Foreign participants of the World Youth Festival visited VolSU

Today in the framework of the “Road of Memory” regional program the delegation of youth representatives from different countries of the world visited Volgograd State University. The foreign delegation of the World Youth Festival participants included 21 people from 12 countries: Indonesia, Jordan, Colombia, Turkiye, Zimbabwe, Mexico, Kenya, Libya, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Egypt. The international guests got acquainted with Volgograd, the city's history and VolSU students.

The guests visited the M.M. Zagorulko Museum of Cadet Regiments, the «Proryv» Volunteer Center, the TeleNovo Engineering Center, the «Russian Foundation» Museum, the Z.V. Ermolyeva House of Scientific Collaboration. After the tour the international youth representatives gathered at a round table at the VolSU Center for Public Diplomacy. English and Russian were the working languages of the discussion. Students, staff of the International Office and professors of the Institute of Philology and Intercultural Communication acted as interpreters.

Prof. Dr. Alla Kalinina, Rector of VolSU, welcomed the guests.

“We are happy to welcome you at Volgograd State University! Volgograd is a city of world glory, a memorial city, a city that is interesting for its cultural heritage. Our city of historical fate was completely destroyed during the Great Patriotic War, but then it was rebuilt from the ruins,” Prof. Dr. Kalinina emphasized.

The Rector told the international guests about Volgograd State University, its educational programs, areas of scientific research and invited them to cooperate with VolSU in the framework of scientific activities: “Our university is an educational and socio-cultural center of the region. If you want to pursue a scientific career in the future, we invite you to Volgograd State University. The future of our countries and the world largely depends on the youth and it is very important that young people can fulfill their potential.”

Larisa Tavkin, Head of the International Office, presented to the guests the international activities of VolSU. Ekaterina Arkhipova, Head of the Department of History and International Relations, presented the Master's program in English.

The Rector acknowledged the role of the Volgograd Center for Public Diplomacy in the establishment of international dialog: “The VolSU Center for Public Diplomacy was one of the first who started the project of public diplomacy in Volgograd. This is not about politics, it is cultural interaction and establishment of partnership and friendly ties”. Elena Parubochaya, Director of the Center for Public Diplomacy, showed a video about Volgograd State University and told the guests about the Center's work.

The event continued with a discussion. VolSU students were speaking with the guests in English and Spanish, demonstrating their excellent communication skills. The international participants of the WYF shared their impressions of the Festival. Thus, representatives of Turkiye noted that they were impressed with the high level of WYF organization, particularly emphasizing the technical support. A representative of Colombia admitted that while studying the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky, he had long dreamed of visiting the country of the great writer, and now his dream has come true. The Kenyan participants were interested in academic exchange programs for students. A representative from Zimbabwe asked about scholarship programs for students from African countries. Guests from Colombia and Indonesia were highly interested in continuing the dialog and exchanged contacts with representatives of the Center for Public Diplomacy.

“International guests of VolSU expressed their interest in extending our cooperation and are ready to continue implementing projects together with the Center for Public Diplomacy. Among the guests there are our long-time partners from Turkiye and Jordan, with whom we implement online projects. Such events bring people together and make them feel the unity of nations. This is very important,” Elena Parubochaya commented.

The WYF “Road of Memory” regional program in Volgograd started on March 9. The international guests follow the path dedicated to the Great Patriotic War. It includes Hero Cities and Cities of Military Glory: St. Petersburg, Smolensk, Tula, Kursk, Belgorod and Volgograd.