Situations in Which We Actually Become Human
The training of social coordinators focuses primarily on practice, which helps students acquire essential skills for social work, such as personal interaction with specific people, as well as analysing, reflecting on, and evaluating their own activities. The outcomes of their casework — a practical assistance plan and its implementation — form the basis of each defence. Students independently determine the scope and types of assistance needed for individual people requiring special attention and a tailored approach, based on their clients’ life circumstances.
“This final certification marks the completion of the seventh academic year of the ‘Long-Term Social Work Care Systems’ program. The defence of final projects is an opportunity for us to reflect on student’s year-and-a-half journey of learning. Many of us remember how you wrote your entrance essays describing cases. You can, By the way, revisit these to see just how much you’ve grown in knowledge, experience, competency, and, I hope, new meanings and values,” stressed Marina Naumova, Vice-Rector for Development at SFI and Head of the Social Work Department, as she welcomed the students.
“What is going on here provides compelling evidence that if we prioritize certain values, then productive labour and the Marxist narrative about producing goods and exchanging them among ourselves are worth nothing when compared to another perspective — the one just demonstrated to us in these various care situations. In this sense, we don’t have children so they can support us in the future, but because children enable the reproduction of this situation of care, in which we actually become human,” noted Dmitrij Rogozin, Director of the Centre for Federative Research Methodology at the Russian Presidential Academy of the National Economy and Public Administration, a lecturer at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences, and Senior Researcher at the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who participated in the expert council which developed SFI’s program. “I feel immense sadness: why did I join this so late! I should have been part of this group in the learning process. I’ve lost a year and a half by not teaching here.”
“As a guideline, I would encourage you to think about textual reality,” he added. “What you’ve presented here through practice deserves to be in libraries, journal articles, and shared with a wider audience.”
The certification committee, chaired by Elena Ivanova, who is the Lead Methodologist at the charity “Starostj v Radostj” (“Old Age in Joy”), also included Marina Naumova, Vice-Rector for Development at SFI and Head of the Social Work Department, and Olga Shalkovskaya, a Senior Lecturer who teaches the “Casework Models in Social Work” course and Head of the Routing Service at the charity “Zhiznennij Putj” ("Life Path”).
Participants in the final project defences also included:
SFI Rector Alexandr Kopirovskij;
First Vice-Rector Dmitrij Gasak;
General Director of the Timchenko Charitable Foundation Galina Laponova;
Natalia Dedenyova, who teaches courses in “Care Needs Assessment, Social Support, and Palliative Care” and “Normalization of Life and Limitations of Daily Activities”;
Ekaterina Silchenko, who is Head of the Training and Experience Transfer Service at the “Vera” Foundation;
Tatiana Archakova, who is Director of the “Dirigible” Center for Social Practices and teaches “Introduction to the Profession”;
and Anna Savik, an SFI Social Work Department specialist and Head of Social Programs at the charity “Zhit Vmeste” (“Live Together”).
Evgeniya Kushtavkina presented a case involving a wide range of social assistance provided to a 23-year-old man who found himself in forced emigration in Russia without documents, support, or means of subsistence.
“Despite the large workload, we achieved positive results, largely because the client felt the social support of charities, organizations, caring individuals, and volunteers, and was ready for change,” she explained. “During the process, we resolved a set of tasks related to determining his legal status and obtaining necessary documents to restore his health, we met basic needs and addressed deficits through the “Houses with a Lighthouse” programme and obtained certificates for purchasing food and clothing. Unfortunately, we couldn’t arrange psychological support, but assistance from caring people and foundations helped improve his emotional state and expand his social network.”
The certification committee highly praised Maria Kislina’s work with 78-year-old pensioner Galina Yurjevna. The elderly woman lives in a village in the Saratov region and independently sought help from a foundation for legal assistance with arranging gas supply to her dilapidated home. Among the client’s challenges, Maria identified suicidal thoughts, deteriorating health, domestic instability, loneliness, and strained relations with her son, from whom she concealed her problems.
“Her emotional state stabilized thanks to consultations with a psychologist, regular meetings, and the creation of small moments of joy. Financial issues were resolved by raising funds to pay off a bank debt, optimizing expenses, and restoring her social benefits. During the process, we noticed progressing forgetfulness and increasing conflict, which could indicate the onset of dementia, so we decided to consult a gerontologist. She no longer expresses suicidal thoughts and performs lay services in the church every weekend. A circle of helping neighbours has formed, sharing updates about her condition and mood in a specially created chat. A café opened in our village, where we introduced a deferred lunch practice, which the client often uses and appreciates greatly,” said Kislina.
“Reading your work, I noted what an overwhelming number of tasks and directions one social coordinator has to handle! It’s wonderful that, while solving one person’s problems, you think about building systemic solutions with all fellow villagers — who may reach out to you later — in mind. The resources and tools you find can also help others. It’s telling that this chat, initially created to assist Galina Yurjevna, has already turned into a chat for helping all the villagers,” underscored Naumova.
“We were incredibly impressed by the organization of neighbourly care. This is an exemplary case that could serve as a foundation for many people living in villages, where it’s hard to organize such help, coordinate it, or self-organize. It’s a wonderful story,” noted Elena Ivanova, Lead Methodologist at the charity “Old Age in Joy”.
For her final project, Nadezhda Zhiryakova explored options for social support for a 65-year-old man who approached a charity requesting assistance with pension registration.
“The client turned to the foundation because he found himself with no income at all. He had hoped for an insurance pension but was denied due to insufficient work experience and pension credit points. He couldn’t work due to health issues, leaving him unable to feed himself or pay utilities. The situation reached a critical point: he hadn’t eaten properly for a long time and had lost significant weight. All his energy and thoughts were focused solely on survival,” said Zhiryakova, describing her client.
The situation was compounded by a massive utility debt, poor living conditions, and strained relations with his only son and the son’s family. Thanks to a well-chosen strategy and coordination of social services, charities, and volunteers, Nadezhda secured financial support to address the client’s housing and utility issues and assisted in arranging appointments with specialists for a comprehensive examination and appropriate treatment.
Final projects were also defended by Yuliya Bogdanovich, Oksana Glushina, Yana Didkovskaya, Mariya Ivannikova, Lyubov Merkulova, Inga Simakina, Irina Zenina, Marina Yakimova.
“There was an astonishingly professional atmosphere today. You taught us no less than we taught you. It’s a rare case when an entire group sparks a scholarly discussion — not just one presenter, but the whole group… Stick together: you’re already a community. Don’t lose touch — you can achieve so much together and support each other," said Elena Ivanova, Chair of the Certification Committee and Lead Methodologist at “Old Age in Joy”, and Director of the Centre for Text Theory and Linguistic Support of Communication at the Russian State University for the Humanities, who teaches “Social Coordination for Long-Term Care.”
All graduates were awarded the qualification of Social Work Specialist (Social Coordinator) and will be able to work in organizations providing assistance to the elderly, palliative patients, and adults with mental disabilities.
