Published on: 2026-05-26
Source: Saint Petersburg State Polytechnic University of Peter the Great –
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At the Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, the results of work in the spring semester of the “School of Tutors — 2026” — an interuniversity project of the student association Tutor Forces SPbPU — were summarized. As a result of selection, training, and project defense, the team of tutors was replenished by ten new participants from various institutes of Polytechnic.
Work on the projects went on throughout the entire semester. At the first stage, the organizers held a two-day interview, in which more than 50 candidates wishing to join the team and help foreign students of the university participated.
Candidates who passed the selection were invited to a two-day training workshop. The participants got acquainted with the activities of the association and its projects, received basic knowledge necessary for further work with international students.
Then, over the course of two weeks, five teams under the guidance of experienced tutors prepared their own projects on key topics for the association: safety and tolerance, event organization, life of a foreign student, adaptation to moving to a new country. The result was the defense of projects before the university administration. The works were evaluated based on several criteria: relevance to the university, impact on youth and youth policy, feasibility, and contribution to solving specific university tasks. As a result of the defense, 10 candidates from various institutes of Politechnic became full members of the Tutor Forces team of SPbPU.
At the tutors’ council meeting, each newcomer was assigned a mentor from among the experienced members of the organization. During the week, the mentors met with their wards in an informal setting to discuss the further trajectory of development within the association and at the university. Special attention was given to the growth opportunities in the field of youth policy. Politics: for most freshmen, this information proved to be the most useful.
For any association, it is important to act in the logic of university tasks. The development of a mentorship system in the student community is a priority at the federal level, and the Youth Policy Department consistently implements this practice. Mentorship is significant not only in the professional sphere but also in volunteering: new participants have the opportunity to rely on the experience of colleagues and develop a common cause. By 2030, the development of mentorship is embedded in the state program, and we expect to use this support,” emphasized the head of the association, a student from India, Vedant Gupta.
A separate element of the program was a strategic session organized jointly with the university administration. The session included participation by the Vice-Rector for Youth Policy Maksim Pasholikov, Head of the Youth Policy Department Ivan Khlamov, Director of the Center for International Activities Andrey Dolgirev, and Assistant to the Vice-Rector for International Activities Pavel Nedelko.
The School program was completed with educational intensives aimed at developing the participants’ specialized skills. The trainings were conducted by the head of the international direction of the Public Institute “Adapters” Alisa Olenchuk, the head of the passport and visa department Elena Levitskaya; the head of the Youth Policy Department Ivan Khlamov, and the director of the Psychological Support Center Anna Kalugina.
With student communities, we conduct strategic sessions and meetings in various formats, but it is important to proceed from the interests of the students themselves. The leaders of the tutor association have a serious request for skills development in relation to their own community: they invest a lot of effort and time in creating an environment for foreign students. I think the participants managed to find additional points of support on which they will be able to rely when making decisions and developing the community,” noted Ivan Khlamov.
Tutors at Politeka have long and systematically helped foreign students adapt in Russia. Most participants are Russians, so they prepared many questions concerning the rules of stay for foreign citizens, as well as rights and obligations. During the discussion, we analyzed typical situations and jointly compiled a memo that will help tutors in their future work,” shared Elena Levitskaya.
“Tutor School — 2026” is completed, but for the renewed team, this is the beginning of active work: new participants have already started preparing the nearest projects of the association and creating an environment for foreign students of the Polytechnic.
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