The draft program for patriotic education of the population until 2025 was discussed in Vitebsk
Following the discussion, the event participants unanimously concluded that to achieve the desired results, one must be prepared for intense, long-term, and fruitful work, and Belarusian society is still at the very beginning of this path. Representatives of state authorities, enterprises and organizations, political parties, and public associations gathered in the meeting room of the City Executive Committee. Despite the diversity of opinions expressed, another unifying element was the idea that the document, the adoption of which will be an important stage in strengthening Belarusian statehood, should be as concrete as possible. As noted by Marina Novitskaya, Head of the Main Department of Ideological Work and Youth Affairs of the Regional Executive Committee, all proposals, initiatives, and wishes voiced during the discussion will be in demand: even if they are not included in the final version of the program, they can certainly be used later in the development of regional action plans for its implementation. But under one condition.
— Everyone must internalize this program, because one cannot talk about love for the Motherland if one does not believe in this feeling oneself. Patriotism is what is in our hearts. Based on this, we can build our work in such a way as to engage and inspire all segments of our society. I draw your attention to the fact that the program emphasizes the entire population, not just individual representatives, which is not accidental, — noted Marina Novitskaya.
According to Elena Sharay, Deputy Head of the Administration of the Zheleznodorozhny District of Vitebsk, this is a necessary and timely document, and work on it will become another unifying factor for society. She drew attention to the fact that many aspects that we include in the concept of "patriotism" should be instilled from an early age in the family. It is also necessary to more actively involve working youth in the implementation of such program documents, not limiting interaction to students of various educational institutions. Personnel support is also significant. Elena Sharay proposed to work out the issue of the need to allocate a specialist in district administrations who would lead this area and coordinate the work on the implementation of the state program.
The draft document was reviewed and approved at a working meeting with the participation of the city's pedagogical community, reported Igor Kiryutenko, Head of the Education Department of the City Executive Committee.
— The program is developed taking into account current trends, and we can be sure that its implementation will contribute to the formation of value-worldview orientations, understanding the importance and value of patriotism. At the same time, the document is understandable and accessible for implementation, harmonious and diverse, which makes it applicable to all sectors of the economy and social sphere, — noted the head of the city executive committee department.
While giving credit to pedagogical workers who bear the main burden of patriotic work with children, Marina Novitskaya drew attention to the need to focus on interaction with adults:
— We need to interpret the provisions of this program through work with parents, so that we understand that we are covering the entire adult population, including employees of private enterprises, individual entrepreneurs, and self-employed citizens.
It is in unity that the success of the implementation of an important state document lies, believes the First Secretary of the Regional Committee of the BRSM, Vladimir Babichev. Therefore, the leader of the youth organization considers it necessary to pay attention to those young people who "do not follow the BRSM's lead." It is important to avoid duplication here and to focus as much as possible on finding new forms and methods of work.
The head of the regional organization of the Belarusian Union of Veterans of the War in Afghanistan, Chairman of the Regional Coordination Council of Public Organizations and Political Parties, Valeryan Matskevich, clarified certain provisions of the program. In his opinion, the document as a whole necessitates the restructuring of the work of all structures involved in this sphere.