The exhibition "Social Petersburg: new solutions", taking place over the 4th and 5th of April 2003, forms part of the official celebrations of St. Petersburg's 300th anniversary. The exhibition's slogan is "The City is for You, You are for the City".
The aim of the exhibition - is to present St. Petersburg as a new social area, in which society, government and business can cooperate in finding ways towards social development and the creation of a pleasant city environment.
The exhibition will provide the opportunity for wide sections of the society to familiarise themselves with the non-commercial sector in St. Petersburg, to strengthen the trust of the general public in the work of NGOs, and to stimulate the activity of NGOs in the community. The exhibition will also facilitate the setting up of new partnerships, both within the non-commercial sector, and inter-sectoral links.
The Exhibition Area will take a highly original and up to date approach in terms of its organization - in the form of a city with the following public service areas:
- culture and arts centre
- school
- recreation centre
- legal chambers
- training centre
- abroad ("A Window to Europe")
- centre for helping families and children
- rehabilitation centre
- hospital
- research centre
- newsagent
- social care centre
- street
Participants in the exhibition will be able to present their services and programmes in the appropriate area of the exhibition. 150 participants, all selected by preliminary contest, will be exhibiting their work in the following fields: social issues, healthcare, arts and culture, youth work, environmental protection and education. On display will be both independent programmes, and also partnerships between social, government, municipal and commercial organisations.
The exhibition will last two days: on the 4th April we invite specialists, to take part, whereas entrance on the 5th April will be open to all members of the public. In addition to familiarizing themselves with the exhibits, visitors will also be able to take part in the extensive parallel programme: on offer will be seminars, round tables, master-classes, competitions and much more.
Discussion areas will be organised between representatives of government bodies, social organisations and business. They will allow the discussion of proposals made by NGOs aimed at the solution of such urban problems as drug addiction, child neglect, child disability, and the management of the city's green areas. For the first time, analytical reports will be distributed on the state of affairs in these spheres, produced jointly by specialists from both the state and non-state sectors.
The exhibition has been organizedby the NGO Development Centre and a host of other large St. Petersburg social organizations, with the active support of the City's Administration and Legislative Assembly.
Financial support for the exhibition has come from the United Kingdom's Department for International Development, the Matra/ KAP programme of Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Open Society Institute, and the External Relations Committee of the St. Petersburg Administration.
It is worth pointing out that this is the second exhibition of its type: in October 2001, over 90 organisations participated in theNon-commercial Services and Programmes Fair, which took place in the Mikhailovskii Manezh. The fair was opened by Valentina Matvienko, the Vice-Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, and by the City Governor Vladimir Yakovlev. The fair was attended by more than three thousand people.
Welcome to "Social Petersburg: new solutions"
Exhibition Director: Elina Tchizhevskaya
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Matra / KAP Program of Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs
