Future voices of the country: graduates of the Young Tour Guides School of the National Centre RUSSIA celebrated their graduation
The National Centre RUSSIA summed up the results of the 2025–2026 season of the Young Tour Guides School of Russia project. Over the course of several months, participants not only mastered the basics of tour guiding skills but also learned to see familiar things in a new way, discover fascinating stories behind dry historical facts, and genuinely inspire audiences with their narratives. On 17 May, young guides aged between 9 and 17 received certificates confirming the completion of their training, thus officially marking the end of their challenging journey from theory to practice.
"Dear students, I would like to congratulate you on graduating from the Young Tour Guides School of the National Centre RUSSIA. I have had the opportunity to hear you conducting tours for different audiences, and I am sincerely proud of the warmth and love with which you do it. You are truly wonderful! Love your Motherland, your family, and the work you choose to dedicate your life to. Then your life will be creative and genuinely happy," said Director General of the National Centre RUSSIA Natalia Virtuozova in her address to the graduates. Alongside the certificates, many students received awards in the "Golden Compass" and "Voice of Unity" categories. These honours recognised those who had shown exceptional talent over the past year in preparing and conducting tours of the expositions at The National Centre RUSSIA.
"The National Centre RUSSIA was created by order of our President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, and one of its main missions is to develop professional skills among children and young people. The Young Tour Guides School of Russia project fulfils this mission. Its history began during the International RUSSIA EXPO, and it later inspired the opening of the Young Journalists School here at our venue. The profession of a tour guide combines the qualities of many different occupations: actor, teacher, historian, journalist, presenter, and many others. You learned to speak from the heart, to love your country even more, and to share not dry facts but emotions, to discover interesting little-known details, and to always come prepared. I can see that you speak about your Motherland with love and always focus on the very best. Keep dreaming, believe in yourselves, and everything will work out for you!" said Deputy Director General of the National Centre RUSSIA Anastasia Zvyagina.
The graduation ceremony at the Young Tour Guides School became far more than an official event — it turned into a really warm and almost family-like celebration. Students from another project of the National Centre RUSSIA, the Young Journalists School, came to congratulate their fellow learners. As a gift to the young guides, with whom they had not only become acquainted but truly close during the training process, they presented a touching video about the past academic year, filled with kind smiles, first tours and the most memorable excerpts from interviews recorded with future graduates ahead of the celebration. Participants from both schools then enthusiastically joined interactive games: deciphering emojis that represented various regions of Russia, competing in knowledge of fascinating facts concerning the country by guessing which statements were true or false, and even building symbolic "bridges" between regions.
The event concluded with a touching ritual called the "Turquoise Thread of Memories". Mentors shared short but deeply personal words of encouragement with the graduates while weaving a single symbolic "web", which was later cut into a hundred commemorative bracelets.
The Young Tour Guides School of Russia is an original project launched by the National Centre RUSSIA and aimed at career guidance for schoolchildren. It became a continuation of the Young Tour Guides School launched during the International RUSSIA EXPO and has since grown into a large and close-knit community uniting more than a hundred children and mentors from different parts of the country. Branches of the National Centre RUSSIA in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Primorye Territory and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area — Yugra have also joined the project.
Training at the Young Tour Guides School consists of two stages. The first stage lays the foundations of mastery: participants gain theoretical knowledge and conduct their first tours of expositions at The National Centre RUSSIA. There, students are not required to mechanically memorise the principles of guiding or exposition materials — experienced mentors help them discover their own voice and personal style. Children learn to internalise information, add personal perspective and remain sincere with their audiences. Every stage of the training process, from the first theoretical lessons to independent tours, helps them unlock their potential and gain confidence in their abilities.
The second stage of the programme focuses on developing and refining the knowledge and skills already acquired. Participants attend masterclasses, improve their tour-guiding and public speaking skills, and create their own original routes just like professional guides. Upon completion of the programme, the students conduct tours of expositions at the National Centre RUSSIA.
Classes for the second intake of the School ran from October to May. Participants studied theory online and met in person at the National Centre RUSSIA on Sundays to practice their skills: exploring expositions, learning how to present cultural and historical values in an engaging way, refining their public speaking abilities and mastering techniques for maintaining audience attention — from the youngest visitors to adult guests of the National Centre.
Event photobank
The results of the 2025-2026 season of the Young Tour Guides School of Russia project were summed up at the National Centre RUSSIA.
Another academic year has come to an end at the Young Tour Guides School of Russia.
Participants of the Young Tour Guides School of Russia project saw how a radio broadcast is born and met the presenters at Children's Radio.
