For several days, student activists set up exhibitions of numerous studios, projects, and associations operating within our university's extracurricular activities at various locations at the main building of SPbGASU. A wide range of leisure, creativity, and sports activities were showcased at the large-scale "Opportunities Fair."

Beneficial activities and interesting leisure time

The "Opportunities Fair" is organized primarily for first-year students who are still adapting to student life, explained Irina Nuryeva, Head of the SPbGASU Youth Policy Division. According to her, this traditional annual event has proven its effectiveness: it helps attract a large number of students to associations.

At the associations' stands set up in the "Growth Point" public space, visitors and event organizers got engaged in lively conversations: the former asked questions, while the latter answered them in detail and described the benefits of specific activities, drawing on their practical experience. For example, Anastasia Kozlova, a fourth-year student of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, joined the "Adapters" project in her first year. Before heading the project, she was an adapter for her Faculty. The adapters' goal is to help first-year students integrate into student life. But the project is also beneficial to the activists themselves.

"Being an adapter is awesome! The project gives you the opportunity to develop as a leader and learn the principles of team building. It also paves the way for other endeavors. For example, many of the students who serve on our university's student council began their community service through our project. Working as an adapter helps you develop soft skills that are essential for your future career, because your ability to communicate, negotiate, and deliver goals will determine your success. Our project has broad goals and objectives: we're looking for ambitious, responsible, responsive, and goal-oriented individuals who are willing to grow despite any challenges," Anastasia explained.

Along with already successful projects, new student associations are emerging at SPbGASU. One such association is the "Campfire whisper" tourism club. Its leader is Maria Karakulova, a third-year student in the Faculty of Civil Engineering. Last academic year, she participated in two federal projects: the District Educational Forum "Student Tourism of the Northwestern Federal District 2025" in Arkhangelsk and the All-Russian Tourism Rally "Mayovka" in Pyatigorsk. In Arkhangelsk, Maria attended lectures on youth tourism trends and then learned about active tourism, which sparked her interest. It was presented on a larger scale in Pyatigorsk.

"At the "Mayovka" rally in Pyatigorsk, I attended lectures by the Association for the Development of Active Youth Tourism (ADAYT) and was inspired by the idea of ​​creating a hiking club at our university. It turns out there was one several years ago, but it closed when its student founders graduated. We're just getting started, and for now, we plan to go on day hikes through the cities and natural areas of the Leningrad Region and create ecological trails. As we develop the necessary hiking skills and acquire equipment, we'll expand the range and geography of our routes. We also plan to organize lectures on various types of tourism and collaborate with the "Spasatel" youth extreme sports club on rock climbing. We're looking for active students willing to travel, train, and organize events," explained Maria Karakulova.

Student squads set up their stands in the gym. First-year student of the Faculty of Civil Engineering Ivan Izotov admits he was impressed by the number of interesting groups, and interacting with their representatives was a pleasant experience.

"Today I learned not only about student associations, but also about their benefits, interesting projects, and opportunities. Everyone here is friendly and eager to share their experiences. For example, as part of a student construction squad, you can work on a construction site and gain experience, earn a salary, and complete an internship. I intend to work in my chosen field, so I immediately appreciated these opportunities," Ivan shared.

Its own projects from each faculty

One day of the “Opportunities Fair” was dedicated to presentations of initiatives and projects operating within the faculties.

Second-year student of the Faculty of Architecture Viktoria Duzenko manages the projects "Arkhkino" and "READING GROUP".

"'Arkhkino' is a film screening and coworking space in a cozy studio atmosphere. We watch films together and discuss them. "READING GROUP" has been around for about five years, where we read and discuss books over tea in a comfortable setting. We start by introducing the plot and only then move on to the discussion, so we invite even those who haven't read the book on the program. We hold these events regularly; they're popular and attract 20-25 participants," said Viktoria Duzenko.

First-year student Petr Gromov lingered at the Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Municipal Services stand for a reason: he's a student there. He was told about the student body recruitment process and projects. "That's all interesting, but I enjoy playing guitar and would like to continue playing music: is there an opportunity for that at the university?" he asked. He was advised to contact the "Kirpich" Student Creativity Club, which was also participating in the "Opportunities Fair."

Andrey Slastin, a second-year student in the Faculty of Civil Engineering, is already part of the activists group and is talking to first-year students about its initiatives. Meanwhile, he's also interested in projects from other faculties. After speaking with activists from the Faculty of Economics and Management, he decided to participate in the "Musicality" project.

"The student councils and faculty leaders at our university are friendly, so we attend each other's events. We spend our free time together and share experiences. Our faculty invites everyone to our annual events: Construction Week, Brick Day, and Designer's Day. There are so many projects, it's impossible to list them all," shared Andrey Slastin.

Our guest is "Tavrida"

Anna Valyaeva, a specialist in the educational services department of the "Tavrida" Art Cluster, took part in the "Opportunities Fair."

"The "Tavrida" Art Cluster is a creative ecosystem of projects located in Kapsel Bay near Sudak in Crimea. Tavrida offers both students and active young people under 35 the opportunity to develop in their chosen field. There are many areas. For example, a music label, where a team of producers, artists, and musicians support the creativity of young artists of all genres, helping to realize their bold ideas and organize spectacular shows. We also have the "Yug. Kino" studio, the largest film, web, and television production studio in southern Russia, where participants can shoot their own films. The Art Cluster's publishing house provides professional support for the publication of fiction, research, guidebooks, books on contemporary art, and patriotic and historical publications. To participate in the projects and educational programs, you can submit an application and request information on the "Tavrida"'s website," explained Anna Valyaeva.

A specialist gave a detailed presentation of "Tavrida"'s projects to the "Opportunities Fair" participants. Incidentally, our university's students already have successful experience participating in this art cluster, and judging by the reaction of those present, the number of participants will increase.