The Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering became a stop on the route of the international patriotic expedition "Unvanquished". The expedition's partner is the All-Russian student project "Your Move", which is part of the presidential platform "Russia - the Land of Opportunities" and is implemented by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh) with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. The event at our university was organized by the SPbGASU Youth Policy Division and the Volunteer Club.

Expedition of friendship and development

As explained by Pavel Doroshenko, a representative of the directorate of the all-Russian student project "Your Move", the patriotic expedition "Unvanquished" was launched in Russia as part of the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland in honor of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The selection of participants took place through the platform of the project "Your Move". More than 2.5 thousand applications were received, each was studied in detail, after which 60 participants were admitted to the expedition during a personal interview.

"During the two-week expedition, students will travel more than five thousand kilometers, visit 14 cities in Russia and Belarus. Travel, communication, and the educational program are filled with meetings with interesting speakers and various events. The time spent together will allow students to become friends, learn about opportunities for self-development, outline plans for joint work and the development of public projects," Pavel Doroshenko specified.

SPbGASU Vice-Rector for Youth Policy Marina Malyutina reported that our university is pleased to join the project “Your Move” and the patriotic expedition “Unvanquished”, as it considers them important in the comprehensive education of young people, their advancement in professional and social activities, and the formation of a civic position.

"It is significant that the program began at our university, and this is not surprising, because the results of our graduates' work are visible throughout Russia: starting from the 19th century, our engineers, architects, and builders created the cities where we live, which educate us, which we preserve and protect, and which we are proud of. It is important to emphasize that our university combines academic tradition with modern trends in Russian science, so it can be said about us that we preserve our traditions, our history, and create the future," Marina Malyutina noted.

Irina Peretokin, a second-year student at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and a representative of the SPbGASU Volunteer Club, said that volunteers participate in various events at both the university and federal levels and not only complete assigned tasks, but also help organize events.

The "Unvanquished" is a socially significant project aimed at developing patriotism. We consider it our duty to promote such events and participate in them, because they are necessary to strengthen the correct civic position and realize the potential of modern youth," Irina explained.

Great opportunities for young people

Opening the plenary session, Marina Malyutina emphasized that the activities of our university are aimed at forming a full-fledged student personality, which has both professional and project competencies, as well as soft skills.

"The SPbGASU youth policy ecosystem includes various initiatives at all levels. The Center for Student Entrepreneurship and Career of our university closely cooperates with the industry, organizes joint events and competitions, develops entrepreneurial competencies and creates conditions for further employment of students and graduates. Through the platform "Russia - the Land of Opportunities", students successfully participate in the international engineering championship CASE-IN. We support the project "Startup as a Diploma" and the TIM movement. The youth policy of SPbGASU takes into account the needs of the region: students participate in the improvement of small towns, designing spaces and objects for them. Thus, we create conditions in which students can try themselves in various directions and choose their own," the Vice-Rector noted.

At the plenary session

Director of the Saint Petersburg State Budgetary Institution "Youth Spaces "PROSTO"" Viktoria Motorenko agreed that today students have huge opportunities, and now is the best time to try to find the right direction for themselves.

"All industries offer enormous opportunities for self-realization of a specialist. There are many options for development in public life. "PROSTO" is the flagship project in the field of work with youth from the Government of Saint Petersburg. We work in two directions. The infrastructure involves a network of free modern and fully equipped youth spaces. Now there are seven of them, this year we plan to open another 15 and cover all districts of Saint Petersburg. The spaces have areas from one hundred to one thousand square meters. Each has comfortable workplaces, high-speed Internet, all the necessary office equipment, so, for example, you can print, laminate, order a meeting room for free. In the intellectual direction, we focus on the development of youth entrepreneurship, competencies in the field of information technology, creative industries, fine arts, design. We are constantly expanding cooperation. Today we have already discussed common ground with SPbGASU," said Viktoria Motorenko.

Find the occupation you love

The founder of the YARUS design center, member of the Union of Architects of Russia Viktoria Boginskaya called student time ideal for finding an occupation to your liking and, using her own example, told how, having professional competencies and a desire to develop, you can turn an idea into your own company.

"Today, the state provides great opportunities not only for students, but also for young people. In 2018, I completed my Master's degree at the University of Yaroslavl and realized that I didn't just want to draw projects, but also to build, including something useful for the city. I asked myself: what needs to be done for this? While searching for an answer, I found grant competitions. I applied and won 100 thousand rubles to implement my idea. Cool! Thanks to the grants, I got the opportunity to implement my idea and subsequently expand the level and geography of implementation. With the grant, I also published a book on the methodology for designing improvements in the Arctic zone and, as I found out today, I consulted SPbGASU students on the topic. This is how grants can introduce you to successful professional activity," noted Viktoria Boginskaya.

Deputy Director of the Competence Center for Urban Environment Development and Smart City, graduate of SPbGASU Marina Grigorenko reminded that many students are worried about their professional future, their income, and industrial practices and internships help them avoid uncertainty, after which employment is possible. The organization builds such cooperation with students and graduates.

"Our team is young, the architects are young professionals. We are engaged in a variety of activities, one of the important aspects of which is working with young people. There are 36 small towns in the Leningrad Region; unfortunately, there is a large outflow of young people to Saint Petersburg. Among the reasons for this is the lack of leisure and places for recreation. Taking into account the comments, we not only improve parks, embankments, public spaces, but also support educational activities, within the framework of which we organize competitions and implement the best submitted projects. We have already held three architectural competitions, which attracted 350 people, seven were invited to the bureau as part of the expert council, 18 projects have been implemented. There are also competitions, the winners of which receive grants," said Marina Grigorenko.

Master classes from the teacher, the architect and the the Weld Queen

Lecture by Marina Khramova

The expedition participants' further stay at SPbGASU was equally interesting. Senior lecturer at the Department of Architectural Environment Design Marina Khramova gave a lecture on architectural monuments.

The master classes were conducted by Viktoria Boginskaya and the artist, sculptor, and curator of the creation of art objects for public spaces, Alexandra Weld Queen.

Alexandra Weld Queen has gained recognition as a professional, highly skilled welder and has elevated her work to the level of art. Her objects are unique: even a park bench turns into an amazing, but functional creation. "Working with metal, I convey to people certain meanings that help them live, develop, and feel stronger. A durable material, steel allows me to create works for urban spaces that serve people for many years," she said.

Master class by Alexandra Weld Queen (center) and Viktoria Boginskaya