Russia: finalists in Towards Change competition named
Finalists in the Towards Change Competition have been named
10 projects from nine regions of Russia have reached the final.
10.11.2021
The finalists in the Local Project category (projects for residents of a settlement of up to 300,000 people) were:
- Ekaterina Didik (Taganrog) with the project Slash– an inclusive cheerleading team;
- Anna Chuprakova (Volsk) with A Ticket to Life, a project to prepare leavers of correctional institutions for employment;
- Mikhail Kurganov (Murom) with ANO rhythm, which offers vocational guidance for teens through technology.
The finalists in the Large Scale category (projects using innovative approaches to solve social problems with high potential for scaling up, including start-ups that have integrated technology into their approach) are:
- Tatiana Kavilina (St. Petersburg) with the project FitDeaf, offering fitness for people who are deaf or hard of hearing;
- Roman Miroshnichenko (Yaroslavl) with GiveIt, a project to collect and repair unwanted old computer equipment to pass on to families in need;
- Zhanna Soroka (Moscow), Inlife, a centre for adaptive sports for children with mental disabilities;
- Elena Sorokina (Ulyanovsk) with the project Assistance, a movement of volunteer teachers who work with children from low-income families and orphans free of charge;
- Alexander Rodin (Vladimir) with Dominant, a centre for street subcultures;
- Timur Mannanov (Uchaly), with the Association of Olympic Mentors which offers assistance preparing children from remote regions for the Olympics;
- Evgenii Ignatiev (Moscow) and Stop Hemangioma, a system of remote monitoring for hemangiomas in infants.
This year 226 applications were submitted to the competition by social entrepreneurs from all over Russia. Of these, 71 projects were identified as being highly encouraging, before 29 of the best works were picked with the help of an expert council.
On 8 November, the creators will submit their projects to an online jury and the winner will be determined. They will receive financing for the first year of their project amounting to 1.2 million roubles. All 10 finalists will have the opportunity to take part in the Foundation’s three-year programme Incubator.
The winners’ ceremony will take place online on 18 November at 15:00 Moscow time. Anyone can take part by registering using the link.
Translated by Holly Battye
