The international social project "Kurgan Druzhby" has started in the Vitebsk region.
A ceremonial assembly and a festive concert dedicated to the launch of the international social project were held at the Vitebsk Cadet School.
Vyacheslav Durnov, Deputy Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee, congratulated those present on the start of the project.
- This session will allow you to spend your time productively and learn many new things, - said Vyacheslav Durnov. - Excursions and trips will be organized for you. Our guests will have the opportunity to visit the legendary Belarusian land, just as our young people visited the Pskov region last year. Why is our land legendary? Because truly desperate battles and fights took place here. Our great-grandfathers and grandfathers, great-grandmothers and grandmothers defended the freedom of our peoples, our country.
The Deputy Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee wished the young people strong friendships: - The stronger the friendship now, the stronger it will be in the future between our peoples. Have a good session, a good time, and good projects. And we will see the results directly at the Friendship Mound in July. We look forward to the results with impatience!
By the way, the event simultaneously marked the opening of the 2024 summer health campaign. Vyacheslav Durnov presented the young men and women with their "tickets to summer."
- "Kurgan Druzhby" is a large international cooperation project, - noted Irina Vyatokho, methodologist of the Vitebsk Regional Palace of Children and Youth, head of the delegations from Vitebsk and Pskov regions. - A delegation from the Pskov region has arrived: 45 wonderful boys and girls aged 14 to 16. This year our project is quite remarkable. We are developing the initiatives that the children brought with them. And of course, we will introduce each of the detachments, and this year we have five of them, to Vitebsk and Vitebsk region, our partisan history, which is very important for young people, especially in the year of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Republic of Belarus from the Nazi invaders. The children are creative and athletic. We will dance, sing, and simply communicate. I think that each participant will bring home many impressions. I am convinced that everyone will like it!
In 2023, 100 tenth-graders from the Vitebsk region participated in the project's events, which were held in the Pskov region and in the Verkhnedvinsk district at Kurgan Druzhby.
From June 2 to 13, thematic events will be held at the Vitebsk Cadet School for schoolchildren, leaders of patriotic associations, participants of search parties, military-patriotic clubs, creative and sports youth. After all, the "Kurgan Druzhby" civil-patriotic camp is an exciting thematic event dedicated to the history of the partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War, fruitful discussions and exchange of ideas aimed at popularizing the heroic past and preserving the memory of the feats of ancestors, creative master classes, sports competitions and a rich cultural program that will allow each participant to reveal their potential.
Margarita Dovgal from Vitebsk is participating in the project for the first time. She noted that "Kurgan Druzhby" is a landmark project that serves to strengthen good-neighborly relations between Belarus and Russia.
- The project gives us, young people from two countries, an opportunity to get to know each other, learn more about the history and culture of our peoples, and also to cultivate patriotism and love for the Motherland, - Margarita emphasized. - Last year, we presented projects on the theme of partisan life during the Great Patriotic War in the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation. This year, we are focusing on the musical and literary movement.
Most likely, we will stage some kind of performance or come up with a song.
Participation in the project is very important for me personally. I believe that "Kurgan Druzhby" (Friendship Mound) is the preservation of historical memory, which our ancestors left specifically for us. We must honor this memory, and let it be sacred to us.
Ivan Zhukov, a pupil of the "Patriot" patriotic club, came to Belarus from the village of Idrica, Sebezhsky district, Pskov region. The young man said that he came from a small, quiet town. However, its name can be seen on Red Square in Moscow every year on Victory Day. We are talking about the banners that are carried out during the Victory Parades on May 9, including the Banner of Victory of the 150th Idritskaya Rifle Division of the Order of Kutuzov, 2nd Class, which received this name after liberating Idrica from German occupation on July 12, 1944. After that, the division continued its path to Berlin with battles, where the Red Army soldiers hoisted the division's assault flag on the roof of the Reichstag building.
- We arrived at the camp the day before yesterday, - said Ivan. - I am convinced that it will be interesting, fun, and, undoubtedly, patriotic here. Ahead are many very different events: sports, intellectual, creative. In addition, we started project work yesterday. We worked efficiently and quickly. There was almost no time for rest, but we are coping with our team (our detachment No. 4 is called "Scouts"). All the guys are communicative, we quickly got acquainted and found a common language.
From July 5 to 7, the project participants will meet at the Polotsk Cadet School, prepare their best developments for presentation, and on July 7, they will present them at the Mound of Friendship in the Verkhnedvinsk district.
The international social project "Mound of Friendship" is a bright page in the life of each participant, which provides unforgettable impressions, new knowledge, and strong friendship.