small business hires by 100 % through cooperation with large businesses under job placement model (filling vacancies under the disabled quota).
• We have strengthened the fundraising and sales components of the project.
• We produced more than 200 information materials on the topic of inclusive employment and innovations in this field, including presentations and coverage at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the International Labor Forum, the ESG Forum.
DIRECT RESULTS FOR 2021
87 new employment cases were added in 2021, the highest figure since 2019; the remaining candidates employed continued receiving support from 2020. As a result, by the end of 2021,687 candidates received their first employment experience, with the center's support.
SOCIAL EFFECTS ACHIEVED IN 2021
• A total of 535 young people received employment support.
• 143 applicants remained in employment for extended periods of time.
• Candidates were hired to 66 vacancies at 49 companies.
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT
• Companies benefit from receiving extra staff and developing inclusive hiring.
• Young people participating in the project benefit from paid employment.
• The model of employment through job placement and outstaffing to small businesses is an example of the sharing economy.
