On the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia, delegations from Sebezh and the Pskov region visited Verkhnedvinsk

 On the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia, Verkhnedvinsk welcomed guests - a representative delegation from Sebezh and Pskov regions of the Russian Federation. Good neighborliness has deep roots, a common history, common blood and pain. This year, like our Belarus, the Pskov region celebrates the 80th anniversary of liberation from the Nazi invaders. During the Great Patriotic War, its Sebezh region suffered the same huge losses as the Drissen region. The same punitive expedition “Winter Magic” left a bloody trail on its territory.

“ We have something to remember, something to take care of.” In a new way, together, brick by brick, laying the foundation for the unity of our countries, ” said Chairman of the Verkhnedvinsk District Executive Committee Vasily Shilov .

Representatives of the Russian Federation also spoke about this, emphasizing that our peoples have one goal, common methods for its implementation, and that we can only move forward successfully together.

In Verkhnedvinsk, a delegation of neighbors consisting of 70 representatives from education, culture, and youth organizations, led by the heads of the administrations of the Pskov and Sebezh districts Natalya Fedorova and Leonid Kursenkov, was greeted with bread and salt. The guests got acquainted with the city, its history, the work of various institutions, delved into the hosts’ experience in civil and military-patriotic education of children and adults, and shared their experiences, achievements in education and culture.

The high school students, who had the honor of receiving guests, introduced their peers to their educational institution, its traditions, presented the “Museum of the Family”, showed the history of the region in a performance consisting of small scenes dedicated to various events and dates, and delighted them with a batleyka. And then everyone planted the Friendship Tree together.

– The friendship tree will grow and symbolize the growing friendship between the youth of the two neighboring regions. Verkhnedvinsk and Sebezhsk youth equally carefully preserve the memory of those who gave their lives for the freedom of the Motherland. By meeting at the Mound of Friendship through joint actions, young people prove that together they can achieve a lot ,” noted the head of the education department from Sebezh, Sergei Vizavitov , sharing his impression of the meeting of children and teachers.

At the children and youth center there was a dialogue platform where representatives of the regions shared their experience of youth organizations. The chairman of the Verkhnedvinsk regional pioneer organization, Valentina Kornyakova, and the first secretary of the regional organization of the Belarusian Republican Youth Union, Alena Konakh, introduced the guests to the work of public organizations. The participation of young people in self-government, the organization of military-patriotic car rallies, the digitization of monuments, the student brigade movement, for which, by the way, the Verkhnedvinsk headquarters is recognized as one of the best in the region, the creation of an archive of memories of participants in the Great Patriotic War aroused keen interest among youth representatives from Sebezh. They, in turn, interested the owners in organizing a volunteer movement, training leaders in open “Dialogues”, when young people are taught to express their position on a variety of issues without prior preparation...

Discussion of issues of cultural exchange took place in the regional library and the Cultural Center. At the sports school, teams of volleyball players from Verkhnedvinsk, Miory, Shumilino and Sebezh measured their strength. The culmination of Unity Day was a rally at the Heroes' Memorial in the city square, where they remembered those who gave their lives during the liberation of the region, and laid flowers at the eternal flame and monuments on mass graves, and later a joint festive concert, in which amateur groups demonstrated their skills to the audience.

The general opinion of the guests about the meeting in Verkhnedvinsk was expressed by the director of the Sebezh-Resource information center Daria Kozyakova :

– Thank you for the warm welcome and the way the residents of the region cherish our common history. The city captivated me with its cleanliness, well-groomed monuments, streets, courtyards, and the openness of the local residents. Now we will wait for our brothers-in-arms to celebrate the 80th anniversary of liberation together.

Photo by Alexander OZERSKY 

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