First results of the "Zemstvo Cultural Worker" programme to be presented at the National Centre RUSSIA

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The first results of the "Zemstvo Cultural Worker" ("Rural Cultural Worker") programme will be presented at the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation’s "Community" forum, which will take place in Moscow on 31 October – 1 November. The forum’s theme is "Institutions of Civil Society: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow".

"For twenty years, the Civic Chamber Commission for Culture and the Preservation of Spiritual Heritage has contributed to the development of national culture and has been continuously working to address issues that concern both citizens and professional communities," said Chair of the Civic Chamber Commission for Culture and the Preservation of Spiritual Heritage and Director General of the State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia Irina Velikanova. "The 'Zemstvo Cultural Worker' programme is another area of our commission’s close attention. We stay in touch with the regions, and it is very important for us that the programme reaches its full potential, enabling young cultural professionals to come to small towns and rural areas."

Participants of the "Community" forum’s thematic session will discuss the importance of ongoing cooperation between government bodies, cultural institutions, civil society and experts for the successful implementation of the programme.

"We have always taken an active part in preliminary readings of draft laws concerning culture. When necessary, we firmly defended our position on fundamental issues — for example, on preserving the three-tier system of art education and art schools. Our commission was also the first platform where the concept of the fundamentals of state policy for the preservation and strengthening of Russia’s spiritual and moral values was discussed. Now public activists in the regions are monitoring the implementation of the corresponding Presidential decree," Irina Velikanova noted.

The "Zemstvo Cultural Worker" programme, designed to attract and retain cultural professionals in small towns and rural areas, was launched following a meeting between Civic Chamber members and the President of Russia in November 2023. President Vladimir Putin supported the project and facilitated the allocation of funding for its implementation.

"Of course, I take special pride in the fact that it was during the meeting between the President and the new composition of the Civic Chamber that Irina Velikanova raised the issue of the 'Zemstvo Cultural Worker' programme, and the President agreed on the need to bring this initiative to life. This topic has been discussed not for a year or two, but for much longer," said Deputy Chair of the Civic Chamber Commission for Culture and the Preservation of Spiritual Heritage and Rector of the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts – GITIS, Grigory Zaslavsky. "We have repeatedly discussed this topic at the Chamber, including in the previous composition. We talked about how acute this issue is for small towns and rural settlements. Of course, big cities also face staffing challenges in the cultural sector, but in small towns and rural areas the shortage is felt much more keenly."

According to the Civic Chamber member, experts plan to assess how the regions view the implementation of the programme: "Since we were involved in launching this programme, we would like to conduct another review among regional cultural institutions and regional ministers of culture. At the round-table discussion, we will survey how the regions see the project’s progress, what challenges exist, and what else should be done — apart from expanding state support and funding — to improve it further. These are the issues we sincerely want to discuss at the forum."

He also emphasised that the "Zemstvo Cultural Worker" programme is directly related to the Trade Union of Cultural Workers.

"As the Civic Chamber of Russia, together with the trade union, we must conduct public and trade-union monitoring of how this programme is being implemented," Grigory Zaslavsky stressed.

In 2025, the Civic Chamber of Russia will celebrate its 20th anniversary. The final "Community" forum will be the key event of the jubilee year. It will be held ahead of National Unity Day, on 31 October – 1 November, in Moscow at the National Centre RUSSIA (14 Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment, Building 18).

Participation is free. Those wishing to attend in person must register by 27 October.