BEARR News
Sewing for confidence and independence: a social enterprise for Roma women and girls
Grantee: Winds of Change, Odesa, UkraineProject: creation of a needlework social enterprise for Roma women and girls. Poverty and multiple forms of discrimination have long kept Roma women in the shadows. What is expected of Roma girls is to stay silent, get married as early as possible, have children and spend their life on housework and child-rearing, sometimes earning a small …
Report: BEARR Trust Autumn Lecture
Media and civil society under attack in Russia: What can we do? September 2021 Independent political and civic activity has been increasingly repressed in Russia in recent years. While the jailing of Alexei Navalny and the suppression of his organisation has made headlines around the world, measures to restrict ‘foreign agents’ have also impacted civil society …
The Middle Years: BEARR takes a hard look in the mirror
2001 – 2011 The adolescent years of BEARR’s life span to date saw much of the international development funding for the former Soviet Union being redirected elsewhere, forcing BEARR to reassess its role, and make some significant cutbacks. Ultimately, this period of hard reflection ushered in a new era for BEARR, with an increased focus …
‘I am not your cat’: a graphic novel informing young girls in Ukraine about ‘their sexual safety, their body and boundaries’
Last month, photographer Alexander Parkyn-Smith visited one of BEARR’s former grantees, Tolerspace in Kyiv, Ukraine. In 2019 they started their project creating a graphic novel “I am not your cat”, exploring issues of sexual harassment and consent among young women. Alex looks at the positive impact the novel has already had in Ukraine, and how …
The BEARR Trust CSO Survey 2021
Following on from last year’s survey, which received an overwhelming 328 responses and informed many of BEARR’s activities (such as webinars and the Small Grants Scheme 2021), The BEARR trust is launching a new survey to analyse the continuing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on civil society organisations (CSOs) in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the …
Project report: a performing arts camp with a difference
Grantee: Inclusive Studies, Lutsk, Ukraine Project: Inclusive art practices The project “Inclusive Art Practices” took place in Lutsk, Ukraine this summer. It was implemented by the NGO “Inclusive Studies” with the support of The BEARR Trust and The Igor Palytsia “Tilky Razom” Foundation. The project included a series of inclusive, accessible music and theatre, art therapy, and paper sculpture classes for young …
Bristol 2 Beijing: 5k Your Way
27 September 2021 Luke Grenfell-Shaw of Bristol2Beijing is back in the UK taking a break from his tandem journey after one year on the road and recently having made it across much of Tajikistan. Read more about the latest leg of Luke’s journey and why he has decided to press pause for a short time …
BEARR Newsletter, August 2021
27 August 2021 Dear friends and colleagues, We hope you’re having a lovely summer. In this issue, as part of our ongoing celebration of BEARR’s 30th anniversary, we bring you the first of three articles exploring BEARR’s history, this time looking at its first ten years 1991-2001. Our Chairman, Nicola Ramsden, also provides an overview of how the organisation’s …
Autumn Lecture 2021: ‘Media and civil society under attack in Russia: what can we do?’ on 22 September (on Zoom)
You are warmly invited to The BEARR Trust’s Autumn Lecture, a discussion on the theme of ‘Media and civil society under attack in Russia: what can we do?’ on Wednesday 22 September at 16:00 UK time. The event will be held on Zoom. Please use this link to register for the event. Our speakers are Maria Logan, …
The BEARR Trust: The Beginning
1991 – 2001 Through speaking to a handful of the characters involved in setting up BEARR, a picture emerges of an infancy characterised by remarkable resourcefulness and adaptability, slight organised chaos, and above all compassion for those facing hardship. It was this goodwill, and a shared sense of urgency in the face of the economic …
