Education
The Archive of Russian Constitution is the new large-scaled project realized by The Fund of constitutional reforms under the auspices of the Fund by the First Russian President. The purpose of this project is to collect, to keep and to systematize the documents and materials related to the drafting of the Constitution of Russian Federation (1990–1993) and valuable from historical point of view.
One of the Yeltsin Fund’s most important projects is helping the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University. Founded 12 years ago, this became the first ever institution of higher education created with the collaboration of two CIS States. Although the school started off as just another university, over the years it has become much more and is seen nowadays as an important centre of culture and education.
The 3rd October 2006 saw the unveiling of the «Boris Yeltsin Ural Centre», founded by the Yeltsin Fund. Initial work on the centre began in 2000, when the Ural State University began an educational programme called «Ural in Modern Russia». During this period a unique collection of documentary data was collected, demonstrating the social and political evolution of Russia and, in particular, Ural in the 20th and 21st centuries, this included around 100 hours of video recordings, which captured most of the important social and political events that took place in Russia and Ural over the past 30 years, over 10,000 photographs, archive documents, eyewitness reports, periodicals and publicity material.
Yeltsin Fund has a very rewarding partnership with the Ural State Technical University, one of Russia’s best higher education establishments. Aims of the Partnership: to offer support to the university’s most promising students , to contribute to the university’s development and growth, to contribute to the development of information technology.
Culture
<p style="text-align: justify;">The award of Ivan Petrovich Belkin, the "author" of the famous Pushkin's stories, was founded in 2001 by the magazine "Znamya"</p>
The tour of this well-known Moscow theater is arranged within the framework of the cultural and educational activities of the Fund.
Starting from January 2008 a new book-publishing project named «Foreign literature for Russian libraries» is realized. This is a joint project of the Fund by the First Russian President B. Yeltsin, the Foreign Literature magazine and the Pushkin Library Non-commercial Fund.
From 1st to the 14th December 2006 the city of Novosibirsk hosted the very first International Piano Competition dedicated to the memory of Vera Lotar-Shevchenko. Young musicians from all over Russia, Japan and various other countries took part in the competition, while the jury was made up of such world-renowned musicians as Mikhail Pletnev and Pascal Devaillon.
In December 2005 the Yeltsin Fund stepped in to help the Worldwide Fund for the Protection of Monuments with the conservation of the archives and house of the famous Russian architect Konstantin Melnikov.
The Yeltsin Fund, in collaboration with the International Association of Booklovers and with the participation of the Central National Library, has organised and begun the implementation of the «New Classics Library – The Best Edition» project.
The Mobile Art Academy was launched in the cities of Yekaterinburg and Irbit, between the 27th November and 1st December 2006. The initiative was founded by the united efforts of the Yeltsin Fund, the Russian Culture Fund, the Sverdlovsk Ministry for Culture and the Sverdlovsk Centre for Art Education.
The «Museum. Music. Kids» programme is an initiative that makes it possible for gifted children, aged 12 to 16 years, from low income households and children’s homes to win holiday trips to Moscow and St Petersburg.
Social and Medical Work
As part of its Social and Medical Aid programme, the Yeltsin Fund has given its support to the Research Institute of Children’s Haematology, which is part of the Blokhin Research Centre of Oncology.
On the 8th November 2005, by the walls of the Boris and Gleb Monastery in Dmitrov, a time capsule was buried in the foundations of the soon to be built monument to the holy princes Boris and Gleb. This momentous event was overseen by Archbishop Grigoriy and Mr. Gavrilov, head of the Dmitrov region administration.
The Yeltsin Fund financed the holding of a multi-staged training programme, called «Success», for potential participants in the «New Russian Elite» Competition.
Since the start of 2003 the Yeltsin Fund has provided financial help to the St Petersburg Clinic of Bone Marrow Transplants, which is a part of the Pavlov Medical University.
In December 2006, in accordance with long standing tradition, the Yeltsin Fund offered aid to the Yurovsk Correctional School and to the Sergiyevo-Posadsk Orphanage for deaf and blind children.
Since 2005 the Yeltsin Fund has given its support to a programme, based at the Centre of Neonatal screening that works towards preventing disabilities in children.
In Spring 2006 the Yeltsin Fund set up an initiative to provide specialised schooling for children, aged 8 – 18 years old, who are not able to attend school due to various medical condition.
«Give Me Life» is a charitable organisation that has gained the support of all the most compassionate of Russia’s citizens, whether they are doctors, artists, journalists or just regular people. It is not at all surprising that one of the projects very first and most generous sponsors is the Yeltsin Fund. On June 1st 2005 a concert was organised to promote and support this cause. All proceeds went towards buying radiotherapy equipment (worth $150,000) as well as the various necessary medical chemicals (worth $212,000). What is more important though, is that the event gave the children it was honouring and helping a burst of hope, which is truly the best medicine in the world.
Promotion of Sport
Over a period of two years the Fund supports the «IKAR» club of active rehabilitation.
In collaboration with the administration of the Sverdlovsk region and select commercial organisations, the Yeltsin Fund will be building a new multifunctional sports centre in Yekaterinburg, as well as a winter stadium and housing for students. The sports centre will become home to Ural’s largest tennis complex.
The Boris Yeltsin Grant is awarded annually to Russia’s young tennis players for exceptional achievement and dedication to the sport.
The Yeltsin Fund stepped in to help the Children’s Specialist Olympic Preparation School in its hour of need. The money donated by the Fund will go towards buying sports equipment and uniforms for the school’s pupils.
The first ever national Platonov Memorial volleyball tournament was held between the 26th-29th December, organised by the “Avtomobilist” volleyball club and the Platonov Volleyball Academy, with the support of the Yeltsin Fund. Four teams from St Petersburg took part in the tournament, as well as teams from Estonia, Latvia, Belarus and Finland.
Humanitarian Work
Literary competition «Russian Award» was instituted in 2005 by non-profit coroporations «Institute of Eurasian Research» and «Caucasian Democracy Institute». The Fund of the First President of Russia acts as an official partner in the competition.
On December 9, 2007, Rome, Italy, will host a special award ceremony for the best literary translation from Russian into Italian. The new International literary prize «Russia – Italy. Through the Centuries» is instituted at the initiative of the Fund of the First President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin and Russian Culture Fund.
As part of its ongoing initiative to promote Russian language abroad and in cooperation with the French non-profit organisation France-Ural, The Yeltsin Fund has founded the Rusophonia Prize for literature.
Thanks to the support of the Yeltsin Fund, the third Youth Arts Festival of Russia and France was held in Cannes between the 18th – 26th August 2006. As part of this incredible project, young artists, musicians and performers were given the chance to dazzle the residents and guests of the Côte d’Azur with a multi-faceted vision of Russian culture, merging traditional and contemporary art-forms.
The Yeltsin Fund has become a sponsor of the Rossica Award, an initiative started by the British Academia Rossica foundation. This is the first ever prize to reward achievement in translation from Russian into English.
The Yeltsin Fund, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Fund for the Promotion of Russian Cultural Centres Abroad have united their efforts to support and endorse the use of the Russian language outside the orders of Russia. The fund has been sending Russian text books, literature, dictionaries, portraits of famous Russian authors, Russian flags and many other educational aids to various countries around the globe, with the intention of supporting and encouraging more people, living outside Russia, to learn and use the Russian language.
