From May 13 to May 16, the VI Volga Region Educational Camp for International Students took place at the Chistye Prudy sports complex, in which representatives of 11 countries of the world took part. The organizers of POLIS were the Department of Student Affairs, International Education Office, and the International Students Association of the Penza Region. “The purpose of the camp is to develop practical skills in socially significant project activities for international students to effectively adapt to studying at Russian universities. I am very glad that our students are full of initiative, creative and willing to create and develop in different directions,” said Gleb Sintsov, Vice-Rector for International Affairs.

For three days, the students took part in trainings and workshops: they were engaged in team building and developed communication skills, learned to manage their time and deal with conflicts, learned the basics of public speaking and acting. For three days, the young people were accompanied by mentors. For the first time, Sahakanush Muradyan was one of them. “Last year I was a member of POLIS: I went through trainings, gained experience and knowledge. And this year I have a new role as a curator. Not only is it responsible and difficult, but also very interesting: we had to unite international students from different countries of the world with different mentalities into one big international team,” Saakanush shared her impressions.

In 2022, the POLIS camp hosted a meeting with the leadership and heads of departments of the International Education Office, the Institute of International Cooperation. “The so-called “direct dialogue” makes it possible to identify issues that concern students in various areas of their lives - educational, social, everyday life - and promptly begin to address them,” said Sergey Ivanchin, Head of the International Education Office.

A rich three-day programme ended with a defence procedure: the participants were divided into creative groups to prepare and present their own projects aimed at improving the lives of international students. "POLIS is a platform that brings together representatives of different countries, where they become a real team and subsequently form the asset of the Institute of International Cooperation," emphasized the organizers of the educational camp.