The conference aimed to work out the methodological approaches for inclusive space formation besides involving people of different ages and social positions regardless their mental and physical capacities in the society. It also presupposed experience exchange in the spheres of pedagogy, physical training, sociology and medicine.
Thus, that was a plenary session which included the discussion area for the following topics:
- Social inclusion: Modern directions of socialization for people with disability
- «Health for everyone»: Healthy living formation and popularization
- «Endless street»: Novopolotsk as a friendly city for children and older people
Dmitry Glukhov, Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Vice-Rector for Science, PhD in Engineering, Associate Professor and Andrej Odinochkin, Vice Chairman of Novopolotsk State Executive Committee for Social Care opened the meeting having presented the welcome speeches. After having marked the resonance of the event, they expressed confidence for the conference further maintenance. In this sense, the event as such explores crucial issue and this is to be an occasion not only for Polotsk State University but also for Novopolotsk. By the way, the latter celebrates 60th Anniversary this year.
The conference program enclosed more than 60 presentations and various researchers from Russia, Ukraine and the Czech Republic. Afterwards, there was the webinar with Hana Matievska-Kubešová, Professor, Head of the Department of Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Endocrinology at Masaryk University (The Czech Republic, Brno). The professor`s presentation was entitled as «Changing school children` perceptions of ageing».
The presentation of the following speakers specially intrigued the audience:
- «Modern practices of urban environment inclusion» by Kiril Proshchaev, Director of Research Medical Centre «Gerontology», Doctor of Medicine, Professor (Russia, Moscow)
- «Healthy living for every student» by Andrey Ilnitsky, Head of the Department of Therapy, Geriatrics and Anti-Aging Medicine of Further Training and Retraining of Federal Biomedical Agency of the Russian Federation Doctor of Medicine, Professor (Russia, Moscow)
- «Positive transformation of child delinquents healthy lifestyle attitudes» by Aleksey Nikolaev, Professor of the Defectology Department at Pskov State University, Professor of Psychology, Associate Professor
- «Vitebsk State Order of Peoples` Friendship Medical University» experience in inclusive and interactive space creation» by Tatiana Olenskaya, Head of the Department of Medical Rehabilitation and Physical Training at Vitebsk State Order of Peoples` Friendship Medical University, PhD in Medicine, Associate Professor
- «Inclusive city for people with visual impairment» masterclass by Dmitry Kholodovich, member of the Department of Visual Impairment Rehabilitation at Vitebsk Residential Care Home for Older People and People with Disability
The forum gathered the representatives from the regional and city organizations working in social, medical and pedagogical spheres. Those included Vitebsk Regional Centre of Special Developmental Education and Rehabilitation, Novopolotsk Special Developmental Education and Rehabilitation Centre, Novopolotsk Territorial Public Service Centre, Polotsk Region Territorial Public Service Centre. The teachers from «Novopolotsk School No. 8» appeared to be active during the conference. The school is the republican experimental area considering inclusive education model approbation in educational institutions under «Novopolotsk inclusion: From school to city» project.
Summing up, the participants expressed the words of gratitude to the organizers along with confidence that the meeting is on the way to become a tradition.
Andrey Ilnitsky, Professor of Medicine, Head of the Department of Therapy, Geria-trics and Anti-Aging Medicine, Board Member of International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG), Chairman of Belarusian Republican Society of Gerontology: In the first instance, I am here as a citizen of Novopolotsk. Nowadays the city has reached the primary point when intellectual and human potential directions are completed. We should go deeper. For this purpose, our Republican Society works for our cities to be accessible for different people. Here we talk about children with disability and old people who have many obstacles as well. Therefore, the decision has been made to provide such a conference dedicated to the inclusive space in Novopolotsk.
We travel around the world a lot now. I wish the experience we gain from various countries will be applied in our country, in the Republic of Belarus. According to the conference program, I am going to talk about world current challenges. They are in our everyday life. They concern digital world where people, obsessed with gadgets and social networks, fall in the trap. We are going to talk about the term “weakness modern world” when it is difficult to predict and to know what another day brings. Again challenge. But what is more important, we are going to talk about what worries us from the health point. As for the purpose, the most important thing for now is that we exist in the environment surrounded by a range of advertisement, deception and trap. A simple man lacks reflection mechanism. The one that will help to handle with the great spectrum of information, to choose the right one in order to protect one`s health. That should be a complete knowledge system. We have involved our Czech colleague ‒ Hana Matievska-Kubešová, Vice President of the Czech Society of Gerontology, Professor, Head of the Department of Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Endocrinology at Masaryk University (The Czech Republic, Brno). We are connected. Now the Czech Republic realizes a purely interesting project funded by the European Union. The main idea of it is that the specialists tell children about older men and the decease as memory impairment the latter may face. Hence, children visit their grandparents being accounted with their behavioral features. We also need to prepare students for the life in the information world I guess. For them to differentiate between good and bad.
Aleksey Nikolaev, Professor of Psychology, Associate Professor, Member and Reporter of Baltic Academy of Pedagogy, Professor at the Department of Defectology of Pskov State University: Being a teacher I specialize in sports training. But I started working as psychologist from the second academic year. I am experienced in practical psychology as I have worked in various combined Russian teams. Now I work at Pskov State University. In common with PSU, our university comprises approximately ten thousand students.
Providing such a conference is conceptual. Personally, I am going to tell about such method as psychological and pedagogical influence. So, I cannot talk about this in Russia because of the lack of desirable conditions. I hope my colleagues will find it useful. Most important of all is a chance to strengthen the collaboration. Pskov State University ordered me to inspire our and PSU students to participate in the academic exchange. Besides, this is of high value for the Lecturers as a source for acknowledgement and education.
At the time I worked at Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sport and Health we cooperated closely with physical culture schools. There we implemented a unique practice when child delinquents – those who committed administrative offences and had criminal records – were obligatory incorporated in educational and training groups. Sooner the children were struck off the police register and came over many other changes. Most of us became team leaders in sports. We cannot do it for now because Russian sport follows the way directed at reaching high results. Unfortunately, popular sports are disappearing. Moreover, my research consecrated to dozens of issues particularly how the way child delinquents treat healthy living got changed.
I have visited Belarus earlier. I visited a couple of universities but for Polotsk State University. So it is the first time I am here. I am delighted with the people and the beauty of the city – it is clean and well-groomed. Novopolots is extremely comfortable for living.
Andrey Odinochkin, Vice Chairman of Novopolotsk State Executive Committee of Social Care: To start with, I would like to thank the university headship for this initiative con-cerning conference realization at PSU, in Novopolotsk. I am also thankful for a chosen topic – inclusion – which is not foreign to the city. We pursue this direction for many years meanwhile creating new programs.
The Social Care and Public Employment Program, the one we have nowadays, is directed at comprehensive solutions. Here we allude to a barrier-free environment. We all follow this direction. The difference is that every institution and legal body have their own approaches. The inclusion as such is about collective or personal engagement in the society. I am actively study the inclusion process more than a year. And as far as my judgements go this phenomenon presupposes creating conditions for special social groups. As for the other side of the question, it deals with the society knowledge change, the society we live in. I suppose such combination of research each of practice and theory will bring fresh ideas and inclusive education solutions dealing with education issues of people with disability and older people. The provided research will be taken on board. At the same time, it may find its realization in Novopolotsk.
