21 November 2011

In November of 2011 Ust-Labinsk saw the start of the next stage of the joint project of the St. Sergius of Radonezh Church “I Believe” Center for Orthodox Culture and the "Inva-studio” Krasnodar Regional Children and Youth Organization.
  

Educators from “Inva-studio” hold weekly art classes for children with disabilites. Teaching children art, icon painting and crafts helps in their socialization by enhancing their cognitive and communicative skills.

A group generally consists of ten people, aged 7 to 18, who live in the city of Ust-Labinsk and the village of Voronezh and cannot attend school due to a medical condition. In order to solve this problem the Foundations has organized transportation to lessons for every student. “Inva-studio” educators call their work “custom”. They are constantly in contact with parents, attending doctors, and are always analyzing the student’s work and working together with them to help them improve.

The student’s parents often attend the classes themselves. According to the mother of one of the girls, Tatyana Davydova, her daughter really enjoys the classes, and shows a particular affininty for painting and weaving. “And perhaps most importantly - said Tatiana - now she has the opportunity to communicate with other children."