About 500 schoolchildren and students from Nizhny Novgorod were flown to St. Petersburg on a special flight as part of the "Lessons with a Journey" project.

      Photo: Maksim Gerasimov, photo.pravda-nn.ru

      The Nizhny Novgorod tourist-educational project “Lessons with a Journey” is expanding its geography. On November 18, 2025, a special train departed from Nizhny Novgorod to St. Petersburg. Its passengers numbered about 500 schoolchildren and students who will learn about the feats of the residents and defenders of Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War.

      As emphasized by Gleb Nikitin, Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region, this time the project’s special train is being carried out jointly with the “More Than a Lesson” project. It is part of Rosmolodezh’s civic-patriotic and socially useful youth tourism program “More Than a Journey.”

      “Our flagship project ‘Lessons with a Journey’ has already become beloved by many young people of Nizhny Novgorod and their parents. Over two years we have been able to send more than 25,000 children on educational trips to Volgograd, and in May of this year about 600 schoolchildren visited Brest and Minsk in the friendly Republic of Belarus. Today the project is receiving a new phase of development and, essentially, is moving to the federal level. With the support of the all-Russian program ‘More Than a Journey’ and the national project ‘Youth and Children,’ today we are sending almost 500 young people from Nizhny Novgorod to St. Petersburg,” the governor said.

      The head of the region noted that this trip, like the special train to the Republic of Belarus, was organized under the aegis of the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory and the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland.

      “As someone born in St. Petersburg, it is personally very meaningful to me that our children will become more familiar with the great past and present of the heroic city. The trip program includes acquaintance with different historical eras, including the tragedy of the Siege and the feat of its breaking. I am sure the journey will inspire children to study history even more deeply, strengthen their pride in their Fatherland. The overarching goal of our project is to help children grow into true patriots of their country, to be worthy of the memory of our ancestors and, of course, to study and work for the prosperity of Russia!” Gleb Nikitin stressed.

      The children were seen off at the station by Andrey Checherin, Deputy Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region; Stanislav Kireev, Deputy Head of the ANO “More Than a Journey”; Sergey Dorofeevsky, head of the Gorky Railway — a branch of JSC Russian Railways (RZD); Sergey Yakovlev, Minister of Tourism and Crafts of Nizhny Novgorod Region; Mikhail Puchkov, Minister of Education and Science of the region; and Svetlana Anufrieva, Minister of Youth Policy of Nizhny Novgorod Region.

      “The dispatch of a new special train for the ‘Lessons with a Journey’ project is a momentous event, and I wholeheartedly congratulate the children and, of course, their parents! Dear schoolchildren, dear students, you are the pride of Nizhny Novgorod Region! This trip is your reward; you earned it through your achievements in studies, sports and patriotic work. I wish you unforgettable impressions and, upon returning home, be sure to share them with your peers. Remember that respect for your history, for your roots, and love for our Motherland is the most important thing,” Andrey Checherin addressed the young people of Nizhny Novgorod.

      As Stanislav Kireev noted, studying the country’s cultural heritage should be part of the educational process. Such a trip will be a real history lesson for the children.

      “Studying key events of the past, traditions and achievements of outstanding individuals while visiting places where history was made helps young people understand our national culture, strengthen the sense of connection between generations and express respect for elders and their experience. These values form the basis of genuine patriotism, which motivates the younger generation to actively participate in preserving our historical and cultural wealth,” he said.

      According to the regional Ministry of Education and Science, participants in the trip include children from various parts of Nizhny Novgorod Region: tenth-graders from 50 schools and first-year students from 15 colleges and technical schools. Among the young travelers are winners and prize-winners of the regional and final stages of the All-Russian Schoolchildren Olympiad, participants in the All-Russian gathering of activists of the “Post No. 1” movement, the All-Russian military-patriotic game “Zarnitsa 2.0,” the Yunarmiya military-patriotic gathering “Gvardeets” of the Volga Federal District (PFO), the Spartakiad of cadet corps of the PFO “Cadet of the Volga,” the All-Russian contest of local-history research and project works “Fatherland: history, culture, nature, ethnos,” the All-Russian festival of museum exhibitions of educational organizations “No Statute of Limitations,” the public project “Heroes of the Fatherland,” and other competitions.

      During the trip, teacher-mentors will conduct history lessons on the train. The children will be given special workbooks — with their help they will be able to better retain the material.

      Children and teachers shared their expectations for the trip.

      “Our cadets are future servicemen, future officers, future defenders of the Fatherland. For participation in the trip we selected the best of the best. We are taking these children to St. Petersburg so that they study history, know history and truly love their Motherland. The ‘Lessons with a Journey’ project is very necessary. I have already accompanied children on educational trips to Volgograd — it was very interesting! I am sure it will be interesting this time too,” said Zapir Rabadanov, senior educator of the Nizhny Novgorod Cadet School named after Hero of Russia Igor Vladimirovich Gurov.

      “I have not been to Petersburg yet. I believe everyone should know their country’s history. I’m very interested to see the sights and learn about the city’s history,” said Aleksandr Andryushchenko, a tenth-grade student of the Cadet Boarding School named after Hero of the Russian Federation A. N. Rozhkov.

      Recall that the interregional tourist-educational project “Lessons with a Journey” started in November 2023 at the initiative of the parent community of Nizhny Novgorod Region. The project received support from the governors of Nizhny Novgorod and Volgograd Regions, Gleb Nikitin and Andrey Bocharov. In turn, the organization of the project’s special train to Minsk and Brest was supported by the President of the Republic of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko.

      The implementation of the project makes it possible to develop youth tourism. This is one of the tasks fulfilled by the new national project “Tourism and Hospitality,” initiated by President of Russia Vladimir Putin.

      Note:

      The Rosmolodezh program “More Than a Journey,” created on the instruction of President of Russia Vladimir Putin, is implemented within the framework of the national project “Youth and Children” and promotes useful youth tourism. Through trips across regions, hikes and excursions, young people develop a civic identity, patriotism and social responsibility toward the Motherland.

      In 2025 the ANO “More Than a Journey” is implementing the special project “More Than a Lesson,” dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Its goal is to preserve the historical memory of the Great Patriotic War, to form civic responsibility and patriotism among the younger generation through practice-oriented activities and participation in tourist trips.

      In 2025 representatives from five regions of the country are participating in the project, including Nizhny Novgorod Region. In 2026–2028 the initiative is planned to be scaled up nationwide.

      The project provides for themed classes in schools, colleges and technical schools, as well as lessons during trips to destinations. In addition, an excursion program is being developed for participants with visits to museums and memorial sites in Russian cities.