#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Ekaterina is a native of Norilsk, as a child she dreamed of becoming a journalist. But in the end, she decided to study museology.
This seems logical, if you consider that her mother is a big fan of art, at one time worked as a model in the local Fashion House, her father is an avid theater-goer, a music teacher, a jazz musician. But it did not work out to leave right after school: her parents considered that their daughter was too young to live alone in a big city.
“All my classmates studied somewhere, and I thought: that’s it, life has gone downhill (laughs). But in the end, I enrolled in clerk courses, this knowledge helps me even now. First, I learned to type with ten fingers, mastered shorthand, we were taught the basics of business etiquette, the letters writing skill, archiving documents, and so on. I started working part-time at home, typing printed work, at that time, rarely did anyone have a computer”.
Ekaterina went to study the following year.
“I liked it in Vladimir, I fell in love with the history of art, though I didn’t understand what to do after graduation. But then my dad called and offered to pay for my education. And I immediately caught fire – Moscow! I transferred to tourism manager, since I couldn’t find a museologist. I did it with great enthusiasm: now I look back and think, how dared I? Moscow in the early 2000s was completely different. But I didn’t notice anything – it’s the capital, my dream came true!”
Ekaterina didn’t become a tourism manager either and at some point even dropped out of the institute.
“Dad was horrified. But his pedagogical training helped him get over my decision, and he offered to pay for my education again, but he would choose the profession himself. I entered the faculty of foreign languages. Fortunately, everything worked out. And I already saw myself as a graduate, but it didn’t work out again. For personal reasons”.
Ekaterina’s mother got into a serious car accident, and the girl returned to Norilsk to help at home. Around the same time, she discovered the Internet:
“My cousin showed a forum where it was easy to find like-minded people. There I began to maintain sections on art, culture, English, city events. I found there the communication that I lacked in life”.
Gradually, life improved, her mother felt better, and Ekaterina began to plan her departure to Moscow. But now her future husband, Vyacheslav Galayda, delayed her. The young people were developing a relationship, and Vyacheslav played in the recently formed band Zippers, so he had a job, friends, and a daughter from his first marriage:
“Looking at him, I understood that I could always move, but I might fail to find my man”.
And then Ekaterina saw an ad in the newspaper about recruitment for a family center – psychologists, social workers, and other employees were needed:
“I came to Lyudmila Proskuryakova, a legendary woman who founded one of the first NPOs in Norilsk – the Business Women Association. I admired what she had achieved: they organized a budget institution under the NPO! Moreover, she worked on the topic of domestic violence, which was taboo in those years, which inspired great respect. I honestly told her what I had studied to be and why I had not completed my studies, and she took me on. She needed people with knowledge of English due to the large number of foreign grants and visiting guests”.
After some time, Ekaterina got married and planned to have and raise a child. But suddenly she was offered to head the 69th Parallel foundation. At that time, its director was its founder, Nina Karaseva. When she left for the mainland, she planned to move the foundation there, but have the branch in Norilsk. A manager with experience in NPOs was needed:
“I was surprised by her decision, but she replied that if I couldn’t handle it, we would close it. I thought: how can I close it, there are projects, helping people! And I got bent on it.”
The first project was a HIV prevention program in the local prison colony. They conducted trainings for prisoners:
“Working in the foundation was a challenge for me at the beginning. Firstly, because of its importance and the scope of tasks. Secondly, I am an unsociable person, and my grandmother’s upbringing was like this: don’t stick your neck out, find a normal job. But I wanted something different. The foundation was developing, my mother and, of course, Slava helped with my daughter – she is lucky to have such a dad, and I was lucky with my husband. My husband deserves special thanks: he was not against my unstable job with a lot of work, business trips and a low salary”.
Ekaterina Karaseva, Nina Karaseva’s daughter, who was appointed chairperson of the foundation at the time, provided invaluable assistance and later equal partnership:
“Ekaterina was very young and saw herself in a different field. But she helped us a lot, including as a designer. It was an expensive service, and we were saving our resources. Later, she began to master accounting – she dealt with documents, paid bills, submitted reports. Together, we implemented our project: we gave consultations on the topic of HIV, lectures. Later, I wrote another project to support families with children with HIV. The deeper we delved into on the topic, the more we saw those who needed assistance and help”.
One of the most famous areas of the foundation’s work was Sunduk (eng.: Chest of Drawers). It appeared in 2015, when the foundation organized the Make a Park campaign together with the media company Severny Gorod.
“We announced the things collecting a week in advance, and our rooms were filled very quickly. Not everyone can donate money. But in our case, everyone can take part as much as they can, because unnecessary things can be found in any home”, says Ekaterina.
Thanks to the Sunduk, monetary donations appeared, which were directed to helping children. The foundation expanded, growing with new benefactors and campaigns.
“We are grateful to everyone who participated or continues to participate in our events: creative groups of the city, rock musicians, a variety of communities. Over time, we began to pay for children’s mobile rehabilitation. But then we realized that some types of activities could be held in Norilsk. This is how Ekaterina Karaseva and I learned about the Moscow project Dream Skis, which helps children with cerebral palsy and severe disabilities get started on alpine skis. It was a wow effect, it was hard to imagine! We took the topic into development and realized how many children like this we have. How we wanted to show them this world, because they are often confined to their homes. You know, we noticed that when you think about something, people appear who help with this idea: for example, around the same time we met Marina Tretyak, an instructor who worked with disabled children in the water. We agreed with the pool, and hydrorehabilitation classes appeared in our city. Then we met the guys from the Storm sports organisation and created Dream Rollers. It didn’t work out with the skis – while we were looking for people, Otdelnaya mountain closed, and COVID began. But we are not abandoning the idea”, Ekaterina noted.
Since then, the number of areas has only grown, today the foundation continues to conduct rollerblading training, also does ABA therapy with autistic children, yoga, and conducts training on developing soft skills. In 2019, the Plav Plastic workshop was opened – in the workshop they make souvenirs, benches, flower beds, urns from plastic caps, and also conduct classes for schoolchildren, inventors, and students.
Ekaterina Galayda says that life always suggests new areas of work. For example, Podaroshnaya charity fair is a popular and annual event today, where city residents can buy handmade products. Walking around the Zapolyarnik stadium one day, Ekaterina noticed an exhibition of works by local craftswomen:
“I saw designer dolls, amazing things made with a high level of skill! I didn’t even imagine that in Norilsk there are men and women who find time after work to make such unique and beautiful things. We started talking, shared contacts, and over time our friendship grew into Podaroshnaya – a fair that evokes thoughts of St. Petersburg, beauty, gifts, this is a kind of hint: here you will find unique presents for yourself and your loved ones”.
She is sure: mercy is not a feeling of pity for those who find themselves in a difficult situation, but actions that can change a person’s life for the better. The scale and forms of these actions can be very different: from a kind word to material support and volunteer work.
I listen to the story of my amazing interlocutor and then ask: “Tell me, is Ekaterina Galayda a happy woman?” She answers at a heartbeat: “Yes”.
“I thank fate that I found myself in this work, that today there are reliable people in the team with whom you can achieve the most ambitious goals. Sometimes I even understand that I am helping myself first of all – I get a feeling of fulfillment, warmth, understanding that you are not living in vain”.
I can’t help but ask her about her plans: Norilsk is famous for the fact that sooner or later people leave it.
“You know, it’s difficult with plans: COVID has shown us that it’s practically pointless to plan for the long term. Of course, I have a picture of the future in my head – a quiet old age, retirement, grandchildren. But for now it’s hard to imagine how I’ll leave the foundation: I don’t see myself in any other activity. What I’m doing now suits me perfectly. Life will show”.
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Text: Maria Sokolova, Photo: provided by Ekaterina Galayda
