Formula for a successful project: cats and children
Svetlana Mikhailenko is the founder of the Kote Team, which helps homeless animals, and the head of the volunteer project Cat Corporation in Monchegorsk. The project is very popular in the city and teaches children to treat our feline friends responsibly.
– I have been a member of the non-profit organization Proshkin Dom (Proshka's Home) for a long time, helping homeless cats. It's not a shelter, it's a temporary home. Volunteers pick up cats from the streets of Monchegorsk, treat them, sterilize them, and find good homes for them. I joined the Combine of Good Program as soon as it appeared at Nornickel.
First, I joined one of the teams that was laying eco-trails in the Lapland Nature Reserve. In 2020, I teamed up with like-minded people to create a volunteer group called "Kote", which means "a team of brave totem ecologists."
– Are there many cats that have found homes?
– To be honest, not many. People are not eager to adopt “wild,” unsocialized animals. Dozens of cats, even tame, domesticated, and cute ones, wait patiently for their owners at Proshka's Home. We knew that we couldn't solve the problem of homeless animals this way. We need to change people's attitudes toward our feline friends. It is essential to start with children, as adults are often held captive by preconceptions.
There are many stray cats in Monchegorsk, as everywhere else. But it is much harder for them to survive in the north than in Central Russia or in the South. Thanks to Proshka's House and the Cat Corporation project, the animals are safe, well-fed, and cared for.
There are many stray cats in Monchegorsk, as everywhere else. But it is much harder for them to survive in the north than in Central Russia or in the South. Thanks to Proshka's House and the Cat Corporation project, the animals are safe, well-fed, and cared for.
There are many stray cats in Monchegorsk, as everywhere else. But it is much harder for them to survive in the north than in Central Russia or in the South. Thanks to Proshka's House and the Cat Corporation project, the animals are safe, well-fed, and cared for.
There are many stray cats in Monchegorsk, as everywhere else. But it is much harder for them to survive in the north than in Central Russia or in the South. Thanks to Proshka's House and the Cat Corporation project, the animals are safe, well-fed, and cared for.
Before opening the Cat Corporation, volunteers visited three nearby schools, told the children about the project, and invited them to participate. There were many eager participants. The plan was to recruit 50 kids, but 80 showed up, ranging in age from 10 to 15.
Before opening the Cat Corporation, volunteers visited three nearby schools, told the children about the project, and invited them to participate. There were many eager participants. The plan was to recruit 50 kids, but 80 showed up, ranging in age from 10 to 15.
Before opening the Cat Corporation, volunteers visited three nearby schools, told the children about the project, and invited them to participate. There were many eager participants. The plan was to recruit 50 kids, but 80 showed up, ranging in age from 10 to 15.
Before opening the Cat Corporation, volunteers visited three nearby schools, told the children about the project, and invited them to participate. There were many eager participants. The plan was to recruit 50 kids, but 80 showed up, ranging in age from 10 to 15.
Before opening the Cat Corporation, volunteers visited three nearby schools, told the children about the project, and invited them to participate. There were many eager participants. The plan was to recruit 50 kids, but 80 showed up, ranging in age from 10 to 15.
So we saw that the path of enlightenment was the right one. Two years after the launch of the Chance Project, the Cat Corporation was born.
– What kind of project is this?
– Basically, it's a club or leisure center for kids where we get them involved in volunteer activities. The project is getting a grant from the Kola Endowment Fund, which has just opened in Monchegorsk. The Administration has made a space available for us. It is divided into two parts: one houses 8–10 cats from Proshka's Home, while the other is used for outreach activities.
There is a glass wall between the two rooms so that children with allergies can at least watch the animals. Meanwhile, everyone else freely goes inside, cleans up after the cats, plays and interacts with them.
– What classes do you offer?
– A wide variety. We explain how to provide proper assistance to homeless animals and promote responsible attitudes toward them. We have issued notebooks bearing the message, Please Consider Carefully Before Getting a Pet. You'll find there all the stuff about keeping animals that you should know before you start.
The photographer teaches children how to take pictures of cats, set up lighting, and compose shots. Thursdays are reserved for the young naturalist journalist club. The children learn what storytelling is and how to write posts for social media. We recently recorded podcasts where children talk about sterilization, and they immediately became popular! It is one thing when experts speak in their own specialized language, but it is completely different when children present simple and clear information.
The Cat Corporation teaches children everything they need to know to become volunteers or professional naturalist journalists, including photography, grooming, and storytelling.
The Cat Corporation teaches children everything they need to know to become volunteers or professional naturalist journalists, including photography, grooming, and storytelling.
The Cat Corporation teaches children everything they need to know to become volunteers or professional naturalist journalists, including photography, grooming, and storytelling.
The Cat Corporation teaches children everything they need to know to become volunteers or professional naturalist journalists, including photography, grooming, and storytelling.
– Is there any progress yet?
– Certainly! The children have become more open and confident. Even though they're different ages, they've come together as a team and help each other out. The children absorb everything like sponges, show initiative, and are ready to participate in any activity, whether it be weaving rugs or repairing cat houses.
Children at the Cat Corporation make their own crafts to sell at charity fairs. All proceeds go to support homeless animals.
Children at the Cat Corporation make their own crafts to sell at charity fairs. All proceeds go to support homeless animals.
– Have any children attempted volunteering?
– Yes, we have a project called “Warm Cats,” which received a grant from the People of the Territory Program, formerly known as the World of New Opportunities. Together with the Kigurumi team, we visit a boarding school for children with disabilities. Once, during a visit to the boarding school, I told the pupils about the Cat Corporation. Needless to say, they immediately wanted to visit us, and we made it happen.
Thus, the idea for the Warm Cats Project was born. Now, the kids from the boarding school visit us twice a month. Many of the boarding school students had never had contact with cats before, and it was a real discovery for them.
Children from the Monchegorsk boarding school participate in master classes and interact with cats.
Children from the Monchegorsk boarding school participate in master classes and interact with cats.
Children from the Monchegorsk boarding school participate in master classes and interact with cats.
– From July, we will be scaling up the Cat Corporation to take in more children. The Kola Foundation has allocated funds for the renovation of additional premises. Some schools in Monchegorsk complain that we don't invite them, but now we will be able to reach them too. We also plan to hold events for the youngest children and for the whole family. We will watch movies, read books, and hold discussions.
However, my most cherished dream is to build a shelter for cats. I hope that it will come true someday.
– Why did you become a volunteer?
– I firmly believe that everything in this world depends on us. One must start changing the world with oneself. Nornickel offers great opportunities for this. Including not only financial support but also training. Many people say they don't know how to write projects. But five years ago, I didn't know how to write them either, I didn't know how to draw up contracts. Nornickel offers training programs for volunteers, and experienced colleagues are on hand to provide guidance.
Last year, volunteers from the Kapibara Team joined the Cat Corporation. They love animals, but tend to prefer dogs. I suggested that they do their own project, took them to the Dom s Khvostom shelter (House with a Tail), and we held a clean-up day there. Hopefully, they'll make it work, and I'm always here to help.
You should become a volunteer at least to expand your management and organizational skills and become immersed in a new field of knowledge. These skills will always be handy and may even change your life. Most successful individuals started out as volunteers.