When moving to their own kin’s domain, many people worry about what their social life will be like in the settlement? Will they be able to provide children with a good education, sports sections and creative courses? Will they be able to attend performances and concerts themselves? Will they lose these opportunities by leaving the city?
In each settlement, social and cultural life is organized in its own way. Today we want to talk about an interesting and successful project. «Dobraya Zemlya» («Good Land») is a socio-cultural center created and developed by a group of residents of the nearest kin’s settlements.
The main idea that united the project participants is the development of the social environment necessary for village life, and the desire to help people aspire to a free and self-sufficient life on their own land. In addition, the organizers of the project want to put into practice the principles of a conscious attitude to nature, work, land, and the planet. The main ideals of the project are as follows:
The countryside is an environment for a harmonious life.
The village is the cradle of human culture.
Nature is a living organism.
The vocation of man is to take care of the world.
The socio-cultural center «Dobraya Zemlya» was established in 2010. It was an initiative of several families from neighboring kin’s settlements who wanted to make life in their settlements more interesting and active. Today, 22 years later, «Dobraya Zemlya» consists of a concert venue attended by famous and local music ифтвы, a kindergarten, a school, numerous extracurricular activities for children, and retreats for adults. There are completely different events, here are just a few examples:
- Music festivals, the last of which took place on July 2-3, 2022: 7 musical bands performed at it. In addition, a round table was held at this festival on the topic «Ecovillages as an image of the future».
- Concert of lute music of the 16th - 17th centuries that will take place on November 5th.
- Hiking on eco-trails. This project started in September 2022.
- Sports activities. This summer, a traditional cycling race took place. In September, a 4 km running marathon was held here. It involved people of all ages. «For the first time in the history of our competition, three generations of runners from the same family participated at once. The grandmother, the son, and grandchildren ran the distance very well and won prizes.» - say the organizers of the marathon.
- Active outdoor quests for children and adults, as well as theater quests dedicated to various holidays. This year, for the New Year celebration in «Dobraya Zemlya», they prepared a theatrical quest based on the story-tale «The Secret of the Golden Key and the Adventures of Pinocchio». It will be held regularly from December 15 to 30, so everyone can take part in it.
In addition, «Dobraya Zemlya» has many regular sports and creative classes for children and adults: a ballet group for children aged 5-12, health gymnastics classes for women, art woodcarving lessons for children from 7 years old, a trampolining class «Movement up», and much more…
The socio-cultural center has its own large library that is replenished with books by residents of nearby settlements and cultural organizations from other regions.
In 2022, the first guest house in the apple orchard appeared on the territory of «Dobraya Zemlya». It can be rented for a weekend or for several months to live in a calm, peaceful atmosphere, relax in silence, participate in the activities of the center, and take a walk along the eco-trails. The house has a spacious kitchen, combined with a living room, with large windows to the garden, a cozy bedroom, a bathroom, and a large terrace.
«Dobraya Zemlya» is a successful and popular project. With its existence, this center proves that enthusiastic residents of kin’s settlements can create a truly spiritual, interesting, and full of life space for children and adults.
