Volunteering at the Center for Social Technologies

By Tonya Luna, North Street School, Geneva, NY

On July 6th our group had the opportunity to visit the Siberian Center for Social Technologies. I was awestruck by the pride, sincerity and confidence of Slava, the organization president. He spoke to us briefly about the public perceptions of people with disabilities in Russia. This center is working hard to provide opportunities for social change that will have a lasting impact and allow more accessibility for people such as ramps, elevators, etc... As you can imagine, the historic architecture and infrastructure in Russia does not allow for easy accessibility.

Our group was tasked with planting three flower beds and painting the front entrance of the Center. We dove in with what could be called American exuberance. Participants with shovels dug up the ground, while others pulled weeds. Much thought was given to make it look as nice as possible. An existing tree stump provided a center point for one of the gardens and even became a canvas for everyone to paint on. You can see hearts, handprints, and flowers from Russians and Americans. We then went inside to enjoy tea and cookies together. The walls of the center were adorned with beautiful painting made by people with disabilities.

As a mother of a child with Down syndrome and being a Special Education Teacher, the mission of this Center is dear to my heart. Slava knows they have a challenging task ahead of them but seems to keep a positive attitude and moving them forward. The love is evident and they are on their way. We felt so welcomed by this group, that it was hard to say goodbye.