International Children

On January 28, the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation hosted a round table discussion on “The Experience of Children's Public Associations” as part of the International Children's Club project. The event showcased successful practices of parenting professionals and the parenting community.

The round table was attended by representatives of national children's associations and foreign colleagues from Belarus, Uzbekistan, Serbia, Ireland, and France. The meeting was held in the online format.

The International Children's Club was established in late 2020 at the initiative of the National Council of Youth and Children's Associations of Russia and ASTIC with the support of the Civic Chamber Commission for the Development of Pre-School, School, Secondary Vocational Education and Outreach as a platform for interaction between children and youth public associations. Such work aims to develop new forms of upbringing and supplementary education for children.

Elena Rodionova, the Member of the Civic Chamber Commission on Preschool, School and Secondary Vocational Education and Educational Activity, talked about how the International Children's Club was working and what was in store for it in the future.

“The International Children's Club, with the support of our commission, is increasingly becoming a real resource for the education system with the ability to integrate the best public Russian and foreign experience. Already now, there is a plan of monthly thematic meetings of the International Children's Club for specialists working in the field of childhood, with parents' participation. As soon as the epidemiological situation will allow, and maybe earlier, in the online format, we plan to revive something like an international friendship club, so that children of different countries, the same age, could be in touch, could form the social agenda themselves, to show constructive civic initiatives and share experiences,” — said the social activist.

The participants of the meeting noted that in Russia, the relevant normative base has just begun to be created; in particular, the law on youth policy was a great achievement of the sphere's specialists. Dina Sokolova, the Deputy Director of the Institute of Youth Policy and International Relations of the Moscow State University of Economics and Finance, Head of the Russian Coordination Office for Youth Exchange with the Federal Republic of Germany, told about the normative acts Germany is guided by.

Alexandra Goncharova, the Chairwoman of the Central Council, shared the Belarusian Republican Pioneer Organization experience. She shared which directions are leading and which projects are being implemented. The round table participants got acquainted with the mascot of the Belarusian Republican Pioneer Organization and learned that its members successfully mastered the popular TikTok platform.

Indira Kholdarova, the Deputy Chairwoman of the Central Council of the Youth Union of Uzbekistan and Chairwoman of the Kamalak children's organization, presented a leadership system that children take at the class, school, district, and regional levels. She also outlined the strategy that the Kamalak children's organization has developed in five priority areas, such as social projects, prevention of bullying, career guidance, support and encouragement of leaders, and cooperation with international associations.

It is impossible to talk about the development of children's movement without touching the subject of parent-child relations with children's NGOs, said Dmitry Yepov, the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Coordinating Council of the All-Russian Public Organization National Parents Association for Social Support of Families and Protection of Family Values. He stressed that the association always advocates for child-parent co-operative activities. He shared the experience of similar events on the development of native speech and family reading, the organization of competitions on local history, the systematization of work with parents conducted by the NPA.