St. Michael’s Society
31 Vene Street, 10123 Tallinn, tel. 6996 111, fax: 6996 101
Managing Director: Kati Käpp
E-mail: miikael@colleduc.ee
The idea of Collegium Educationis Revaliae (CER) was born and carried out as a private initiative of intellectuals. The free will and energy of citizens is still an inseparable part of CER.
The first phase of development of CER saw active parents gathering into Old Town School Society. In 1994 the Foundation of CER was established, which three years later was transformed into the not- for- profit organization St. Michael’s Society. The Society is the holder of the innovative model of CER and its activities are aimed to support and develop this culture and education centre based on traditional Christian values. The independent legal body was established in order to keep the activities financed from municipal or state budget separate from those financed with funds raised from various endowments, donations and voluntary work. This is the way how parents can organise the schooling of their children based on common spiritual foundation in the civic society. Activities initiated by an NGO are neither dependent on the change of politicians or civil servants nor on any other outside factor.
The endeavours of St. Michael’s Society may be divided into three main fields:
- Educational and education innovation activities
- Cultural activities
- Social Welfare activities
A lot has been achieved in all the spheres over the years. The Society operates private schools for preparing children for school, teaching English based on unique curriculum in Estonia (Total Immersion Method) and also for in- depth science program for high school students. Teacher training is another important focus in order to help teachers find their vocation and work in caring environment.
Children with special needs can study at the schools of CER due to the special projects of St. Michael’s Society. Additional public funding is available not to individual students, but only to whole classes of special need children. We find it more beneficial to everyone concerned to integrate them, when possible, with other students, but as a result do not receive any public funding for the extra support needed for mainstreaming. One of the accomplishments has been special ICT equipment and Braille lab as well as adapted curricula for visually impaired students.
Other social welfare projects support children from families with low income; in addition to our own area we have mediated humanitarian aid to Haapsalu Boarding School for Handicapped Children, Hageri Retirement Centre, Maidla Orphanage and many other institutions outside Tallinn.
We work hard to maintain the facilities that CER uses in Tallinn Old Town. We have collected more than 1 million crowns organising charity fairs and art auctions over the years and refurbished a classroom, restrooms, a ballet hall, a dressing room with showers, handicraft workshops, a science lab – all of it in the buildings that actually belong to the city. We have united forces with our neighbours in establishing the Latin Quarter - to protect and promote our medieval Old Town as a living cultural heritage. We organise concerts in St. Catherine’s Church and Old Town Music House, special programs at Old Town Days Festival, we take special care in renovation with respect to the history.
Since the very beginning St. Michael’s Society has striven to create development conditions for children with special needs.
St. Michael’s Society has been supported by many generous persons, institutions and funds in Estonia and abroad – Estonian National Culture Endowment, Estonian Cultural Fund, Tallinn City Cultural Heritage Board, Tallinn City Central District Government, European Culture Foundation, Renovabis Fund in Germany, private persons and companies at home as well as in Finland and Germany. In recent years our main sponsor has been Denver Southeast Rotary Club, Tallinn- Nõmme Rotary Club, Tallinn International Rotary Club and Rotary International Foundation.
The total monetary value of our activities will reach many millions. However we regard spreading the principles of civic society even more highly. The tradition of charity fairs and art auctions is probably the most outstanding of the initiatives of St. Michael’s Society. Every year before Christmas and in May again enthusiastic parents and children gather to school to open coffee shops and gift stalls or to sell raffle tickets. Parents usually meeting at annual parents meetings have become an active part of friendly school community. Children experience the pleasure received from voluntary work.
The spirit of St. Michael’s Society can be described with the words of Sister Mary Vènard, our member and role- model: “No person is ever so old or so poor that he cannot help another.” This is what we try to show by our deeds to the children and the society in general.
