The "Family Values Laboratory" programme concludes at the National Centre RUSSIA

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On 25 September, the "Family Values Laboratory" programme, implemented with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives, concluded at the National Centre RUSSIA. Over four days, creators of family-oriented content, authors of family projects and organisers of themed events from different regions of Russia worked on their initiatives together with federal experts, received feedback and learned to use tools for developing their ideas — from media strategy to the final presentation.

"The 'Family Values Laboratory' project gives people an opportunity to understand the importance of family, what it means and what deserves particular attention. The more we communicate through social media about the importance of family, mothers and fathers, and the power of love, the healthier the outlook of the younger generation and our future will be," said Daria Dugentsova, a member of the expert jury, an expert in developmental psychology and a member of the working group of the State Duma Committee on Family Protection, Issues of Fatherhood, Motherhood and Childhood.

The "Family Values Laboratory" programme originated at the I All-Russian Wedding Festival "Russia. Uniting Hearts" and became its natural continuation: from celebrating the birth of a young family to systematic work on projects about family and traditional values, from the story of one couple in love to a large community of like-minded people.

"In 2024, we became a family at the First All-Russian Wedding Festival. It was such a large-scale event that since then we have not turned down a single project by the National Centre RUSSIA. Every one of them is so close and important to us that we simply cannot help taking part. And each project is interesting and unique in its own way," said Yuri and Anna Yezhov, the authors of the idea behind the "Family Values Laboratory".

Polina Lutsenko and Vladimir Skrypnik continued the tradition of Wedding Festival participants returning to the National Centre RUSSIA. They noted that the "Family Values Laboratory" project had laid the foundations for a large and close-knit community where young couples can support one another and work on projects together.

"This year, we united our hearts at the National Centre RUSSIA: on 8 July, we said 'yes' to each other — and today we are here again. It is important to find a second home, and it is wonderful that the National Centre RUSSIA has become that place for us. We are newlyweds, and every day we have more questions than answers, and we would like to get those answers from others. The Laboratory really has become a place where a community of families is being created for mutual support. We have already made friends with other couples and hope to stay in touch with them and perhaps work on projects together in the future," shared Polina Lutsenko and Vladimir Skrypnik.

Following the example of numerous participants in the All-Russian Wedding Festival, Zhanna Spetsialnaya and Oleg Moiseyev also decided to become part of the large-scale celebration of family, love and fidelity.

"We met couples through this project who got married at the festival. They are wonderful. That is why we also wanted to take part in the fourth wedding festival, which will be held on 8 July, and get married at this wonderful Centre as well, so that we can carry our love with us throughout our lives," Zhanna Spetsialnaya and Oleg Moiseyev shared their plans.

The "Family Values Laboratory" — a four-day programme for those working with family-related topics in the media — was held at the National Centre RUSSIA from 22 to 25 September. Participants from different regions of Russia learned how to work with audiences, create modern content about family and traditional values, develop promotion strategies and present their projects to experts specialising in new media, content creation and promotion, and the development of social initiatives.

The programme opened with the lecture "Traditional Values in the Modern World", delivered by Anna Kuznetsova, Deputy Chairwoman of the State Duma of the eighth convocation. She spoke to participants about state policy on family and demography and shared her expert perspective on traditional values.

During the lecture "The Family Personal Brand", family bloggers Denis and Yelena Kukoyaka shared their experience of creating family content and discussed how to build relationships with audiences without losing themselves in the digital space.

The topic continued with a project track dedicated to promotion tools, working with short-form content and finding a relevant language for communicating with audiences on social media. Renat Yanbekov, head of a creative agency and an expert in SMM and vertical video, shared his experience with the participants.

One of the most dynamic activities was the "Megapolis" team-building exercise. Participants created a model of an ideal city of the future for families, with each team responsible for its own neighbourhood. The National Centre RUSSIA occupied a special place in the model: according to the participants' concept, it became a focal point for jointly designing the future.

The practical sessions, lectures and open dialogues were complemented by a cultural programme. Participants toured the "Legacy. Theatre. The Greats" and "Journey Across Russia" expositions, which also became a source of new visual and conceptual ideas for family-content initiatives.

The programme concluded with presentations of 30 family projects to experts and a jury. Participants were formally awarded certificates confirming completion of the programme, as well as gift editions from the project's partner, AST.Nonfiction publishing house. Ten of the best projects received separate awards and will receive advisory support from experts. Three projects were also announced whose authors will receive fast-track access to events under the federal educational programme "New Media Workshop".