The winner of the ASI "Open for All" selection, MAER, was awarded 5 million rubles for promotion

The award ceremony for the winners of the All-Russian selection of inclusive practices "Open for All" was held on December 23 in Moscow. The competition was organized by the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI) among the most enterprising, open and not indifferent. The winner in the nomination "Inclusive Tourism" was awarded a certificate for 5 million rubles by Konstantin Major, General Director of MAER Media Holding.

The All-Russian contest consolidates practices from a wide range of spheres that are currently building a comprehensive inclusive agenda in Russia: from improving the level of accessible environment to projects to include people with disabilities in active social life. The selection allows us to learn about the real problems and barriers people face, and most importantly, to provide the necessary inclusive solutions. The competition also promotes the development of an inclusive environment and a society of equal opportunities, where everyone can realize their potential.

"The Agency for Strategic Initiatives develops the direction of inclusion as a benchmark for example and a trend of the future. What the participants of the project "Open for All" - winners of the competition and signatories of the National Inclusive Compact - are doing is important not only for people with disabilities, but for each of us, our children, our entire country. In the project we rely on the business environment as a reliable partner of the state. The award ceremony was held in a home atmosphere and in a circle of friends: we show how our laureates help to look at the opportunities they open for people with disabilities, for the elderly and families with children. We all use different goods and services, spend time with family outside the home, work, study - it is important that everything around us is accessible and open to everyone!" - said Svetlana Chupsheva, ASI Director General.

"The task of any award, any award ceremony is to form trends, show the best examples. The "Open for All" project demonstrates the best examples that all businesses should pay attention to. Almost 1.5 thousand companies have signed the national inclusive agreement. And here it is not necessary for each company to reinvent the wheel, it is enough to implement the very practices that exist in our country. "The Agency for Strategic Initiatives", thanks to Svetlana Vitalievna Chupsheva, is conducting an examination of these practices. And what is worthy of replication is published and promoted in every possible way," said Sergei Novikov, Head of the Presidential Department for Public Projects, at the award ceremony.

This year the selection was held in the nominations: "Universal design", "Inclusive leadership", "Inclusive IT solutions", "Inclusive tourism", "Corporate policy", "Postgraduate support of students and graduates with disabilities in employment" (special nomination is organized with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia), "Effective rehabilitation" (special nomination is organized with the support of the Ministry of Labor of Russia). Also, in cooperation with the Internet Development Institute and VK, the contest "Ambassador of Equal Opportunities" was held.

The All-Russian selection of inclusive practices "Open for All" was launched two years ago. This year, the MAER media holding became the communication partner of the award. Portraits of the winners are broadcast on large digital screens in major Russian cities. Over 2 million people will see them during the information campaign.

"As Sergey Novikov said at the beginning of the event, we are here to create and set trends. In order to set them, you just need to start doing it, start talking and showing, promoting these ideas. This year we supported more than 100 big social projects. We really showed how people are changing the country. The topic of inclusiveness is only gaining momentum today, and the more we talk about it, openly, honestly, the more entrepreneurs will support this idea. The more people will gather around this topic and help people who need our support and help. We talk about it strongly, brightly and support the project "Open for All", - emphasized the owner and CEO of MAER media holding Konstantin Major.

Konstantin Major also presented a prize to the winner in the nomination "Inclusive Tourism" - a certificate for 5 million rubles. The funds can be spent on promotion of the winning social project "Vyksa. Access is" on six media facades in Nizhny Novgorod.

"Informational support for such projects helps them to develop and adapt to new challenges and needs of certain groups of population. It is very motivating for the project team, as it can be seen that the work is valued and important. I am very happy that now such projects are popularized and more and more people are involved in improving inclusion in society!" - Irina Skobeleva, the winner in the Inclusive Tourism nomination, said in her response.

Irina Skobeleva is from the town of Vyksa, Nizhny Novgorod region, and manages projects of the Charitable Foundation for Family Support, Childhood Protection, Motherhood and Fatherhood "OMK-Participation". As part of the project "Vyksa. Access is available" project, the foundation developed 25 excursion routes for people with various forms of disability around the city, the park, the museum's permanent expositions, and to the operating enterprise. For the blind and visually impaired there is an adapted excursion with typhlocommentary and tactile models to the production of the Metallurgical Complex "Stan-5000". The same excursion is adapted for translation into Russian sign language to accompany deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors.

In 2024, the MAER media holding for the promotion of projects of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives allocated a record time on the air of the unified digital network - it managed to collect over 2.5 billion visual contacts, reaching a total of over 26 million people.