“While Moscow is decidedly the center of Russia, St. Petersburg reaches its arms more toward the European Union countries to its west. With these thoughts in mind, I visited several groups working with children and youth here in St. Petersburg. What was particularly interesting about my experience visiting groups here was that although the groups were all so completely different from each other, with different focuses and methods, they all had one common concern—the economy. The economic crisis is evident everywhere in Russia today and is perhaps even more pronounced within the NGO (nongovernmental organization) community, where groups are constantly vying for funding. The problem is that in what was already a difficult funding environment, many funds have now dried up, funders have disappeared, and options for new or continued financing are few and very far between.”
