Contact person: Marina Liborakina, the Center Director;
tel./fax: 7 (095) 395-5864;
e-mail: feminist@glas.apc.org

In order to provide an ongoing forum for public education, research and training, the Feminist Orientation Center was established by a group of young scholars and practitioners. Registered as a non-governmental non-profit organization in May 1993, the Center began as an informal women's group in 1991. Its Research Unit works under the auspices of the Russian Institute for Cultural Research. The Center Director is Dr. Marina Liborakina. Believing that the development of a civil society includes actions aimed at overcoming discrimination against women, Center staff conduct both applied research and training with an emphasis on two topical areas:

Marina Liborakina

1. Women's Empowerment. Training and Consciousness-Raising Activities:

• Self-confidence training and "The Talking Body" training project (1992-1993). These courses were also carried out for the participants of the Second Independent Women's Forum in Dubna (1992).
• "Arts Against Violence", a cultural events series, including a workshop given at the NGO Forum of the IV World Women's Conference in Beijing, conducted jointly with the Information Center of the Independent Women's Forum (1994-95).
• Research: Study on Women's Everyday Life (1991-1992) ; "Finnish-Russian Body Project," based on collective memory work (1992-1993); "Sexism and Image-Making in Politics (1993); "Women's Empowerment: the Russian Experience" (the MacArthur Foundation sponsored a book by Dr.Liborakina) (1994-96).

2. Civil Society Development:

• "Management and Fundraising for Cultural Projects" seminar (1994);
• "Effective Management of Non-Commercial Organization Regional Seminar Series (Tomsk, Cheliabinsk, Ekaterinburg, Vladivostok). Together with IREX, FOC co-administered this Eurasia Foundation-sponsored project, with funding from USAID (1994-1995);
• "The Development of A Network for NGO Support." FOC administered this NGO leadership training program which resulted in the production of a book, "Civil Initiatives and Russia's Future," co-authored via e-mail by twenty activists from seven cities. The project was sponsored by USAID through the Eurasia Foundation (1996-1997).

Dr.Liborakina