The Sodruzhestvo Center is a not-for-profit educational organization located in Ryazan Russia. Fully independent from the government, it is an organization of a new type in Russia. Although cutting it off from traditional means of financial support, this status enables the Center to respond more dynamically to the evolving needs facing students and educators in Russia today. For the past ten years the Center has provided innovative training to students of all ages in such new critical skill areas as personal computer use, fundamentals of market economics, and the English language. The goal is to teach new technical skills along with the values needed for rebuilding Russia from the inside out.
In addition, the Center provides professional
enrichment programs for the educational and professional communities in the
Ryazan region. Until a few years ago, such subjects as applied economics,
finance, and personal computer use were not part of the curriculum in Russian
schools. Now, they are considered critical skill areas and Russian teachers are
anxious to improve their understanding of these subjects so they can better
teach them to their students. The Sodruzhestvo Center has targeted this critical
need through its professional enrichment program for educators. This program of
workshops, seminars and summer camps provides valuable professional development
opportunities for teachers from the Ryazan region as well as all across Russia.