Children's quiz for young guides was held at the National Centre RUSSIA
Students of the "Young Tour Guides School of Russia" competed in a quiz for the title of the most erudite team. The event took place at the National Centre RUSSIA and was timed to coincide with International Tourist Guide Day. In a tough intellectual race for first place, only an additional challenging question helped determine the winner.
People who know how to inspire, evoke emotions, and impart new knowledge — guides around the world — celebrate International Tourist Guide Day on 21 February. On the eve of the holiday, participants of the "Young Tour Guides School of Russia" project, held by the National Centre RUSSIA, competed in a team quiz.
"Every year, celebrating International Tourist Guide Day, we feel pride in being part of this profession. Greetings to all those who have long been in the profession and those who are just starting their journey. Guides are the people who accompany visitors and open a wonderful world for them. At the National Centre RUSSIA, for example, this world full of wonders includes two expositions — the 'Book of Fairy Tales' and the 'Journey Across Russia'," the project's mentor, Mikhail Sharayev, addressed the participants.
A professional guide is not just a good storyteller. They must possess many qualities, including general erudition, attentiveness, empathy, resourcefulness, improvisation skills, and much more. This is what the young guides are taught at the National Centre. The project head of "Young Tour Guides School of Russia", Yevgenya Sirota, noted that the children's successes are closely monitored by the team of the National Centre RUSSIA, and that the team is incredibly proud of their achievements.
"Not only I and your mentors, but the entire team of the National Centre RUSSIA, are proud of your progress. We see how you conduct tours. It brings us all great joy. This unity and cohesion is called teamwork. I would like to wish you to preserve this feeling of unity, so that even when you become adults, you share cool ideas and discoveries with each other. And for today, I wish success to every team taking part in our quiz," said Yevgenya Sirota.
Nearly 70 children took part in the event, divided into seven teams. The quiz consisted of four thematic parts. In total, the organisers prepared 35 questions. Each team had to answer each question within 30 seconds. The questions covered the "Book of Fairy Tales" exposition, knowledge in geography, and general erudition. One of them was: what do a traditional Russian headdress and a rooster have in common? After the teams submitted their answers, a participant of the "Young Tour Guides School of Russia", Polina Artyomenkova, appeared before them wearing a kokoshnik.
"The kokoshnik represents a genuinely Russian style. There are many other headdresses, but in Rus, kokoshniks were worn exclusively by married women. I urge you not to forget your culture because it gives us the energy to move forward," explained Polina Artyomenkova.
Another question concerned the wild nature world: what individual feature distinguishes each tiger from another? After the teams submitted their answers, a participant of the "Young Tour Guides School of Russia", Yevfrosinya Sirota, provided an explanation.
"I talked about tigers at the International RUSSIA EXPO held at VDNH. Today, as you know, in our 'Journey Across Russia' exposition, there is a separate stand dedicated to these striped predators. Did you know that their numbers are estimated using drones? They photograph the tiger, and then this data gets inserted into a special database. The most amazing thing is that there are no identical patterns on tigers' coats. They are absolutely unique, like human fingerprints," explained Yevfrosinya Sirota.
After summing up the results, it turned out that two teams had scored the same number of points. To determine the winner, the host asked a tie-breaking question: how many tours are conducted during the day at the venue of the National Centre RUSSIA? The team called "Constellation NC" gave the number closest to the correct answer. They became the winners, scoring 34 points. By the way, the correct answer to the question is 110 tours.
It should be added that the "Young Tour Guides School of Russia" project by the National Centre RUSSIA is aimed at career guidance and developing children's skills, knowledge, and abilities in the field of guiding. Theoretical and practical classes on the basics of guiding, masterclasses from leading guides, various trainings and workshops, and much more are held for participants. "Young Tour Guides School of Russia" is a project for those who want to learn to talk about their homeland in an inspiring, authentic, and engaging way.
The Days of the Republic of Mordovia will be held at the National Centre RUSSIA from 17 to 22 February.
