The final of the "Learning Through Service. The First" Championship was held at the National Centre RUSSIA
The final of the "Learning Through Service. The
First" Championship took place at the National Centre RUSSIA during the
International Forum for Civil Participation #WEARETOGETHER. 20 school teams
from various regions of the country competed for the title of the best. The
participants presented projects addressing pressing social issues, including
environmental protection, support for the elderly, animal welfare volunteering,
tourism potential development, promotion of cultural heritage of regions, and
road safety for minors.
For project
preparation, each team chose a social partner, such as a non-profit
organization, public movement, volunteer association, or educational
institution. The social partner formulated the request based on its own
experience, and the students developed a project to address it.
In the
final, each team delivered a brief presentation of their project. In
just five minutes, the participants shared what inspired them to address the
issue, what solutions they found, what they accomplished, and the results they
achieved. Many teams also shared their plans for the development, promotion,
and scaling of their projects in the future.
The first
team to present was from Biysk (Altai region). The students, with their
project "Helping Paw," addressed the significant issue of stray
animals on the city's streets. Together with the non-profit organization
"Fed Kitty," they collected food and medical supplies, helped rehome
animals, and conducted awareness campaigns among residents. Their approach stood
out due to its comprehensive nature. Previously, the city had only carried out
isolated actions for the protection of stray animals. Experts evaluated the
project but noted that it was important to make it more financially sustainable
and independent.
Several
projects focused on assisting senior citizens in mastering modern technologies.
Participants from Altai region helped members of the "Silver
Volunteers" movement navigate social media to more actively share
information about volunteer activities and attract new volunteers. A team from
the Vologda region taught digital literacy to pensioners, with an emphasis on
cybersecurity. The jury highly appreciated the team's approach, as they managed
to create a user-friendly educational chatbot and developed a program to scale
their project to other regions.
One of the most touching projects was presented by a team from Kaluga region. Students from Obninsk College of Information and Law decided to create an inclusive youth club to aid in the socialization of adolescents with intellectual disabilities. The project's goals include: creating a safe and comfortable space for communication and interaction between adolescents with intellectual disabilities and neurotypical adolescents; organizing joint educational events; developing communication skills and team-working experience; and fostering a positive attitude toward people with disabilities, overcoming stereotypes and prejudices.
At the end
of the final presentations, experts will select three winners — teams that
presented the most successful, relevant, and socially significant projects. The
award ceremony will take place on December 7 at the venue of the International
Forum for Civil Participation #WEARETOGETHER.
The event
is held within the framework of the federal program "Learning Through
Service," which has been implemented by order of Russian President
Vladimir Putin since 2023. "Learning Through Service" is an
educational approach that combines academic studies with the development of
skills for socially useful work. It integrates learning and social practice,
allowing students to gain knowledge by working with social demands from
non-profit organizations, government bodies, and local communities. This
approach provides practical experience and benefits society. "Learning
Through Service" is a type of project-based learning in education.
Since 2023, the federal program "Learning Through
Service" has been implemented in higher education institutions and
organizations for secondary vocational education. Its expansion into general
education organizations has taken place within the framework of the
"Learning Through Service. The First" program, which is implemented
by the Movement of the First and the Association of Volunteer Centres
(Dobro.rf) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education of the Russian
Federation.
Over 120
schools from 10 regions of the Russian Federation (Rostov region, Khanty-Mansi
Autonomous Area — Yugra, Amur region, Nizhny Novgorod
region, Luhansk People's Republic, Altai region, Vologda and Tambov regions,
Kaluga region, Republic of Mordovia) are part of the pilot organizations of the
"Learning Through Service. The First" program.
The
National Centre RUSSIA was established by order of the President of the Russian
Federation, Vladimir Putin, to preserve the legacy of the International RUSSIA
EXPO and to showcase the achievements of the country and its citizens on a
permanent basis. Federal government agencies, state companies,
corporations, and regions take part in the Centre’s work.
The
National Centre RUSSIA is located at 14 Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment, Moscow. The
Centre is open from 10:00 to 20:00 every day except Monday.
