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News, August 2008.

Schoolchildren, participants in the Alcoa Foundation Program “We Are Responsible for the Future” joined the summer environmental expedition 2008 Zhigulyovskiye Wilderness

These children, participants in the Alcoa Sustainability and Conservation Program for Russia “We Are Responsible for the Future” (2008-2009), became members of an expedition organized by the Zapovedniki Ecological and Education Center (Moscow), the Public Regional Fund and the Samarskaya Luka National Park (Zhigulyovsk, Samara Oblast).

The summer environmental expedition 2008 Zhigulyovskiye Wilderness that was carried out in the Samarskaya Luka National Park was attended by 18 students from the cities of Samara, Zhigulyovsk and Kaliningrad.

Along with traditional training in ornithology, hydrobiology, botanics, forest science and excursions to nature monuments located around the Shelekhmet Shelter, the participants took part in interactive master classes “Social Project Development” conducted by the staff of the Fund for Sustainable Development, during which the children became acquainted with the phases and procedures of designing projects and with programs of public organizations and also shared their expreince of volunteer activities and developed their own social projects.

The schoolchildren demonstrated not only their understanding of the significance of public projects and techniques of social project development, but knowledge of critical youth issues and of the need in an environmental movement. The following projects reflecting local concerns were created and defended: “Youth Environmental Newspaper Friends of the City Park” and “Environmental Education in Schools”. These projects may be further elaborated and submitted to the next Alcoa Foundation contest of projects.

In the new school year, the students who went on the environmental expedition to Samarskaya Luka will make their contributions and bring new ideas to social projects supported by Alcoa Foundation under the We Are Responsible for the Future Program (2008-2009) that is being implemented in Samara.

Students from School # 162 in Samara – participants in the Alcoa Foundation Program “We Are Responsible For the Future” – became members of the summer environmental expedition 2008 Zhigulyovskiye Wilderness. From left to right: Katya Dorofeyeva, Katya Naumova, Vasilisa Konstantinova and Dmitry Andrianovs with their teacher I.Konstantinova

Irina Konstantinova, biology teacher from School # 162 in Samara “Our participation in the We Are Responsible for the Future Program not only provided us with excellent conditions for self-realization and environmental education for children and adults, but gave us a chance to come to know like-minded people. An excellent example of such interaction is the participation of our students in the environmental expedition 2008 Zhigulyovskiye Wilderness organized by the Zapovedniki Ecological and Education Center jointly with the Samarskaya Luka National Park. Katya Naumova 10th A Grade from School # 162: “Under the We Are Responsible For the Future Program I took part in the project “Monitoring Small Rivers and Sources, Volga River triturates, in Samara Oblast”. I visited many places I have never been to before and learned a lot of interesting things. I saw many lovely places for recreation and how polluted they were. It will not be easy to clean them. But the main thing is that thanks to the expedition, began to feel a responsibility to the future generation for the condition of our nature.”

The participants in the expedition occupy their tents. There are so many interesting things awaiting them!	Creating new social youth projects
The location of the expedition – Samarskaya Luka National Park founded in 1984. It is a unique area formed by a bend of the Volga River in its middle reaches and boasting nearly 200 nature and historical monuments, including Zhigulyovskiye Mountains whose average height is nearly 300 m.

An excursion to the local sight – mountain Vislyi Kamen