In 2011, Bright Future International and the Oleg Mityaev Foundation launched the Bright Future Studio in Chelyabinsk, Russia under the All For Children Association. The program was designed to give children from low-income homes, single parent families, foster families, physical challenges, and below-standard environments a chance for successful socialization and personal growth.
Within the first 3 months of the program, 45 children participated in 21 vocal classes, 19 classes of English and 8 classes of the ethics and esthetics. Since the program’s inception there have been distinct improvements in the children’s development, as well as in the relationships of their families – one of the primary goals of the team of teachers.
The students attend social development activities such as theater (“Pinocchio” and “The Golden Rooster”) and concert performances (Daniel Kramer & Vadim Eilenkrig, Valitov, Krill Paleolog and Vladimir Sheremetyev). Additionally, students had the opportunity to meet the world famous astronauts, Georgiy Grechko and Maxim Surayev from the Oleg Mityaev Foundation project named “The Bright Past.”
The studio strives to achieve three main objectives:
To build character development and teaching positive values such as generosity, kindness, tolerance, helpfulness, teamwork, and responsibility through a comprehensive arts and education driven curriculum.
To create a team of like-minded individuals who will effectively facilitate the educational process by enlisting teachers whose professional views and life-outlook adhere to the standards necessary for carrying out the program priorities.
To develop strategic partnerships with social partners who share the program’s ideas and values. The main focus is educational institutions that have teaching licenses, and can become the facilities in which similar projects operate.
The studio is comprised of two groups of learning: Vocal and Performing Arts. Each group has 50 children enrolled at all times and the children have to be primary or middle school students. The children are grouped by their school class schedules and individual development rate.
Achievement rates amongst the students are evaluated by their improvement in the following categories:
Displaying personal integrity and a sense of purpose.
The will to say “no” to temptations that can hinder their life’s potential or the lives of those around them.
Treating all people as equal regardless of race, age, social background or economical status.
Willingness to reach out to those in need.
Keeping a positive attitude toward any and all of life’s circumstances.
Believing in the power of good.
Responsibility for their actions.
Willingness to ask for forgiveness and to forgive.
Understanding principles of working within a team in harmony.
Respecting their elders.
The importance of caring for the environment.
Knowledge of worldly arts and culture.
Capacity to show what they learned in the program to others by example.
As the program grows, the teachers and administrators continue to expand service levels and areas of need to provide educational and artistic lessons that will benefit children. In 2012 and 2013, an association of 50 educators will come together and create a network of teachers who will collaborate on methods to improve social and educational skills amongst children.
Meet Danny. Danny is a young boy who joined the Bright Future Studio with cerebral palsy and issues with low self-esteem. Though the program creates an environment of total group inclusion of all activities, Danny was reluctant to participate and would often use his challenges to cover up for failures, even if they weren’t of a physical nature. This all changed when the studio instructors took the children on the “Positive Energy Camp” field trip. In the first few days of the camp, Danny seemed a bit lost but remained positive as he watched the other children participate in various physically challenging activities. Specifically, Danny observed as the other kids participated in a “Through the Trees” obstacle course and though his interest was indeed piqued, he didn’t know whether he should try it or not. Noticing Danny’s excitement in seeing the other children completing the course, Jesse (program teacher and counselor) asked him if he wanted to try, Danny excitedly agreed. Jesse helped him with the safety harness and got him started. It was hard at first for Danny to keep his balance on the ropes and make it through the hurdles and even got tangled a couple of times, however after receiving the encouragement from Jesse and the other teachers, Danny resolved to not give up and continue to try. And after getting over his fears and a few tries, Danny completed t
