INRTU Student Tour Guide Courses: Meet Irkutsk Project is Funded by Rosmolodezh Grant
The School of Linguistics and Intercultural Communication jointly with INRTU Center for International Services won a grant awarded by Rosmolodezh. The Student Tour Guide Courses: Meet Irkutsk project received support in the amount of 355 thousand rubles.
In total, out of more than nine thousand projects applied for the contest by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, 607 winning projects were selected. Each project was rated by 307 experts, based on the relevance and social significance, experience and competence of the project team, uniqueness and targeting of the proposed problem solution, and other parameters.
The project mentor - Associate Professor of the Department of Foreign Languages Elena Makarova noted that the idea came up due to the cooperation on improving foreign students' social adaptation at the University and in Irkutsk between the School of Linguistics and Intercultural Communication and the Center for International Services.
"The grant funds will be spent on tour guides courses for INRTU English speaking Russian students to guide foreign students on specially designed modular routes around the university campus and Irkutsk.
Highly qualified teachers of the School of Linguistics and Intercultural Communication, with tour guides' certificate and respective work experience will be involved," said Elena Makarova.
The project manager - specialist of INRTU Center for International Services Ekaterina Lazukova emphasizes that it is really challenging for new coming non-Russian speaking foreign students to adapt to the new environment.
"With the increasing flow of foreign students from distant countries, we come to lack people to guide the new-comers over the university campus and its infrastructure.
Furthermore, when adapting to new conditions, international students become more interested in the city's cultural and social environment, as well as its recreation facilities. Overall, the School of Linguistics-jointly implemented project is sure to aid INRTU foreign students’ integration process.
After graduation the student-guides will volunteer at the Center for International Services," said Ekaterina Lazukova.
The Project's introduction to INRTU students with further enrollment for the Meet Irkutsk student guide courses is scheduled for January 2024.
Photo by INRTU press service
