On March 2, 2010 the implementation of the “Program for Harmonizing the Interethnic and Intercultural Relations, Preventing the Xenophobia, and Strengthening the Tolerance in St.Petersburg for 2006-2010” (the Program “Tolerance”) was discussed at a session of St.Petersburg Government.
On March 2, 2010 the implementation of the “Program for Harmonizing the Interethnic and Intercultural Relations, Preventing the Xenophobia, and Strengthening the Tolerance in St.Petersburg for 2006-2010” (the Program “Tolerance”) was discussed at a session of St.Petersburg Government.
A report on the results of the work in 2009 was made by A.V. Prokhorenko, Chairman of St.Petersburg Committee for External Relations.
The pace of implementation of the program becomes faster – while about 3 thousand events under its auspices took place in 2007, there were over 4 thousand of the such in 2009. Moreover, as the experts observe, their quality is getting more “matured”.
The activities of the Program “Tolerance” were attended by all committees at St.Petersburg Government and all districts of the city.
The main thematic emphases of the Program:
• developing the culture of tolerance through the education system (over 1,5 thousand events);
• promoting the tolerance and preventing the extremism among young people (over 1000 events).
The most important of them were:
• Youth Festival “The Culture of the World for a Cultural Capital” (Organizer: Committee for External Relations)
• Project “To St.Petersburg with Love”, including a round table “Petersburg Is Our Common Home”, the exhibition “We All Are Petersburgers - We All Are Home People!”,“Petersburg Multiethnic Family” etc. (Organizer: Committee for Culture);
• Exhibition “Multinational Petersburg” (Organizer: Committee for Culture);
• Cultural and Educational Program “I and You. Collaboration of Cultures” (Organizer: Committee for Culture);
• All-Russia Youth Educational Forum “Lake Seliger 2009” (Organizer: Committee for Youth Policy and Interaction with NGOs);
• Youth Festival on Tolerance (Organizer: Committee on Youth Policy and Interaction with NGOs);
• International Students Festival “Golden Autumn” (Organizer: Committee on Youth Policy and Interaction with NGOs);
• Youth tournament on mini-football among the youth ethno-cultural associations of St.Petersburg (Organizer: Committee on Youth Policy and Interaction with NGOs);
• IV photo exhibition of foreign students and postgraduates of St.Petersburg State University, “St.Petersburg in the World, the World in St.Petersburg” (Organizer: Committee for Science and Higher Education);
• Festival “Fireworks of National Cultures”: a gala concert, ethnic games, master classes, exhibition of drawings (Organizer: Committee for Education);
• Game-like contest program for primary school pupils “I'm Riding-Riding around the World!” (Organizer: Committee for Education);
• International tournament on mini-football, within the framework of celebrating the Day of Africa and the Day of the City (Organizers: Committee for External Relations, Committee for Physical Culture and Sport);
• Itinerant arts exhibition “Lessons of Kindness and Mercy” featuring children's artworks (Organizers: Department for Relations with Religious Associations, St.Petersburg Committee for Culture, Committee for Education);
• International festival of Christian cinema “Nevskiy Church-Bells Chime” (Organizers: Department for Relations with Religious Associations, St.Petersburg Committee for Culture, with the support of St.Petersburg Legislative Assembly).
An important event showing the appreciation of the activity of the public for the sake of the Program was the bestowal on St.Petersburg the UNESCO Prize “For Constructive Efforts to Promote the Principles of Mutual Respect and Tolerance in a Multicultural Urban Community” (November 2009).
Further information can be obtained from Olga Volkova, Spokesman of St.Petersburg Committee for External Relations, tel. 904-3034.
Source: Committee for External Relations of St.Petersburg