ASU Hosts International Academy

Astrakhan State University has hosted the International Caspian Academy for Assistance to Young Students’ Development, which has been held as a part of the International Students Sports Day and the 300th anniversary of Astrakhan Region that is celebrated this year. The event was backed by the Ministry of Education & Science of the Russian Federation.

It was the first time that this Academy has been arranged. It was preceded by several annual events: the Caspian Forum of Foreign Students, the International Forum for Development of Students’ Exchange Programs in Sports, etc.

The distinguished guests of the Academy were Mr. Alexander Zhilkin (Governor of Astrakhan Region), Mr. Vitaliy Gutman (Minister of Education & Science of Astrakhan Region), Mr. Rustam Gaynullin (Chief of Astrakhan Region’s Agency for Youth-Related Activities), Mr. Nurymurad Rozydzhumaev (2nd Secretary of the Consulate of Turkmenistan in Astrakhan), and Mr. Kanat Shekkaliev (Consul General of Kazakhstan in Astrakhan). The key speakers were Dr. Elena Zudina (Vice Rector for Youth-Related Policy, Social Issues, and Educational Activities of Volgograd State Pedagogical University) and Prof. Elena Danilchuk (Full Professor of the Chair of Information Science & ICT Teaching Technique of the same University).

The participating students represented the following countries: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Morocco, Uzbekistan, Cameroon, Mozambique, Côte d’Ivoire, Afghanistan, Chad, and Russia.

The first day of the event saw master classes in handball, volleyball, and gateball held on open-air sports sites. The master classes were arranged by students and staff of ASU. They were followed by sports teambuilding. The teams took part in entertaining contests in individual and team sports. All the competitions were arranged so that excellent teamwork was the key factor to gain a victory, rather than just physical force. The spirit of competition helped the participants demonstrate their leadership qualities, learn to work as a team, and meet the set goals promptly and efficiently.

The event participants also visited educational sites in the Writing & Thinking Development Area – “Presentation of Sports Socialization of ASU” and “Development of Sports in Astrakhan Region”. The speakers of the seminars told about the development of sports at Astrakhan State University in particular and Astrakhan Region in general.

The second day began with the educational site “Toned-Up Brain” arranged by students of the Department of Psychology of ASU, as well as with an excursion to the Collective Application Center to Create Multimedia Content with Virtual Reality Elements. Then two other educational sites prepared by speakers of Volgograd State Pedagogical University were held. They concerned such themes as experience of this University gained in students sports and in personal information security.

The Academy was closed at the Strepet (Little Bustard) Shooting Club located near the village of Rastopulovka not far from the city of Astrakhan. The closing ceremony was preceded with a paintball contest. All the participating universities received prizes.