The Mashuk Knowledge Center launched two educational programs that brought together teachers of Russian as a foreign language from more than 20 countries and young history teachers from Russia and Belarus. In the context of global challenges, their main goal is to develop common mechanisms for the development of educational and cultural ties, exchange best Russian practices at the international level, and preserve the historical truth about the events of the Great Patriotic War.
During the four-day intensive course, participants in the program "Preservation of Historical Memory" develop effective formats for conducting history lessons with an emphasis on the common contribution of Russia and Belarus to the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The program "Russian as a Foreign Language" is focused on the exchange of experience, training in modern methods of teaching Russian and promoting Russian culture abroad.
"The Mashuk Knowledge Center is a flagship in preserving traditional values, historical truth and popularizing our multinational traditions. We have brought together over 150 people in our programs, including young history teachers from Russia and Belarus, teachers of Russian as a foreign language, who are working today in a single semantic context. Among the participants, there are many representatives of foreign countries, those who recognize the decisive contribution of the Soviet people to the defeat of fascism, the importance of promoting Russian culture. Together, they will develop a unified concept for teaching history, determine the challenges facing Russianists working in different countries today, and master modern pedagogical tools and practices. The Year of the Defender of the Fatherland and the anniversary of the Great Victory unite us around the heroes of the past and present, which especially emphasizes the importance of holding such events," said Anton Serikov, General Director of the Mashuk Knowledge Center and Deputy General Director of the Russian «Znanie» (Knowledge) Society.
Dmitry Ivanov, Director General of the World Youth Festival Directorate, clarified that more than 100 foreign specialists are taking part in the four-day program – 50 Russian language teachers from 22 countries (Armenia, Bulgaria, Venezuela, Vietnam, Georgia, India, Iraq, China, Mali and other countries), as well as 50 history teachers from Belarus. During the intensive course, they will adopt the best Russian educational methods and practices.
"This year, the World Youth Festival Directorate is focusing on the educational track. Together with year-round educational centers, we have developed and are implementing a number of programs for foreign citizens, which not only demonstrates Russia's openness, but also strengthens its status as a center of knowledge, innovation, and international competencies. We launched two such programs together with the Mashuk Knowledge Center. Their uniqueness lies in the creation of a continuous system for training management and teaching staff. Ultimately, the implementation of the programs will contribute to increasing the effectiveness of studying the Russian language abroad, protecting historical truth, and preserving memory for new generations," said Dmitry Ivanov, General Director of the World Youth Festival Directorate.
During the program, the Mashuk Knowledge Center and the Pushkin Institute signed a cooperation agreement. The parties agreed on partnership in implementing educational, outreach, and youth humanitarian projects for Russian and foreign audiences.
"One of the key tasks facing Russian studies today is to improve the professional skills of foreign teachers of Russian as a foreign language. The Pushkin Institute is actively engaged in this work, interacting with the professional community, developing advanced training programs, teaching aids and educational materials. The projects and events of our institute serve as an important tool for the formation and development of a personnel reserve of Russian specialists not only in Russia, but also throughout the world. From year to year, we continue to share with colleagues relevant methods and innovative approaches to teaching Russian as a foreign language, thereby strengthening the global network of specialists capable of effectively promoting the Russian language and culture," said Nikita Gusev, Rector of the Pushkin Institute.
The co-organizer of educational programs at the Mashuk Knowledge Center is the World Youth Festival Directorate. The general partner of the educational event "Russian as a Foreign Language" is the Pushkin State Institute of the Russian Language, the arrival of foreign participants is organized within the framework of the flagship program of Rossotrudnichestvo "New Generation".
Overview:
The World Youth Festival took place on March 1–7, 2024 in Sirius, according to the Decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the development of international youth cooperation. The WYF-2024 brought together 20,000 young leaders from 190 countries.
On the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation, the WYF will be held in Russia on a regular basis – once in six years. Also, every six years 10,000 young people from all over the world will get together at the World Youth Festival Forum, and in between, international themed assemblies for 2,000 participants will be held under the auspices of the WYF. The first Assembly is scheduled to take place in September 2025 in Nizhny Novgorod. Festival events of various formats will be held in Russia annually.
According to the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation on the preservation and development of the Festival legacy, the World Youth Festival Directorate continues the work aimed at strengthening international youth cooperation.
The Mashuk Knowledge Center is an all-Russian center for training educational and management personnel in the field of education, youth policy and educational work, located in Pyatigorsk, at the foot of Mount Mashuk. The Knowledge Center was opened in August 2022 and became one of the first three year-round youth educational centers along with the Senezh Management Workshop of the Russia - Land of Opportunities platform (Moscow Region) and the Meganom Academy of Creative Industries - the Tavrida.ART project (Crimea). The target audience of Mashuk is teachers, lecturers, mentors, specialists in patriotic education, advisers on educational work and heads of educational organizations who act as the main transmitters of knowledge, skills and traditional values popularized in our country. “We teach those who teach” and “Knowledge at its best” are the two main mottos of the Mashuk Knowledge Center, a joint educational project of the Russian «Znanie» (Knowledge) Society and Rosmolodezh.
