The results of the student project contest "Russian Statehood" summed up at the National Centre RUSSIA
One hundred finalists from 51 universities across the country gathered for the award ceremony of the All-Russian Student Project Contest "Russian Statehood", held at the National Centre RUSSIA on 6 November. The event took place as part of the national project "Youth and Children" with the coordination support of the Russian State University and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.
Presidential Aide and Chair of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights, Valery Fadeyev, began his speech with a brief historical overview. He recalled that in the 1990s it seemed Russia had almost no way out of its difficult situation. Yet thanks to the energy of its people, the social state continued to function while many European countries were losing their social role. Today, according to Valery Fadeyev, our country and its people are ready to offer the collective West an alternative – a breakthrough towards a fairer world – but, as he noted, this prospect is met with fear there.
"This must be explained to schoolchildren and first-year students. If you don’t know the geography of your own country – it’s a shame. We talk about patriotism, and rightly so. But if we don’t know how vast and great our country is, what kind of patriotism can we speak of? That’s the point. This is exactly what the course 'Foundations of Russian Statehood' is focused on, and it does an excellent job in this respect. I would also like school students to receive more knowledge about our country. This work is already underway – there is now a unified history course. I will insist that more attention be paid to geography and literature," emphasised Valery Fadeyev.
Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Olga Petrova, addressed the participants with a welcoming speech: "Students have already become part of creating the course and have prepared their own projects. I believe many of these presentations will also be used in teaching the subject next year. Each of you has contributed something personal to this unique course – a course that was created from the outset with the involvement of many lecturers, and this is its strength – the strength of our 'DNA of Russia', the strength of the course 'Foundations of Russian Statehood'."
The contest became an important step in understanding the foundations of Russian statehood, noted Deputy Director General of the National Centre RUSSIA, Anastasia Zvyagina.
"The National Centre RUSSIA was established by our President as a space of pride, opportunity, and future. We are delighted that the results of the first youth contest on the new subject 'Foundations of Russian Statehood' are being summed up here. The fact that this topic has resonated with your inquisitive minds is already a major shared achievement. It’s not just a dry compilation of laws – it’s about our Russian moral values and our spiritual foundations. Your projects are a living intellectual contribution to the development of our country!" said Anastasia Zvyagina.
Vice-Rector of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) and Scientific Supervisor of the project "DNA of Russia", Andrei Polosin, expressed confidence that young people today can be relied upon. At the same time, he called on them to take conscious responsibility for Russia’s future.
"When people are asked about the future, some look at it with fear and say, ‘How can we hand over everything that lies ahead to this younger generation?’ Others believe that, essentially, nothing changes, that everything happens the same way as before. Each generation looks at the next with a touch of skepticism, denial, and distrust. Yet, despite this, we have the best youth one could imagine. The future can be entrusted to you with a clear conscience and an easy heart. Let it be your future – the one you create yourselves. Let this great Russia that you are building be yours," said Andrei Polosin.
"Foundations of Russian Statehood" is a worldview-based course for Russian universities, developed by an academic community with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia. The creation of the course was announced by the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, in December 2022 at a meeting of the State Council of the Russian Federation on youth policy. The corresponding directive was signed in January 2023.
During the ceremony, ten winners were awarded in five categories, which correspond to the sections of the academic course:
– "What Is Russia". The winners here were Ilya Fomichev (RANEPA) and Vladislav Semashko (Tomsk State University);
– "The Russian State as a Civilisation", won by Alisa Tagayeva (North-Western Branch of the V. M. Lebedev Russian State University of Justice) and Ilya Panfilov (RANEPA);
– "Russian Worldview and the Values of Russian Civilisation". Here the awards went to Leonid Isakov (Nizhny Novgorod State University of Engineering and Economics) and Ilona Stabrovskaya (Russian State University for the Humanities);
– "Political System". The winners in this category were Gleb Annenkov (St. Petersburg State Paediatric Medical University) and Ivan Lenev (National Research Nuclear University MEPhI);
– "Challenges of the Future and the Country’s Development", won by Kristina Belova (RANEPA) and Anastasia Marusich (MGIMO University).
The All-Russian Student Project Contest "Russian Statehood" was held for the first time this year. Three thousand lecturers from 562 universities across Russia took part in preparing the course. It consisted of three stages: the regional stage included registration and testing, and the federal stage – the selection of projects by the jury according to the criteria. In total, 15,000 participants registered for the contest.
Event photobank
One and a half thousand volunteers from 89 regions of Russia and 35 countries gathered at the National Centre RUSSIA.
