#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. This spring, with the support of Nornickel, 170 children from Norilsk will be able to see the sights of the regional capital under the school tourism program. Students of grades 5–9 got social certificates for free travel as part of the national project Tourism and Hospitality Industry.
Thus, more than 70 schoolchildren and teachers from Norilsk have already been on a tour to Krasnoyarsk. They visited the main attractions of the city and its surroundings, got acquainted with the region’s nature, culture and traditions.
The program was divided into two rounds: The Main History of Krasnoyarsk and Krasnoyarsk Gathers Friends. While some admired the beauty of the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station and nature in the Krasnoyarskiye Stolby national park, others at that time visited the Victor Astafiev memorial complex in the village of Ovsyanka and the Tsar Fish observation deck.
“This is my first time in Krasnoyarsk. I flew with the goal of getting acquainted with the region’s history and culture, looking at the regional capital’s main attractions and learning something new and interesting. This year is the anniversary of Victor Astafiev, so our program also includes a visit to the museum-estate in Ovsyanka. There are a lot of impressions, Krasnoyarsk is very beautiful, but I was especially surprised by how wide the Yenisey is here”, shared Mikhail Eliseyev, an 8th grade student at school No. 1 in Norilsk.
The children also enjoyed a trip to the cultural and sports club Bogatyrskaya Zastava and an excursion into the history of military affairs. Schoolchildren learned a lot about the weapons and armor of the Cossacks of the 17th–18th centuries and became acquainted with the ancient technology of coinage.
“The group included children who are curious, motivated, who study well, and participate in socially significant projects. Here are schoolchildren who have already become famous for something in our city, winners of Olympiads and winners of the Norilsk head’s award. They all travelled with the mood and desire to see as much as possible. Some of the children are in Krasnoyarsk for the first time, so this trip is special for them, and in general, such a trip is the best thing you can give to children”, said teacher of school No. 1 Irina Maksimenko.
One of the tourists is eighth-grader Nikolay Nevzorov. Before travelling to Krasnoyarsk, he returned from another trip – to the island of Taiwan, where, together with other Norilsk children, he participated in a competition for young design engineers.
“I have different merits, I am active a lot, I participate everywhere. A couple of months ago I went to Taiwan for a competition. My inventions that I am currently working on are a wireless socket and a thermal power bank that does not discharge in the cold, because in the North this is a rather pressing problem. This is not my first time in Krasnoyarsk, but I’m always happy to admire its beautiful buildings”, said Nikolay.
“During the year, I took an active part in conferences, won victories in all-Russian Olympiads, and therefore was among those who went on this trip. Krasnoyarsk is a city with a beautiful history. And I also felt proud of my native Norilsk, because at different times it had a significant influence on Krasnoyarsk, which we were told about during the excursion”, added another participant in the trip, Elvira Magomedova.
“The school tourism program has been operating in our region for the third year and is becoming very popular. This year, the trips are financed from the regional budget; the project is supported by the regional governor, Mikhail Kotyukov. Thanks to the participation of a large industrial enterprise, the program became available to schoolchildren from remote areas. It is very important for us that as many children as possible can travel, explore their native land and make new friends. The social certificates project will continue within the framework of the new state tourism development program for 2025–2030,” said Taras Yaskevich, head of the Krasnoyarsk region’s tourism agency.
Another 100 schoolchildren – two groups from Norilsk – will come to Krasnoyarsk with tourist certificates this spring. The Nornickel company provided financial assistance for organizing travel for 170 children and expanding the excursion program.
“Norilsk children should know their land, because the Krasnoyarsk land has enormous historical, natural and cultural potential. And northern Norilsk is its integral part. Norilsk schoolchildren, getting to know their native land, will be even more interested in its history and culture”, noted Nornickel’s vice president for federal and regional programs Andrey Grachev.
According to the Norilsk head Dmitry Karasev, the participants of the social certificate programs for tourism included schools that won the rating of educational institutions in Norilsk for the last academic year. The criterion for selecting schoolchildren was achievements in a particular field.
Let us remind you that the school tourism program has been operating in the Krasnoyarsk region since 2022. Over two years, more than 15 thousand schoolchildren travelled around the region. On the eve of spring break and the beginning of the summer season, 36 options of tourist products from 16 tour operators have been prepared for children. Residents were given 5625 social certificates. The most popular destinations are Yeniseisk, Minusinsk, Shushenskoye, Achinsk, Sharypovo.
Earlier, Taimyr schoolchildren visited Moscow and northern cities.
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Text: Angelika Stepanova, Photo: Nornickel Polar Branch’s press service
