Cross-cultural youth project "Together"

The festival was the first event of the cross-cultural youth project "Together", organized by the Department of Ideological and Educational Affairs, the Volunteer Center and the Association of International Students at Polotsk University.

The project aims to help people from different backgrounds learn how to get along. It's about building cross-cultural skills, such as how to communicate and understand different cultures. This means being able to talk to people from other countries and respecting their differences. It also means being open-minded and accepting of other people's differences. The goal is to make society more peaceful and friendly.

5 teams of international students led by Belarusian volunteers took part in "InterEcoFest". They visited different locations and completed tasks related to environmental issues.

In the mini-cinema, participants answered questions from an eco-quiz.

In the play area, students put together a "Soul of Nature" puzzle.

A master class on making and filling bird feeders was held in the art zone.

In the event bar, teams mastered green cooking by making healthy desserts and refreshing drinks.

At the roundtable, an international company talked about the importance of sorting waste and put its knowledge into practice.

In the quiz, participants remembered which animals and plants were listed in the Red Book.

Students improved the adjacent territory of dormitory No. 7. They planted Thuja trees, decorated the playground with solar-powered lamps, and placed manufactured bird feeders.

Next, the teams visited the most creative location. Foreign students had to learn several poems about ecology in Russian and Belarusian, recite them, and make a video.

Summing up the results of the competition, a survey of participants was conducted, which helped to identify an increase in motivation for developing ecological culture.

At the award ceremony, the teams received diplomas and awards. The winning team was presented with a certificate for a tour to the Natural and Ecological Museum in Polotsk, provided by the partner of the volunteer environmental project "Zyalyоny Shlyakh", the National Polotsk Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve.

The international evening continued with presentations on environmental issues and concerns in China, Turkmenistan, and Africa, given by international students. The event ended with a friendly buffet.

Elena Konovalova, teacher-organizer of work with international students: "Today, we saw an amazing story. Boys and girls who had never met before, representing different nationalities and cultures, came together to achieve a common goal and successfully worked towards its realization.

There was no language barrier between the participants in the project. It was not only interesting, but also beneficial to communicate and interact with each other. An exchange of knowledge and experience took place between them."

Margarita Yankovskaya, coordinator of the Volunteer Center: "InterEcoFest" is the first event in the youth cross-cultural project 'Together', implemented by the Department of Ideological and Educational Affairs, the Volunteer Center, and the Association of International Students. There are various events for students ahead, such as Maslenitsa, traditionally held in an international format at Polotsk University, a Healthy Lifestyle Battle, and others."