Within the framework of the St.Petersburg Government Program to implement the state policy of the Russian Federation concerning the compatriots sbroad (“Compatriots”)
Within the framework of the St.Petersburg Government Program to implement the state policy of the Russian Federation concerning the compatriots sbroad (“Compatriots”)
On June 18 through 21, 2012, a series of events happened in Vilnius and Visaginas aiming at strengthening and developing the cultural, educational and scientific relations of the Russian compatriots in Lithuania to Russia and St.Petersburg.
The cycle of lectures and courses of the program was intended to draw attention to one of the most important aspects of successful cooperation between the members of the Russian community, which is education. It is a unified learning environment that makes our compatriots abroad feel a strong bond with their homeland. Much credit for this, of course, belongs to our foreign partners - Association of Teachers of Russian schools of Lithuania and the Philology Faculty of Lithuanian Educological University have expressed keen interest and assisted in the project.
All scientific and educational activities were conducted at the Lithuanian Educological University (39 Studentu St.).
Petersburg program in Lithuania began on June 18. Irina Ilts, Associate Professor of International Humanitarian Relations Department at International Relations Faculty of St.Petersburg State University, delivered a lecture titled “St.Petersburg as an International Cultural and Scientific Center. The History and the Contemporaneity”. Everybody who was willing to attend could listen to the lecture. It was especially interesting for schoolchildren, students, representatives of public organizations. All those who are studying Russian language and literature have learned many new things from it, as well as those taking their interest in the historical and cultural heritage of the city on the Neva River and its contemporary cultural trends.
For those who are interested in Russian literature, and especially in working with fiction text, a lecture series “Smart Reading” was read on June 19. Yulia Malkova, Associate Professor of Department of Philological Education at the St.Petersburg Academy of Postgraduate Paedagogical Education, told about the methods of formation of philological skills in schoolchildren. There is no doubt that for a full and adequate perception of works of Russian classics it is needed to continually improve the skills of textual analysis. “We can see Dostoevsky’s characters, because we can hear, and we can hear the characters of Tolstoy, because we an see,” Dmitriy Merezhkovskiy, a poet of the Silver Age, once said. The audience of Yulia Malkova’s lectures could explain, why this was so, with confidence. They were represented by the means of forming an emotional picture of the world for schoolchildren at the lessons on literature, the importance of dialogue in a literary text, and various gaming exercises and teaching methods.
Also as part of educational program, an interactive module was offered for the teachers of preschool educational institutions in Lithuania, titled “Involving Parents in the Educational Activities of the Child”. Everyone knows that not only teachers, but also parents play an important role in the success of a pupil. In today’s cultural and educational space, the family often becomes a major factor in the education of children. Interactive module of I.A.Khomenko and L.M.Kostina consisted of two parts. The lecture “The System of Cooperation of Educational Institutions with the Family” told that the main directions of cooperation of family and school, and also presented the experience of St.Petersburg in the implementation of family-oriented projects. The workshop outlined the opportunities and prospects for development of remote collaboration in this field. Students were able to learn about the traditions and history of Russian culture in Lithuania, after hearing the report by Marina Logunova, an employee of the State Museum of St.Petersburg History.
On June 21, the final events of the educational program took place. The presentation “Lithuanian Petersburg”, which was a virtual tour around the memorial sites of St.Petersburg, told the story of the life and works of famous Lithuanians in St.Petersburg. It included the most beautiful architectural ensembles of the Northern Capital, a fascinating story about different times and eras. Completion of the research program were special education courses for primary school teachers of Russian schools, run by Irina Nikolaeva, PhD, Associate Professor of Linguistic and Literary Education Department of the child Childhood Institute at Russian State Pedagogical University named after Herzen. Not only she spoke about the techniques of reading culture in children, but also outlined the creative abilities that the little ones can develop when studing the Russian literature.
Government of St.Petersburg has prepared a real gift to our fellow citizens – a performance-concert “Voila Pouchkine” (in French, “Pushkin is Here”), devoted to the creative works by the great Russian poet. The performance was in Visaginas, and then in Vilnius.
It was attended by leading actors of the St.Petersburg theater “Over the Black River”. This unforgettable show was made up of works of Pushkin himself and the works of his Russian researchers. The spectators of hour-and-a-half Pushkiniana were able to meet with Arina, a nanny of Pushkin, and with poets Joseph Brodsky, David Samoilov, Marina Tsvetaeva, Denis Davydov. A combination of different theatrical genres and brilliant acting allowed for each sitting in the hall to once again feel like a huge and unique in the world, whose name was Pushkin.
Organizer: St.Petersburg Committee for External Relations, with the assistance of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Lithuania and the Association of Teachers of Russian Schools in Lithuania.
Further information: Andrei Leonidovich Sobolevskiy, an expert of Department for Relations with Compatriots abroad of the Office for Coordination of State Programs on Inter-ethnic Relations and Relations with Compatriots abroad, at St.Petersburg Committee for External Relations, +7 (812) 576-4927, +7 (921) 904-3035.
Vera Vyacheslavovna Sakharova, Head of St.Petersburg Committee for External Relations: “Petersburg projects addressed to the residents and guests of Vilnius and Visaginas, both held in early June and those that took place on June 18–21, were a kind of gift on the most important holidays, reflecting the history and the contemporaneity of Russian realities: Russian Language Day and the Day of Russia. These celebrations are dear for all of us – for those who now lives and works in Russia, and those who consider Russia as their historical homeland, and those who have devoted themselves to the study of Russian history, culture, literature and “the great, powerful, truthful and free” language. It is gratifying that we have the opportunity to share a rich heritage of St.Petersburg, the cultural capital of Russia. All this is another step forward in the development of humanitarian ties between St.Petersburg and Lithuania”/
Ella Ilinichna Kanaite, Chairman of the Association of Teachers of Russian Schools in Lithuania: “These seminars are very important to us, because they provide so many opportunities. This is making familiar with the teaching techniques of St.Petersburg, and exchange of experience, and the ability to listen properly spoken Russian. Finally, they allow anyone to take up the great Russian culture”.
Official website of the Programme of the Government of St.Petersburg “Compatriots” - www.spbrumir.ru