The Saint-Petersburg Charitable, Historical, Educational and Human Rights NGO "Memorial"

Memorial is an international historical and civil rights organisation with its main office in Moscow, Russia. Founded in 1989, it focuses on recording and publicising the Soviet Union’s totalitarian past, but also monitors human rights in Russia and other post-Soviet states. Memorial sees its main purpose in restoring the historical truth about the political repression in the Soviet Union and the establishment of monuments, in collecting and publishing documentary sources, in scientific research, exhibitions and teaching in educational institutions complemented by nationwide competitions for school students on history, in sending independent observers to conflict areas and publishing reports on human rights violations (e.g. Chechnya or in eastern Ukraine), in socio-legal advice for refugees and in the commitment to the protection of political prisoners, in its active participation in the development of a civil society and current human rights work, in providing social and legal assistance to victims of political repression and their families and in supporting the enforcement of compensation claims, in providing medical care and supply of medicines as well as the integration of elderly, single people into a social framework. The target groups of Memorial Saint Petersburg’s daily work are therfore all who have been or are victims of human rights violations as well as members of society (especially young people) who are yet to be aware of social ills or want to get involved in Russia’s slowly evolving civil society. Young ESC-Volunteers at Memorial Saint Petersburg are especially involved in working with elderly survivors of stalinist repression. Memorial Saint Petersburg is closely linked to the city’s local communities through ist work with the elderly, through its ties to local youth organizations fighting for equality, solidarity and democratic values and through its social and cultural events including concerts, field trips, museum visits, commemoration ceremonies and more. Memorial lives of its embedding in and interrelations with the local community. Because of this, all volunteers have the opportunity of spending one day weekly of their voluntary service with Memorial Saint Petersburg at a in a local social institution of their choice. Memorial Saint Petersburg coordinates and supports this process. The vast majority oft he people involved in Memorial Saint Petersburg‘s work are volunteers, dedicating their time to the support of the elderly in their community and standing up fort he values they believe in as well as enjoying the possibilities of cultural exchange offered by the organisation. In the framework of Memorial Saint Petersburg’s engagement and cultural events, young and old get to mingle, exchange thoughts, experiences and ideas. Through this extraordinary opportunity for intergenerational exchange, emotional bonds are tied that are personally valuable for all involved as well as a step forward in strengthening Russia’s civil society.