Редакция журнала «Позитивные изменения»
Позитивные изменения, Том 3 №1, 2023. Positive changes. Volume 3, Issue 1 (2023)
New Life of the Publishing Project “Catalog “Social Entrepreneurship of Russia”
"A Journal Within A Journal" – that's what you can call this section. It is an extension of the "Social Entrepreneurship in Russia" catalog published since 2014. Since 2021, the catalog has become part of the Positive Changes Journal.[82]
A Walk in the Dark
A Sensory Interactive Museum and Guided Tours with Blind and Visually Impaired Guides.
www.progulka-v-temnote.ru
“A Walk in the Dark” is a sensory exhibit where guests are immersed in total darkness for 50 minutes and gain new experiences and knowledge about life for the non-sighted. Group tours are conducted in a special pavilion, accompanied by blind or visually impaired guides, for whom darkness is a familiar element.
PROBLEM ADDRESSED
Social integration and rehabilitation of visually impaired people – providing jobs, decent pay and space for the blind and visually impaired employees to realize their potential.
A change in the society’s attitude toward people with visual impairments – focusing on the capabilities, rather than the limitations, of the blind and visually impaired people. Between 10,000 and 14,000 people visit the museum’s darkness programs each year.
The museum’s NPS index is 95–98 % on average, indicating the guests’ willingness to actively recommend this recreational activity to friends and acquaintances.
METHODS USED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM
Development of unconventional guided tours and other original programs in the dark, where the presenter is a blind man. In addition to employment and personal fulfillment, the museum guides show people with vision a new world – the world of senses – and teach them to navigate it by relying on all the senses except sight. Temporary visual deprivation allows museum guests to try on the role of a blind person, which fundamentally changes the worldview and attitude toward people with disabilities.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND AWARDS
In 2022, the museum:
• became a finalist for the #WeAreTogether International Award;
• received a special award “For Contribution to the Development of Inclusion” of the “Golden Mercury” National Awards;
• got shortlisted for the “Guiding Star”, “Expert of the Year”, and “Advertising of the Future” contests.
In 2021, the museum:
• won the “Tell the World” All-Russian Contest of NGOs and social enterprises;
• won the first prize of the “Louder!” PR award in the “Best Work with Mass Media” nomination;
• won the “Golden Mercury” National Award in the “Best Small Business in the Service Industry” nomination;
• was named “Outstanding Contestant of the Year” in the Press Service of the Year 2020 contest;
• won the annual KudaGo Award in the “Entertainment Project of the Year” nomination.
FUNDS RAISED IN 2022
32 million rubles.
WHAT WAS DONE LAST YEAR
• more than 10,000 people visited the Walk in the Dark programs;
• the museum franchise has been developed, packaged and is ready for sale;
• the title of a socially responsible company in Moscow was reiterated for the second time;
• the museum staff was expanded – three new blind employees and two sighted specialists were hired;
• five original master classes in the dark have been developed and launched;
• the museum has become a finalist and winner of several prestigious awards;
• the new website has been finalized and launched, delivering more business opportunities;
• business ties with partners and friendly projects have been strengthened;
• more than 37 materials about the museum’s activities and expert articles on corporate social responsibility were published in the media.
DIRECT RESULTS FOR 2022
The museum employs 9 blind and visually impaired tour guides, and three more blind employees were trained and got ready for work in 2022. At the moment, four more people with visual impairments are receiving training and internships. In addition, the museum is constantly receiving requests for employment as tour guides, so the management is actively working on selling franchises, which will create new jobs, as well as allow more people to experience the darkness.
SOCIAL EFFECTS ACHIEVED IN 2022
The idea of projects in the dark is not new – there are many famous “dark” places in the world, which are popular with locals and tourists alike. These include the Invisible Exhibition in Budapest, the MUZIEUM in Nijmegen (Netherlands), and Teatro Ciego shows in Buenos Aires.
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of such projects – each one allows people to use immersion in the dark as the tool not only to learn more about themselves and their abilities, but also to experience firsthand the difficulties of life for people with visual impairments.
The activities of the “Walk in the Dark” museum have a great impact on increasing the level of tolerance in the society towards people with disabilities, helping the visitors to become more sensitive and considerate of those around them. Visiting “darkness” gives people a new experience and introduces them to the world of the blind, drawing society’s attention to important social issues: stereotypes about people with disabilities, accessibility, and the importance of inclusion.
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT
The “Walk in the Dark” tours are guided by blind and visually impaired people (visual impairment groups 1 and 2). At the moment, 60 % of the museum’s staff are employees with disabilities. Working at the museum gives them an opportunity to socialize, interact with more people, develop interesting projects and master classes, self-actualize, and earn a competitive salary. There are not many jobs for people with disabilities, and it can be difficult for them to find interesting work and official employment. The “Walk in the Dark” museum partially addresses this problem by creating jobs for people with disabilities and offering them a comfortable working environment.
FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY MODEL
The museum’s financial model is self-sustainable: profits are generated from selling tickets to guided tours, original master classes, quests and trainings in the dark. The proceeds go to pay taxes, wages, cover lease obligations, and promote the project.
Stop-Hemangioma
Remote Monitoring System for Children with Infantile Hemangiomas.
stop-hemangioma.ru
Stop-Hemangioma is a mobile app created as a personal assistant for parents of children with vascular anomalies. It was developed together with the engagement of physicians observing hemangiomas.
PROBLEM ADDRESSED
Vascular anomalies are the most common soft-tissue abnormalities in infants. Statistically, hemangiomas occur in 10 percent of newborn children, most often in girls. Only regular examinations by an expert in vascular malformations allow detecting the tumor growth, start the right treatment in time, avoid complications, and shorten the rehabilitation required.
However, parents and patients often encounter problems with access to world-class specialists specializing in the treatment of vascular anomalies. Geographic and economic factors also contribute to the number of complications of the disease.
The goal of the Stop-Hemangioma project is to reduce the number of complicated hemangiomas in children by implementing a remote monitoring system for young patients with vascular malformations.
METHODS USED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM
A team of doctors, programmers and engineers developed the Stop-Hemangioma project, which includes a mobile app and software package for monitoring children with hemangiomas. The project was launched with the support of the “Reach for Change” Foundation.
Parents of young patients diagnosed during a personal appointment and given recommendations for monitoring, can download the application and receive a login and password to their personal account by a consulting physician. The doctor selects an individual observation schedule, the parents fill out the diary, attaching the photos of the tumor. The specialist evaluates the diary records and photographs, assesses the growth of the tumor, any complications, decides whether a separate personal appointment is needed, and advises on choosing another doctor and signing up for an appointment if necessary. For any questions regarding the pathology detected, the patient and the physician can communicate via messenger.
All data is kept in private storage in depersonalized format, meeting all legal requirements to personal data protection, according to the project authors.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND AWARDS
Winner of the “Reach for Change” Foundation’s annual competition among impact startups (2021) in the “Large Project” category.
Participant in the “Moscow Polyclinic Science Lab” project aimed at developing research competencies and critical thinking of primary care specialists in Moscow (2022).
Winner of the Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (FASIE) “Start-1” competition (2022).
FUNDS RAISED IN 2022
• A grant of 1.2 million rubles received from the “Reach for Change” Foundation.
• 300,000 rubles raised in donations.
• A grant of 4 million rubles from the FASIE.
WHAT WAS DONE LAST YEAR
• “Stop-Hemangioma” mobile app developed;
• a web version of the application tested;
• a Rospatent certificate of state registration of a software program obtained;
• response received from Roszdravnadzor’s All-Russian Medical Technology Research and Testing Institute for (VNIIIMT) concerning registration of the mobile app.
DIRECT RESULTS FOR 2022
• Android mobile application published in Play Market, NashStore, RuStore;
• Observation diaries for various hemangioma types developed;
• The rules of photographic evidence collection developed;
• Application tested at St. Vladimir Children’s City Clinical Hospital and Children’s City Polyclinic No. 125 of the Moscow City Health Department;
• Doctors involved in the Stop-Hemangioma project became members of the Russian Association of Pediatric Surgeons and the Russian Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies.
SOCIAL EFFECTS ACHIEVED IN 2022
• 98 % satisfaction with the remote monitoring system among project participants;
• Increased parents’ awareness of hemangioma care, monitoring and treatment, including through access to proven medical literature via the mobile app;
• 130 children with hemangiomas monitored remotely;
• Personal appointments for children were reduced from 4 to 1 per month.
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT
Lack of neglected cases in the remote monitoring group, increased patient satisfaction in the remote monitoring group.
FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY MODEL
The project is currently being implemented with the help of a grant from the “Reach for Change” Foundation and the Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises. The project authors plan to start selling the mobile app via the marketplaces in the future. In addition, the application will include two paid subscription options – short-term monitoring (1 month, 1,000 rubles), and long-term (6 months, 5,000 rubles).
In January 2023, the authors of the project opened Gremiks LLC. The company will be engaged in scientific research in the problem field and developing artificial intelligence algorithms for integration into the mobile application.
INLIFE
General Developmental Programs of Physical Education and Sports Orientation for Children with Disabilities.
http://inlife.care
INLIFE Adaptive Sports Center is a project that teaches adaptive sports, including figure skating, to children with special needs.
PROBLEM ADDRESSED
Numerous studies have proven that physical education and sports are the most important methods of successful socialization, rehabilitation and adaptation to adult life in children and adolescents with disabilities. However, not all regions of the Russian Federation allow children with disabilities to attend sports sections or therapeutic physical education classes. The reasons are varied: from lack of specialists and infrastructure and low financial status of the parents of children with disabilities, to insufficient awareness among parents about the possibility of receiving habilitation assistance. A survey of parents, conducted by the INLIFE Adaptive Sports Center, showed that 95.7 % address the problem of their child’s rehabilitation on their own. At the same time, 100 % of parents are interested in receiving assistance from the state.
The INLIFE project is designed to create conditions for children with mental disabilities, autism spectrum disorders (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), delayed mental and speech development (DMSD), hearing-impaired children and children with a mild form of cerebral palsy to practice adaptive sports.
METHODS USED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM
INLIFE Adaptive Sports Center started in 2019 with figure skating training for children with mental disabilities. Two branches opened in Moscow region later; during the pandemic, the center was forced to go online. The Center founder is Zhanna Soroka, Master of Sports of the Soviet Union in figure skating and a member of the Moscow Figure Skating Federation.
INLIFE Adaptive Sports Center sees its mission in improving the quality of life for children with disabilities through adaptive sports. To achieve this goal, the organization pays special attention to the following:
• the program participants’ results;
• continuous personnel training and professional development.
The center’s specialists have developed their own methodology for training coaches and tutors, called “Specifics of Interaction Between a Figure Skating Coach and a Support Specialist (Tutor) in the Process of Teaching Children with Mental Disabilities.” The program is designed for 72 academic hours. In June 2019, the methodology developed received a positive review from the Expert Committee of the Inter-Institution Council of the Russian State University of Physical Education, Sports, Youth and Tourism, and was recommended for publication and use in the educational process. In 2020/2021 the course was included in the professional development programs of the Russian University of Sports (SCOLIPE).
Currently, offline classes are held at two branch offices of the Center: SPEC Salute in Dolgoprudny, and Vladimir Petrov Arena in Krasnogorsk. Regular children and children with mental disabilities ages 4 to 18 can attend the figure skating and general physical education classes. A tutor accompanies them during training sessions. An individual learning trajectory is developed for each child for group sessions. Children and parents also have the opportunity to receive psychological counseling on a regular basis.
The Adaptive Sports Center services are also available online, on a special platform that allows organizing the learning process. The platform includes:
• A syllabus;
• All theoretical materials required;
• Videos of the suggested exercises;
• Video conferencing for online classes;
• Feedback from the coach and the psychologist;
• Learning progress tracking;
• An incentives program for students.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND AWARDS
Winner of the 2019 “Mama Entrepreneur” Program in Moscow Region.
Finalist of the 2021 “Towards Impact Startups” competition by the “Reach for Change” Foundation.
Grantee of the Vladimir Potanin Foundation in 2023. The “Figure Skating for All” professional development program (extended adaptive figure skating practices in Moscow and the Moscow region) was one of the laureates of the “Sports Platoon” competition, part of the “Power of Sports” charity program.
FUNDS RAISED IN 2022
• Private donations – about 70,000 rubles total;
• Parents’ subscription fees – about 50,000 rubles;
• Voluntary contribution for statutory activities – 30,000 rubles.
WHAT WAS DONE LAST YEAR
• Individual skating lessons for children with various diseases – more than 100 hours;
• Full-time adaptive physical education classes – more than 35 hours;
• Online classes in adaptive physical education and adaptive volleyball – more than 70 hours;
• Active work on raising grant support for the center.
DIRECT RESULTS FOR 2022
Fifteen children with mental disabilities aged 5 to 18 completed personal and remote training.
SOCIAL EFFECTS ACHIEVED IN 2022
The following social impact assessment indicators were used:
• The percentage of children in the group with decreased incidence of acute respiratory infections;
• Indicators demonstrating the individual success of children in the group (endurance and motor coordination activity);
• The percentage of children involved in classes. After three to six months of regular exercise, the center’s specialists noted:
1. The incidence of acute respiratory viral infections decreased by more than 30 % among the children in the group.
2. The children can do 8–10 squats and push-ups without interruption (1–3 times without interruption before the training).
3. The children have learned how to interact with teachers and other students. Previously, they were distracted by each other, did not repeat exercises after the trainer, did not listen to the attendant.
4. The children can attend physical education classes at school or in inclusive sports sections. Prior to the start of the training, group classes in school or sports sections had little effect. Classes at the center helped focus the students’ attention and set up a dialogue with teachers and tutors, develop rules of conduct and discipline.
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT
Improving the quality of life and health for children with mental disabilities.
FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY MODEL
• Parents’ subscription fees for tuition;
• Grant support;
• CSR (partnerships with companies);
• Public-private partnership;
• Support from the municipal budget;
• Support from the federal budget;
• Private charitable contributions.
Ob Forge
Cultural and Educational Activities in the Creative Industries.
obskayakuznica.com
The “Ob Forge” project unites artisans and craftsmen producing souvenir products from metal. Since August 2022, it became a part of the “FORGE” Creative Industries Agency, which promotes local brands in and beyond Yugra.
PROBLEM ADDRESSED
Preserving local knowledge, skills and craftsmanship, raising awareness of the history and culture of the northern peoples of Khanty and Mansi, as well as the contemporary Yugra.
METHODS USED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM
The forge brings together various metal, wood, leather and bone workers. The project authors are doing research on the development of blacksmithing in the former Tobolsk Governorate. University and college students can come here for internships. People with disabilities are also welcome.
“We are constantly experimenting, working with blueprints and custom sketches, doing historical reconstructions. It is hard to put us in one line of business – we are a little bit about tourism, a little bit about recreation and education, even near industry. Each product is created with love and respect for people, our national traditions and natural resources,” project founder Ekaterina Tailakova says.
Ob Forge offers group tours, as well as workshops on making wrought-iron souvenir products (from nails to knives). The workshops are preceded by a lecture on the history of metalworking and the development of blacksmithing. Participants are introduced to the exhibits of the private Museum of Wrought-Iron Products and can examine, try on and photograph parts of reconstructed historic Spanish knight armor from the 15th-16th centuries.
Wrought-iron products can be purchased online through social networks and websites, in souvenir stores in different cities of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – Yugra and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, as well as in various marketplaces in Russia and abroad.
In 2022, Ekaterina Tailakova and Anastasia Bondarenko designed a unisex aluminum jewelry collection with embossed words and expressions of the Khanty and Mansi languages. The project was supported by the staff of the A. P. Yadroshnikov Museum of Nature and Man in Russkinskaya, some of whom speak one of the dialects of the Khanty language.
The following phrases were selected to create the experimental collection, the first of which became the name of the project: “Guarded by Torum”, “Land of Torum”, “Goddess of Fire”, “Live in Peace”, “Warrior”, “Love”, “Friendship”, “Happiness”, “Luck”, “Fortune”, “Yugra – a Place of Power”.
The authors emphasize that the project “Guarded by Torum” has many meanings. “For those who speak Russian, we put transcriptions of words and entire phrases on the outside of the jewelry, with proper accents over them, so that a person can correctly convey the phonetics of the sonorous Khanty and Mansi languages. It is about working with oral heritage. For native speakers, we write the words in the letters of “their” dialects. The alphabets of the Khanty and Mansi peoples have “special” letters that are not part of the Cyrillic alphabet. This is how we work with the written heritage,” they explain.
FUNDS RAISED IN 2022
• A grant from the Creative Industries
Accelerator in the amount of 100,000 rubles (in the “Fashion” category), organized by the Yugra Entrepreneurship Support Fund “My Business”, the “Business Environment” platform with support from LUKOIL.
• A grant for social entrepreneurs from the Department of Economy of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – Yugra, in the amount of 500,000 rubles.
• 1.5 million rubles revenue from sales of products and services.
• The largest shopping mall in the district, Surgut City Mall, provided 4 wooden cabins in front of the main entrance to open a souvenir store, two craft workshops and a cultural center for the warm season.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND AWARDS
In 2022:
• Laureate of the All-Russian contest “100 Best Goods of Russia” in the nomination “Folk Arts and Crafts Products” (traditional Yakut ice shovel);
• Diploma winner of the contest “The Best Goods and Services of the Tyumen Region” (traditional Yakut ice shovel, Khanty knife);
• Winner of the “Yugra Business Leader” contest in the special nomination “For Contribution to Preservation and Development of Folk Arts and Crafts of Russia”;
• Winner of the contest “The Best Product of Yugra” in the category “National Crafts and Souvenirs”;
• Winner of the “Young Entrepreneur of Yugra” contest in the special category “Creative Business”;
• Diploma of the contest “The Best Social Project of the Year” in the special nomination of the Yugra Public Chamber (“Ob Forge: Expansion” project);
• Winner of the city contest “Entrepreneur of the Year” in the category “Business of Creative Industries” (Surgut, according to the results of 2021).
WHAT WAS DONE LAST YEAR
• Started working with the museum heritage – creating replicas of metal products (the Surgut Museum of Local Lore provided the collection to study the material);
• Started working with wax and materials derived from animals;
• Offered workshops on embossing of aluminum bracelets;
• Launched one-hour-long group tours of the forge;
• Presented the “Mobile Forge” and “Mobile Minting” services;
• Increased the number of self-employed people making handicrafts for the project.
DIRECT RESULTS FOR 2022
More than 1,000 new visitors and customers. The share of recurring visitors has also increased.
SOCIAL EFFECTS ACHIEVED IN 2022
• We conduct career guidance activities, students specializing in metalworking of Surgut Polytechnic College are familiar with us;
• We help craftsmen and artisans formalize self-employment and work legally; we accompany and assist them in obtaining support measures, grants and subsidies for business development;
• We are noticing a growing interest in blacksmithing, with an increasing number of visitors from other cities in neighboring regions and federal districts;
• We advise members of the Blacksmiths Guild of Russia on how to conduct their business competently and build stronger relationships with the authorities.
FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY MODEL
Workshops on blacksmithing have always been our core activity. During the pandemic, we shifted profile to producing medium-sized wrought-iron interior decoration items for suburban houses. Our products are sold on the Asian online marketplace, pinkoi.com, previously worked with etsy.com.
On August 17, 2022, we opened the “FORGE” Creative Industries Agency (autonomous non-profit organization) to be able to receive grant support. In addition, we monitor available measures of state support in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – Yugra (subsidies, reimbursements of costs, grants for entrepreneurs).
