ACJP/De-Bug had the honor of traveling to Moscow to give trainings on how to create social biography videos and participatory defense. The training was convened and hosted by the Public Verdict Foundation, a leading Moscow based human rights organization that provides policy research, legal aid, and support for victims of torture and other violations of human rights across the country. Roughly another dozen other partner organizations attended as well. While certainly the political and system context was very different then what we have seen and experienced here in the US, the notion of how individuals and communities can fight for justice remains a global principle. We had the great fortune to connect, train, and build with some of the leading human rights and legal advocates across the country. Below are some snapshots of our training, which was composed of sharing our methodologies from here, and seeing how it relates, or could supplement the amazing work being done in Russia. Just like our trainings in the US, participants produced social biography videos based on a mock case study. We learned so much from our trip, and as these these often do, the experience inspired and refined our thinking about our work in the US. Spasibo! (thank you!)

Social bio video trainers Jean and Fernando on the first day we arrived in Moscow.

Getting to meet the diverse and tremendously impressive group of organizers, advocates, and media-makers from across Russia who attended our training.

Showing the “lenticular print” concept of our Time Saved media campaign as a way to use photography to build community participation.

Some participants shooting a scene for the social bio video. In this scene, they had to pick a location that emphasized the role of the child — so they went to a soccer field for background footage.

The participants produced videos in small groups. Here they are getting into the editing process.

After the small groups produced their videos, they shared them on the big screen to the whole group..

At the ending stages of the social bio video training participants watch each others videos on the big screen, and shared ideas of different ways they would approach the case study.