Позитивные изменения. Том 4, №1 (2024). Positive changes. Volume 4, Issue 1 (2024)

А самый главный качественный вывод можно сформулировать так: когда инициативные группы на малых территориях только объединяются в команды и начинают проектную работу, многим кажется, что выиграть грант и реализовать свой проект — основная цель. И только с течением времени они понимают, что развивать свою территорию можно системно, то есть не надеяться только на гранты, а использовать собственные ресурсы, привлекать инвестиции постоянно. Именно на это направлена технология «Малым территориям — большое будущее».

“Small Territories — Big Future”: A Development Technology for Northern Territories Through Local Community Engagement

Andrey Borodkin

DOI 10.55140/2782-5817-2024-4-1-45-57

Fostering community activity in small, remote territories is a challenging task. Aligning these initiatives so that they sustain themselves beyond the end of project financing is even more challenging. This article is devoted to the “Small Territories — Big Future" program, which has been implemented in the Arkhangelsk region by the Garant Group of Non-Governmental Organization for the past decade, leading to significant changes in the life of this northern territory.

Andrey Borodkin

Editor-in-chief, Garant Group of Non-Governmental Organization

PREREQUISITES FOR THE EMERGENCE OF THE “SMALL TERRITORIES — BIG FUTURE” APPROACH

“Garant” is one of the oldest NGOs in Russia, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2023. From the outset, the organization has been dedicated to the development of small territories in Russia’s North. The area has always had strong traditions of activism, mutual aid, and self-organization. There were leaders poised to lead, yet they lacked expertise in social project design.

The “Small Territories — Big Future” initiative started in 2014. By then, substantial experience in implementing territorial development programs had been accumulated by Garant and other organizations. The efforts of the Institute for Public and Humanitarian Initiatives headed by Gleb Tyurin deserve special mention. The experiences from implementing his territorial development programs in Arkhangelsk region are chronicled in the book “The Revival of Russian Villages,” published in 2007. Elena Shomina, founder of the Territorial Public Self-Government (TOS) and the Neighborhood Development Movement in Russia, has repeatedly visited the Arkhangelsk region to foster its development. Since 2006, Garant has consistently organized grant competitions for social projects targeting regional NGOs and budget organizations, funded by the consolidated budget. Thus, by 2014, the region had established a landscape of social initiatives with unique methodologies and practices.

The “Small Territories — Big Future” program marked a new phase in the methodical development of the region’s small territories, starting in the Pinezhsky District. By that time, its inhabitants had already launched several independent social initiatives. Garant sought to devise a methodology that would transcend individual project implementation and advance the development of the territory as a whole.

Following a visit to the Pinezhsky district, Garant’s team conducted extensive analytical research. The research examined, for instance, documentation confirming the receipt of regional and federal subsidies and grants by NGOs, small businesses, and TOSs, along with demographic data for the district. This experience was taken into account in the development of the program methodology. Let us examine it in greater detail below.

STARTING WORK WITH SMALL TERRITORIES: TWO APPROACHES

Garant’s methodology is predicated on a key principle: in small territories, it is imperative to first identify local leaders willing to champion change and oversee the evolution of local initiatives.

In essence, it is about uniting people into a community.

Two strategies exist for locating such a team of leaders. The first involves building on the foundation of an existing team of motivated individuals (if present) and initiating work with them. This approach has its merits: the group is already formed, its members have collaborative experience, understand each other, and generally share common values. However, there are also risks: individuals have their specific interests and networks, and special efforts must be made to motivate them to broaden their connections.