Altai State University became one of the sites of the Interregional research competition “My Ethnic Roots”
From November 25 to 26, the 25th Interregional Research Competition “My Ethnic Roots” was held in Altai Krai, organized by the center “Germans in Altai”, Altai State University and Altai State Pedagogical University.
Director of the Center “Germans in Altai” Tatyana Khaustova and Deputy Chairman of the International Union of German Culture, Chairman of the Interregional Coordination Council of the Germans of Western Siberia, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Regional National-Cultural Autonomy of the Altai Germans Georgy Klassen greeted the participants and wished them fruitful work.
The competition took place in two stages. On the first day of the competition, November 25, the contestants worked at the Institute of History and International Relations of Altai State University, where they were greeted by Ivan Nazarov, Director of the Institute of International Relations. The children demonstrated their knowledge of the history, ethnography and culture of Russia Germans, completed test tasks and wrote reflective essays. In addition, the competition participants took part in a historical quiz and attended a tour of the German part of the Museum of History and Local Lore of the Altai Pedagogical University.
On the second day of the competition, November 26, the defense of schoolchildren’s research projects took place at the Center for Cultural and Business Cooperation “Germans in Altai”. The guys gave presentations about their work. The topics of the submitted works revealed the history of the Germans from Russia and Altai, they demonstrated how ethnic traditions in individual villages and families are preserved.
The work of the children was evaluated by a jury consisting of Ivan Nazarov, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Director of the Institute of International Relations of Altai State University, Vladimir Matis, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor of Altai State Pedagogical University, and Arkady Kontev, Candidate of Historical Sciences, an associate professor of Altai State Pedagogical University.
The winners received certificates and valuable gifts from the organizers, and all mentors and teachers were given letters of gratitude.
“As part of the cooperation agreements concluded, the center “Germans in Altai”, together with Altai State University and Altai State Pedagogical University, carries out a lot of work with talented youth. This is what the “Historу Club” classes and the “My Ethnic Roots” competition are aimed at. The competition has been held for 25 years. In recent years, one can see how the skills of teachers who engage in research work with children in rural areas have grown. It is worth noting that the works of schoolchildren at the competition, have become better. It is important to note that the topics of research projects have diversified. They cover not only the history of an individual or entire families, but are also dedicated to the history of individual enterprises, villages, and the traditions of the German people. This time, the guys demonstrated good results in the test part and when writing essays, and also showed a high level of preparation in defending their projects. It’s nice that children of different ages and different nationalities from several regions of Siberia are engaged in this process. It is clear from the work that people who truly love their small homeland are passionate about this. Aspiring historians, having gone through the tests of the “My Ethnic Roots” competition, showed their best. I hope that upon completion of school they will continue their research as students, including at our Institute of History and International Relations,” commented Ivan Nazarov.