Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
For several years, the student activist team "Tutor Force" has been successfully and diligently assisting international students, immersing them in the Russian environment and facilitating their adaptation. In 2026, the group will celebrate its 10th anniversary. To celebrate this anniversary, a new inter-university project has been launched: "10th Anniversary of the Tutor Faculty."
The project focuses on mentoring and tutoring international students. It's a comprehensive initiative with multi-level activities and stages that will be implemented during the spring semester with the support of the Department of Youth Policy and the Graduate School of International Educational Programs (HSIEEP).
Project objectives:
Developing a mentoring system; creating a sustainable system for transferring experience and knowledge; enhancing the skills of activists necessary for working with foreign contingents; and ensuring long-term and stable adaptation work.
At the beginning of the new semester, the team announced the launch of the "Tutor School." During the recruitment process, international students from the Preparatory Faculty of the Higher School of International Education, the Humanities Institute (HI), and the Institute of Industrial Management, Economics, and Trade (IPMEIT) were briefed on the opportunities offered by the association.
The candidates completed interviews and attended introductory lectures, where they were able to get to know the team better and gain a practical understanding of how the group works. The final stage will involve developing and defending a team project.
As part of the "Tutor School," activists were assigned to academic groups of international students. Throughout February, introductory and organizational meetings were held between international students and their tutors, where they met and interacted with each other to establish a strong relationship throughout the semester. Each academic group will be offered informal meetings, excursions to the Polytechnic Museum, where they will learn about the university's history and traditions, and career-oriented campus tours to help them successfully build their future careers.
During the first stage, to boost motivation, support team spirit, and give association members the opportunity to develop, a joint training session was organized with the Youth Policy Department. Participants included Maxim Pasholikov, Vice Rector for Information, Youth Policy, and Security; Ivan Khlamov, Head of the Youth Policy Department; Pavel Nedelko, Assistant Vice Rector for International Affairs; Andrey Dolgirev, Director of the Center for Youth Trajectories; and Vladimir Migunov, Administrator of the Center for Youth Trajectories.
Everyone was delighted to see the leadership among their friends, get to know each other better, and simply have a pleasant and engaging evening. Participants discussed the community's development trajectories, the team's growth areas, shared the association's proudest moments, and reminisced about its major achievements over the past ten years.
"The strategic sessions format for working with communities was recently introduced, but it's already bearing fruit," emphasized Maxim Pasholikov. "This helps the students view their activities from the perspective of the community's leadership, as well as the university's perspective. Based on the sessions' results, it's important to establish the community's development vector and ambitions for the near future. The university creates an environment for the students' development and doesn't manage the communities; rather, it creates mechanisms for fostering mutually beneficial partnerships."
"For the tutor community, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, it's crucial to align ourselves, building on our many years of experience, and identify new challenges and goals," noted Ivan Khlamov. "I'd like to point out that the community includes new members who have recently joined and offer ideas for development, as well as those who have already gone some distance and understand the importance of establishing a mission for sustainability in the future. The session's results showed a very strong engagement from the members—this means the community has a bright future."
"The strategy session for Tutor Force marks a new level," says Pavel Nedelko. "The session was attended by key university youth policy leaders, with whom the tutors were able to discuss their concerns in an open dialogue. The tutors were promised support, which should undoubtedly boost the students' ambitions."
"It's great that the student association leaders are open to us, and we have the opportunity to see how active our students are," shared Andrey Dolgirev. "The students care about how Polytechnic University is developing, and they do a lot to make us a better university. It's great that we can work on great projects together, offering advice, and sometimes adopting best practices from students. Yes, we have a lot to learn from them too! That's what meetings like these are for."
"I'm delighted by the genuine interest and commitment to growth not only among new and existing members of the association, but also among the university department heads, who not only provide us with key methodological support throughout the year but also actively participate in the community's life in a friendly manner. This inspires the activists themselves and helps us gain an outside perspective on our successes and shortcomings," added Gupta Vedant, a student from India and president of the Tutor Force association. "A strategy session can be considered successful if its participants draw at least one conclusion to reflect on, and if they know what to strive for. Reflection, along with team discussion, is essential—this is the key to success."
In February, tutors also held several events: a Russian conversation club, a Chinese New Year celebration, and Maslenitsa.
A whole semester lies ahead, during which activists will attend training sessions, participate in an inter-university conference, and travel to Kholomki.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
