2013 SU Update: Secondary Specialized Education Institutions entrusted with Training of City Volunteers and Volunteers in Service Sector

KAZAN – The question about secondary specialized education institutions getting involved in the preparation for the 2013 Summer Universiade was first raised almost a year ago. Technical schools and colleges responded to the call of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate to introduce lessons of the Universiade to the academic program and to increase the English lesson hours and today they have reported the first results of the work conducted in this area.

Signing a cooperation agreement is also scheduled for January, 2012. It is expected that students of secondary specialized education establishments will be added to the ranks of city volunteers and volunteers in the service sector. This issue was on the agenda of the session of the Presidium of the Council of Directors of secondary specialized education establishments of the Republic of Tatarstan that took place on November 30. Executives of technical schools and colleges were offered to view the presentation of the joint plan of action for the year 2012 aimed to promote the Universiade and train volunteers for the 27th Summer Universiade in Kazan. The program is designed to facilitate the creation of the concept of educative events and ensure students’ involvement in interactive extracurricular activities, participation in various contests purposed to encourage young people to follow a healthy way of life, to bring physical education in fashion, to trigger students’ interest and enthusiasm for the Universiade.

«Thousands of visitors that arrive in hosts cities of international championships first of all deal with people working in the service sector and tourists’ general impression of citizens and of the city as a whole will be formed based on the interaction with them. Presently, the Universiade Directorate conducts work in the area of education and secondary specialized education establishments of the republic are of great help here. The cooperation started a year ago and now it has become systematic», said Farida Garifullina, Director of the Educational Institutions and Non-Profit Organizations Relations Department.

On December 7 representatives of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate attended the conference Practice-Oriented Component of Secondary Vocational Education in Modern Context and Its Methodological Support hosted by Kazan CooperativeTechnical School, studied educational resources of the school and discussed possible cooperation prospects. The conference that gathered executives of secondary specialized education establishments from all over the Volga Federal District featured the presentation of the 2013 Summer Universiade and Kazan 2013 volunteer selection program. A presentation was also provided by the conference’s organizers during which engineering students demonstrated their skills as English-speaking volunteer waiters during the Games.

Another important event, the workshop for education work deputy directors, was held on December 9-10 as part of the program of work with secondary specialized education establishments. The event was organized by the Children and Youth Committee of the city ofKazanand Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate. The workshop was moderated by Vladimir Dergunov, Chairman of the Children and Youth Organizations Federation of the Republic of Tatarstan, an honorable worker in the sphere of youth policy of theRussian Federationand creator of popular projects and programs for children, young people and teachers. At the end of the workshop, the results were summed up and letters of gratitude were awarded to secondary specialized education establishments for their active involvement in development and implementation of the Team 2013 project. Needless to say, projects related to the preparation for the University Games are always met with huge enthusiasm by specialized secondary education establishments. One of the most dramatic examples is the Team 2013 volunteer project that was launched in the spring of 2011 for students of Kazan’s technical schools and colleges.

(Source: Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate)