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Training in Rostov-on-Don On the 25th
and the 26th, there has been a training program пїЅTeamwork - for
Successful Negotiations with Authorities and for the Protection of the Rights
of Ethnic MinoritiesпїЅ in the sanatorium пїЅNadezhdaпїЅ (Hope) in
Rostov-on-Don organized by the Center for Interethnic Cooperation. The
participants were leaders of the most active national associations in Rostov,
Taganrog, and Novocherkassk, as well as the following representatives of the
local authorities: Vladimir VitalпїЅevich Otvagin, the main expert of the
Committee on Relations to Political Parties, Public and Ethnic Associations
of the administration of the Rostov district, and Yurii AnatolпїЅevich
Sidorenko, the chairman of the Committee on Public and Interregional
Relations of the RostovпїЅs mayor. пїЅпїЅпїЅпїЅпїЅ In contrast to previous trainings in
Samara and Nizhni Novgorod, where the local administration was supporting us
in organizing and realizing the trainings, this time we did not know any
representative of the authorities before. This situation was result of the
fact that our former partners either had left or had been removed from their
posts. And the establishment of necessary contacts is always difficult.
Having met Vladimir Otvagin for the first time, Ashot Airapetian, the
director of the Center for Interethnic Cooperation, took long to explain that
the CenterпїЅs business is neither to compromise the local authorities nor to
unit ethnic associations against them. Otvagin asserted that there are no
violations of human rights in the Rostov district. Airapetian replied that
human rights are being restricted and violated everywhere, as well as the
Criminal Code. Significant is only the frequency and the extent of violation.
Nevertheless, to be just one mention that Vladimir Viktorovich met us with a
very benevolent attitude. пїЅпїЅпїЅпїЅпїЅ The choice for the sanatorium "NadezhdaпїЅ
(hope) as the venue of the training was completely right as the sanatorium
was far away from any street or shop. Except of us, there actually didnпїЅt
live anybody. These were the best working conditions for the training. This
time the training methods had been slightly changed as it had become visible
on previous trainings that the leaders of communities have only a quite vague
idea about the importance to organize the activities of public organizations.
Therefore Felix Karacev devoted considerably more time to comprehensive
explanations than in Nizhni Novgorod or Samara. The
participants defined in long discussions the following problems, with which
ethnic associations from the Rostov district are confronted: Problems to
organize their work efficiently Chauvinism
and its forms of appearance Absence of
a precise state policy on ethnic problems The
following weak points of ethnic associations were drawn up: Separation
tendencies Absence of
special knowledge, and sufficient information Absence of
structures and/ or distribution of functional duties among the leading staff
of an organization Shortage
of leaders (public and business ones), skills in finding mean sources
(material, human), a systematic regular activity of the organizationпїЅs
leading stuff, and precise defined action schedules Weak
attraction to induce the members (including new) to active participation пїЅ
Inability to cooperate with bodies of authority, public organizations
and the media пїЅ
Inability to analyze the activities пїЅ
Historical parasitism пїЅ
Ignoring of history lessons According
to the opinion of the participants of the training, the following external
factors have an influence on the work in the given environment: The
economic situation of the area Help from
the mother ethnic group The
relation to the resident population The
relation to other Diasporas The
relation to the authorities Position
of the media Interaction
with the police Immigration Legislative
conditions Religious tolerance/
intolerance in the region Culture of
interethnic interaction Increasing
of interest of charitable funds in national problems Thus there
are following threats or dangers interfering with the normal activities: Actions of
extremist organizations (skinheads, Russian nationalist Union (RNE), etc.) Terrorism
in Russian regions Chauvinism
and its appearance Existence
of an attractive living place/ residence (departure to a historical home
land) The war in
Chechnya Negative
policy of some leaders (regional and state ones) on national/ ethnic
questions (e.g. пїЅkatchik - Krasnodar) Confessional
questions Absence of
a distinct national/ ethnic policy According
to the participants of the training, an assumed coalition can have following fundamental
missions: Protection
of the world and consent between the Diasporas in the region Achieving
an interethnic consent and cooperation on the Don Protection
of national originality within the framework of a multiethnic region Helping
the members of NGOs in the Rostov district for protecting the national
originality and for integrating in the local society For
realizing these missions and for solving the existing problems the following
strengths of national associations should help. That is: Existence
of cultural historical traditions Period of
residing in the region, language, observance of traditions and customs Number and
unity of members Material
maintenance, financial supply of the peoples Interaction
with state organs Use of
media (website, newspapers, magazines) Cooperation
with other public organizations, and in particular with national/ ethnic
cultural organizations Multi-nationality
and community of cultures Tolerance
of religions There have
been hot disputes on these questions and loud declarations. However to the
honor of the leaders of national associations of the Rostov restrict it is to
mention, that they very responsibly undertook this work, and as a consequence
it was for them and for the organizers of the training quite interesting to
work together. The coming
out of the questionnaires filled in by the participants of the training was,
that the leaders of national associations of the Rostov district unanimously
considered the training as interesting, and the received skills as helpful in
the further work. They also mentioned, that a coordination of efforts of
ethnic associations from different regions of Russia is very useful, as well
as the further realization of similar trainings for the Rostov area. |
