The International Camp for students of philology from different countries has ended at NNGU.

      The event was organized on the initiative and with financial support from the "Russian World" Foundation.

      On August 1, 2025, at the Institute of Philology and Journalism (IFIJ) of Nizhny Novgorod State University named after N.I. Lobachevsky, the summer session of the International Youth Summer Camp for future philologists concluded with a grand ceremony. Among the participants were 23 students and two teachers from Serbia, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

      The event was held on the initiative and with financial support from the "Russian World" Foundation. NNSU served as both the organizer and host. The goal of the project was to promote professional training for future teachers of Russian language and literature abroad, and to immerse them in a cultural and linguistic environment.

      Alexander Bedny, Vice-Rector for International Activities and External Relations at Lobachevsky University, addressed the camp participants: “I warmly welcome you to this wonderful assembly hall of the Institute of Philology and Journalism of NNSU — a hall connected to the history of Lobachevsky University, the history of Nizhny Novgorod, and the entire Nizhny Novgorod region. The international summer camp program we prepared was very intense. I hope it proved to be useful and enjoyable for you, providing new knowledge, insights, and impressions, because without emotions, new knowledge is poorly absorbed. I wish you success and hope that you will always remember Lobachevsky University fondly!”

      For two weeks, students established professional connections with leading IFIJ NNSU instructors, learned from their experience in teaching Russian, and explored Russia’s history and culture.

      “The main outcome of the project is that contacts were established between the students, and I hope some even formed friendships. That’s important because they represent the future: friendships among young people from different countries today are friendships among nations tomorrow. We aimed to introduce the students to the provincial, non-capital culture, which is the foundation of Russian culture as a whole. We believe we succeeded very well because the students fell in love with Nizhny Novgorod, with its people who helped them in every way,” noted Irina Abramova, Deputy Director for Educational Work at IFIJ NNSU and head of the Serbian Center.

      The guests experienced the culture and daily life of Nizhny Novgorod and the surrounding region, participating in excursions and master classes. The program included: a city tour of Nizhny Novgorod, visits to the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, the A.M. Gorky Museum-Apartment, the GAZ Museum of History, the Rukavishnikov Estate, the Shёlёkovsky Farmstead Architectural and Ethnographic Museum-Reserve, and a trip to Gorodets.

      “I am in Russia for the first time. When I arrived in Nizhny Novgorod, I couldn’t believe I was really here. It was my first time experiencing Russian culture live. I had only studied it from textbooks and pictures before, but hearing authentic Russian speech — that’s an incredible experience that I will remember for a lifetime. Our meetings and discussions were very insightful. For example, when we talked about emojis, non-verbal communication, or learned about Pushkin and Tsoi. There were many excursions. I really liked Nizhny Novgorod. I fell in love with it,” shared Katarina Pavlovic, a student from Serbia.

      Seaven Lukács, a student from Hungary, said he had long dreamed of visiting Russia. He noted that the camp program was very interesting for him. In particular, a master class dedicated to idioms and set phrases was very useful, because foreigners often find them difficult to understand.

      The closing ceremony concluded with musical performances prepared jointly by Lobachevsky University representatives and international guests.

      Earlier reports indicated that certificates were awarded to foreign graduates of the preparatory department at NNSU.