|
Rotary in Russia 20 years
”Rotary in Russia? No Way.”
“ It
was 1964, my first year in Rotary, and I was sitting at dinner
with my father and his best friend Joe, a journalist and Rotary
District Governor who had just returned from the USSR.
I was taken by the statement and lively discussion that
followed when Joe said: -One day, we will have Rotary clubs in
Russia. - Rotary in Russia? No way,
said my father.
Wow!
What an idea.What a dream. - I thought!....
Well
my father did not know a couple of Swedes named Axel Murray and
Ingvar Mattsson, or the Finns Rolf Klarich and Jorma Lampén,
Russians Sergei Ushin, Alexander Tarnavskiy and Alexander
Makatsaria - that
worked, wrote letters and opened the channel to Moscow through
the Swedish Embassy until on June 5th 1990, the
Rotary Club Moscow was chartered and became the first Rotary
Club in Russia and the USSR.”
This is a
quotation of an article written for the Russian Rotarian
Magazine by Thomas W Kaufman, an American
living in Moscow and charter member of
Moscow RC
Rotary in Russia?
Yes –since 20 years!
We write Saturday, June 5,
2010, being in Moscow together with more than 200 rotarians from
Russia, France, Germany, USA, Ukraine, Croatia, Denmark and
Sweden, who are there celebrating
the first twenty years of
Rotary in Russia. The celebration goes on during two
days, seminars
with different ICCs (Inter Country Committees), which
Russia runs together with other countries and the real
Celebration Festival.
Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar
delivered heartly congratulations from the RI-president. Axel
Murray, who was honoured for his contribution from 1986 till
1992 on starting Rotary in the Soviet Union/Russia, gave an
interesting and warm résumé and Jorma Lampén gave an interesting
exposé on his first ten years (1990 – 2000) with the
responsibility of introducing Rotary in all of
Russia from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Ingvar
Mattsson dwelled in his speech on all human contacts, happiness
and warm feelings he always felt during the great number of
visits at Rotary clubs in Russia.
Christina
Bredin gave a warm greeting from Swedish rotarians and brought
forward an appreciated gift from the Swedish districts. One week
of vocational
exchange studies,
including homestay and travel, in Sweden for six young Russian
rotarians. The first visit is planned for October 2010.
The History before 1990
1980-83.
Vikar
Säfvestad had regular profesional contacts with
Michail
Gorbatjov, who then was the
USSR Political Bureau Agricultural
Expert. A
repeated topic besides the protocol was to try opening doors for
Rotary in the Soviet Union. At a request of the Swedish Rotary
Governors RI President Chuck Keller sent in 1987 a letter to President
Gorbatjov with a copy to the Soviet Ambassadeur in Stockholm,
Boris Pankin, who later became the penultimate Minister of
Foreign Affairs of the USSR. All resulted in a request
from President Gorbatjov via the Embassy in Stockholm whether
the Rotary movement could be presented in the Soviet Union to
become a part of Glasnost and Perestrojka.
Axel Murray
carried through six visits to the Soviet Union as a request of
Rotary International; the first one together with Vikar
Säfvestad and the others together with other Swedish Rotarians.
Ingvar Mattsson had the opportunity to participate in two of
them and he got a solid gound for his coming inputs and
performances. Axel
made up to 300 contacts with among others the vice Mayor Luzhkov,
doctors, lawyers, politiciens, the Head Patriarch and around 800
letters and faxes were sent to Axel Murray and Rotary in
Stockholm. A tremendous important network for
the coming Rotary in Russia was developed.
Finish Rotarians were also conducting widespread
contacting
activities with various parts of the Soviet Union.
Ingvar
Mattsson, the Patriarch of Moscow, Hans Waldenström and Axel
Murray
The first 20 years
1990 – 2000.
When the first Rotary
clubs were chartered in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Riga the BoD
of Rotary International decided that Rotary of Finland and Jorma
Lampén should be responsible for the ongong introduction of
Rotary in Russia. The number of clubs increased up to
20 in the European part of Russia. But the
mission covered all of Russia. All of Russia!
***
Mission
impossible 1.
2000 - 2003.
The BoD of Rotary
International made a decision to divide the country into
four parts for the mission. The Swedish District 2350 got
responsibility for the territory from Moscow up to Archangelsk,
responsibility of the European territories east and south of
Moscow was handed over to the Swedish district 2370 and
the Finnish district 1420 took care of
St. Petersburg, the Kola peninsula and the territory west
of Moscow. The
American district 5010 got responsibility of all of eastern
Russia beyond the Ural mountians. The goal of the activities
during this three years period was to create a Russian Rotary
district of the European Russia based on 50 chartered clubs.
Many clubs wee chartered, but the stipulated level of 50 clubs
was never reached.
***
Mission impossible 2 .
2003 – 2006.
In 2003 the
coaching period of Sweden, Finland och USA
was prolonged with another three year period. Lots of
time and efforts were spent by Ingvar Mattsson and Andrei
Danilenko, the first Governor of D2220 in order to work out and
get support for a Programme of future activities and personnel
chart of the new Russian district: a
Transition Plan.
During the
period of 2000 –
2006 the Swedish
and Finnish Governors visited the Russian clubs and in the
Swedish district parts all
the time coached by Ingvar Mattsson and Björn Jonsson for
D2350 and D2370 respectively. Both of them have travelled with
each year´s Governor resulting in both of them paying visits to
the clubs within their respective territory between three till
ten times; educating the clubs in the Rotary movement and
continuing networking between Russian and Swedish clubs.
Besides in Russia yearly
arranged PETS an District Conferencies huge groups of
Russian rotarians paid visits to the yearly District
Assemblies of D 2350 and D2370 respectively. They looked for and
got joint Rotary actions, twinning between Russian and Swedish
clubs etc. The
Finnish district worked in a similar way.
From the
beginning of Rotary in Russia the activities of the Russian
clubs started at a high level with lots of
projects, such as programs for handicapped children,
special designed programs for the millions of and earlier ”not
existing” street children in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Programs
for taking care of elderly people, professionel music
competition for younger musicians etc. were run. Many
GSE-exchange programs have been run between Russia and Sweden,
many of them under the theme: ”Rotary against drugs!”
The members
of the Russian Rotary clubs are very active on running programs,
the average age of the Russian rotarians is rather low and the
number of female members is higher than in many other
countries..
Rotary has been very
attractive for younger Russian people resulting in many Rotaract
clubs; many more than in Sweden.
During the period more
clubs were chartered and with a total of
21 new clubs the goal of 50 Rotary clubs of European
Russia was reached, although with a rather low number of members
per club.
***
Mission completed
– almost!
An independent Russian Rotary District, a reality in 2006
The new Russian District -D2220- was formed on July 01, 2006 for
the Rotary clubs of European Russia. With that it was time to
put a stop on the Swedish and Finnish chapter covering the
period 2000 till 2006. The new district covered all Russian
territory west of the Ural mountains. The asiatic part of
Russia will continue to be a part of
District 5010 (USA-Alaska).
This
historric event occured in Moscow on June 06, 2006.
It was a great pleasure for the R I President
Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar to inaugurate the new district and to
present the Governor chain to the first Russian Governor Andrei
Danilenko. It was a great moment for Rotarians of Russia and for
the more than 300 foreign Rotarians from Great
Britain, France, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Germany, Bulgaria,
Holland, Spain and Japan to attend the Celebration day.
Furthermore, there were more than 50 Russian rotaractors
attending.
The Russian Governor
2009-2010 Nedezhda Papp, the fourth in order,
has done a tough job to guarantee the stability of the
district by chartering new clubs and to increase the membership;
all continued by DG 10-11 Nadezhda Sofronova. During the first
year as an independent district the number of members decreased
and clubs were closed down. But now there seems to be a valuable
tendency of
increasing numbers of
Russian rotarians. There are today around 900 rotarians
in Russia, but in order to continue as an independant district
there is a need of 300 more members.
Communication via a Russian Rotarian Magazine, a Webb site and a
datorized register of member rotarians have started. All of this
was suggested in
the Transition Plan.
When Britta Wallgren during
her club visits 2005-06 asked the Russian rotarians what they
thought about an own district, the answers were the sameall
over: ”We want to stay on our own legs and to be on an equal
level as our Swedish and Finnish districts! But, please, don´t
forget us!!”
We,
Rotarians of Scandinavia, have every reason to think about that
answer. There are lots of enthusiams and an oustanding Rotary
spirit in the Russian clubs. They are eager to get contacts
with clubs of Sweden and of the rest of Scandinavia and,
of course, the rest of the Rotary world. There are about 50
Russian clubs. Imagine that all of these clubs would get at
least one sister club somewhere in Scandinavia. To have the
opportunity to run an international projekt
in Russia together with a Russian club is excaiting and
gives lots of possilities of exchange programmes within the
fields of culture, professional work, science etc. Added to
those programmes will for sure be a development of the Russian
district towards a strong and fullmembered
Rotary movement, needed in Russia as well.
ICC Russia - Sweden/Scandinavia
Next chapter
of the Russian engagement by the Swedish districts was the start
in 2007 of ICC
Russia – Sweden/Scandinavia. Responsible rotarians were Vladimir
Kalugin, Björn Jonsson och Ingvar Mattsson. The aim of an ICC is
that a Rotary district of respective country functions as an
Embassy in the other country, promoting exchange of rotarian
groups and individuals, with a specific attention to young
people.
Three ICC
meetings were arranged during 2007 and 2008 in Vladimir, Södertälje -south of Stockholm
amd St. Petersburg. The meetings resulted in several
Russian-Swedish projects and Twinnng between clubs. The latest
ICC-meeting took place in Moscow in June 2010.
ICC-meeting in Moscow
in June 2010. Anna Hramova, Valdimir Kalugin and
Christina Bredin
This
activity will continue and the baton will be taken over by
Christina Bredin, who together with Vladimir Kalugin plan next
ICC-meeting to take place in November
2010 in
Murmansk. An invitation will be sent out to all district
governors. Are you interested in getting to know Murmansk and
Rotary in Russia, please, make an reservation of
November 20.
An ICC-meeting is open to everybody interested Rotary and in
this case, specially in Russia.
Rotary builts bridges
We have learnt and continue to learn a lot from our Russian
Rotary friends. Warmth, networking, extensive activities for
children and youth in distress as well as elderly people, all in
a true rotarian spirit. That´s a true summary of our impression
from our contacts with Russian rotarians.
An important friendly, cultural and social bridge-building
between our countries has been realized thanks to Rotary. We
will continue this work and encourage you to join us.
Authors:
Ingvar
Mattsson
and
Christina Bredin
Translation of an article, planned for the November issue of
Rotary Norden –
the
Scandinavian Rotary Magazine
Cast
Alexander
Tarnavskiy,
Moscow RC,
Chartermember, Dr of
Law – Inst. of
State and Law of the USSR
Alexander
Makatsaria,
Moscow RC,
Chartermember PP 06/06-07/08, First Medical College, Prof. of
Medicine
Andrei
Danilenko,
Moscow Rossica RC, First DG of D2220 2006-07
Anna Hramova,
Kambarka RC
Axel
Murray,
Stockholm
RC, PDG D235 87/88, SRS Chairman 89/90
Honourary Member of
Moscow RC
Björn
Jonsson,
Stockholm-Älvsjö
RK, PDG D2370 1998-99, D2370 responsibility of
Russia
2000-06
Boris
Pankin,
USSR Embassador Stockholm, USSR penultimate Minister of Foreign
Affairs, 100 days in 1991
Britta Wallgren,
Stockholm-G:a Stan RC, PDG D2350 2005-06
Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar,
Göteborg RC, Rotary International President 2005-06
Christina
Bredin,
Västerås-Rudbeckius RC, PDG D2340 2005-06,
Membership Coordinator Zon 15 2007-10.
Chuck Keller,
Rotary
International President
1987-88
Ingvar
Mattsson,
Stockholm-City First Breakfast RC, PDG
D2350 2002-03, D2350
responsibility of
Russia
2003-06
Jorma
Lampén
Helsingfors RC,
responsible for Rotary in Soviet Union/Russia 1990-2000
Michail
Gorbatjov,
In the
80th: USSR Political Bureau Agr.
Expert, USSR last President
Nadezhda
Papp, PDG 09-10 D2220,
Moscow East RC
Nadezhda
Sofronova, DG 10-11, D2220,
Ekaterineburg RC
P G Wallberg,
Nyköping-Öster RC,
PDG D2370 2005-06
Rolf
Klärich,
Helsingfors RC, Rotary International President 1980-81
Sergei
Ushin,
Moscow RC
charter member, Secr of USSR-Sweden/Norway Friendship Societies
Thomas W
Kaufman, Moscow RC charter
member, an
American living in
Russia since the 90´s
Vikar Säfvestad,
Jönköpings RC, Agricultural attaché in USSR 1980-83
Vladimir
Kalugin,
P
President Moscow RC, ICC-Responsible D2220
Yuri M Luzhkov,
Charterm member Moscow RC, Mayor in Moscow
|
