The health and survival of Russian men in the 21st century.
Raising gender consciousness in Russian villages.
The media as active partners in educating the public on women's potential – and the obstacles they still face.
These and other themes received a thorough airing by Russian specialists - women and men from throughout the Russian Federation -- at a conference on Integrating a Gender Approach to Solving Regional Social Problems, held in Kazan, capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, on July 8-9, 2004. Over 230 people took part, including a sizeable contingent of Russian villagers who work on women's issues in remote, isolated communities, and about 20 pioneering men.
The conference was organized by Elena Mashkova, Executive Director of Femina, an NGO in Tatarstan, on a grant that she won through IREX with funding from USAID. Ms. Mashkova is a 2002 alumna of Vital Voices program in Washington DC for Russian women leaders. Her co-partner on the July 2004 conference was Vital Voices Global Partnership, and the sole foreign participant was Vital Voices Director of Europe and Eurasia programs, Susan Wobst. Ms. Wobst’s presentation was on “Women’s Issues in U.S. Federal Legislation: How the Process Works.”
The gathering received area government support, from the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan.
The feminization of poverty, equal employment opportunities, women in politics, domestic violence and many other subjects that affect women's (and men's) lives were not just discussed and debated; some participants were inspired to develop pilot projects and raise their own funds together with their new colleagues.
Moscow is no less vibrant than outlying areas when it comes to women active on behalf of gender issues. Susan Wobst held extensive meetings to explore what women need now in a Russia that is rapidly changing in economic and creative opportunities, and how Vital Voices may be of assistance. US and Russian government representatives, private corporations and NGOs all expressed interest in helping to distribute, or in studying the results of a needs survey of Russian women throughout the country that Vital Voices Europe and Eurasia department plans to run by autumn 2004.
Through the survey mechanism, Vital Voices aims to reach some 1000 women in government, business and the social change sector in order to develop for them and their peers a maximally useful and sustainable learning approach to sharpening their professional and community leadership capabilities. The use of a train-the-trainer model will ensure that these learning seminars can be replicated far and wide in Russia , the largest country in the world.
"Russian women and the few men who work there on gender issues have achieved enviable heights of professionalism, knowledge, skills and results over the last decade. They are intimately familiar with foreign models, Russian approaches, and what works best in their society. It was a great honor for me to meet those many Russian citizens who are setting the pace in their respective fields at a level of sophistication equal to that elsewhere in the world," concluded Susan Wobst after her return to Washington. "What brought the greatest joy to me is that Russians now have their self-confidence, their self-assurance back - there are now so many of them serving as the best kind of role models for their colleagues and for the public too."
