Позитивные изменения. Том 2, № 3 (2022). Positive changes. Volume 2, Issue 3 (2022)

In each issue of the Positive Changes Journal, we continue the work that started with the publication of the annual catalog “Social Entrepreneurship in Russia.” We introduce our readers and researchers to the enterprises combining properties of two traditional economic agents — non-profits and commercial entities. This combination makes it possible to create entities carrying positive change models of the future — social enterprises. These, in turn, create, implement and share their experience and practical solutions over all industries. The key today is to view them precisely as drivers of the future, and so the main criteria for social enterprises to be featured in the Journal is to have data on the assessment of social effect and social impact on the life of the community and the public in general.

Vladimir Vainer

Director of Positive Changes Factory

EGO Educational Company. The Company’s Intellectual Innovation Product Is the Healthy EGO Original Social Project

https://egocompany.ru

An interactive offline cultural and educational course, aimed at intellectual psychological help to representatives of socially unprotected categories of population: alcohol and drug addicts, people in rehabilitation, in deep depression and frustration, as well as orphaned children and children with disabilities. The course promotes spiritual development, acquisition of confident reasoned speaking skills, removes psychological barriers before the audience, raises interest in literature and history, strengthens patriotic feelings, and facilitates the desire for self-realization, healthy interests in life.

PROBLEM ADDRESSED

Addicts in rehabilitation:

1. Loss of interest in life and society, fear of people, insecurity.

2. Impaired brain activity, cognitive changes, as a consequence — loss of interest in reading and education in general, difficulties in finding themselves and their place in the society, loss of meaning in life.

3. A psychological barrier to public speaking, formed under the influence of negative events in grown-up life or earlier, at school or university.

4. Lack of knowledge from the school or university, which requires self-education skills, and complete self-realization in the future.

5. Depressive personality state, passive position in life.

ORPHANED CHILDREN AND CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS:

1. Development of children’s logical and associative thinking, radiant thinking.

2. Problems with memory and speech development, anxiety, embarrassment in front of other children.

3. Improved morale from successes in understanding literature, painting, and the ability to analyze and construct thought.

4. A passion for self-knowledge through learning spiritual values and the foundations of Christian morality.

5. Patriotic education through taking pride in fellow countrymen — Russian classical authors.

6. Developing goodwill on the issue of caring for the Russian nature by fostering love and a reverent attitude toward it.

METHODS USED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM

The course is based on the Russian classical literature and some fragments from the history of the Russian society. The basic block includes 25 sessions of 90 minutes each in groups of up to 20 students. The project is implemented at the rehabilitation center or an orphanage/shelter with obligatory staff control over homework performance. The course includes meetings between the author/host and the students in the format of creative interaction and reasoned discussion based on the material delivered and personal analysis of the reading. It is a lively interactive process of acquiring public speaking skills and developing logical and associative thinking. An important feature of the course is the subtle interweaving of the group and individual learning format maximizing the engagement of each student.

1. Assistance in preparing to read and analyze in detail the works of Russian classics.

2. Development of independent work skills.

3. Maximum engagement in solving logical problems based on the Russian classical literature.

4. The author’s maximum concentration on the individual problems of each student in the course and the setting up the work with each student after carefully studying his/her abilities, talents, and giftedness.

5. Sessions in small groups with the aim of loosening up each listener, helping them develop and strengthen their public speaking skills and feel comfortable in public, while gently removing the psychological barriers.

Problem solving is built into the program for each target audience, taking into account their age and the specifics of the problems. It is recommended for each class to have at least 25 sessions of 90 minutes 1–2 times a week with mandatory homework.

For example, a course for alcohol and drug addicts in rehab includes: