Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Official website of the State –
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Students of the State University of Management visited the II International Dostoevsky Student Camp in the Kaluga Region, which operated within the framework of the IV Spiritual and Educational Project “Days of Dostoevsky in Optina Pustyn 2025”.
The project is dedicated to the memory of an important event in the writer’s spiritual life and his work: on July 7, 1878, Fyodor Dostoevsky visited Optina Pustyn for the first time, where his meeting with the venerable elder Ambrose summed up the writer’s many years of spiritual and creative quest, and the elder himself became the prototype of the elder Zosima in the writer’s novel The Brothers Karamazov.
This year, the tent camp welcomed more than 200 participants from 17 universities in Russia and Belarus, and citizens of 24 countries.
At the official opening, the participants of the spiritual and educational project were addressed by the monastery’s abbot Bishop Joseph, the governor of the Kaluga region, a graduate of the State University of Management Vladislav Shapsha, the writer’s great-great-grandson Alexey Dostoevsky, and also by video address by the head of the Russian Book Union Sergey Stepashin. After the official part, students of the universities, who were participating in the event for the first time, planted trees on the alley of oaks.
As part of the three-day program, the participants went on an excursion to Optina Pustyn, took part in the historical quest “Along the Route of the Pilgrims of the 19th Century,” during which they completed tasks based on Old Slavonic games and amusements, rafted on a pontoon across the Zhizdra River, walked along the historical pilgrimage trail that has existed for more than 3 centuries, and attended motivational meetings and discussions with famous people.
Nikita Smirnov, a student of the State and Municipal Administration program, shared his impressions of the trip: “The Dostoevsky Camp was not just an event for me, but a real intellectual and spiritual discovery. This is a place where bright, thinking people from different parts of the world meet, where discussions are born that inspire the search for deep meanings, and where every day gives something valuable. This is a place where meanings are truly born. Now these days, filled with live communication and joint discoveries, will forever remain in my memory.”
“Our trip was a pleasant discovery, accompanied by new meetings, gaining new knowledge about Russian culture and Orthodoxy, its role in the life of a Russian person and its significance for the current and future generations. Optina Pustyn is certainly not so much a historical center as a cultural one, where since the 12th century people have gathered and continue to gather, tirelessly fighting for enlightenment and the development of spirituality in people, for the opportunity to introduce people to God’s commandments,” added Dmitry Kamchatov, a student of the Economics program.
Diana Mikhailova, a student in the Economics program, confirmed: “The trip to Optina Pustyn was a truly unforgettable event for students from many countries, and the camp itself was located in a very picturesque area. There were many excursions and events aimed at both cultural development and bringing students from different universities closer together. Thanks to the camp program, many students understood such spiritual values as kindness, love for God, for one’s neighbor, for the Motherland.”
A student of the Banking and Digital Banking program, Lyubov Aleksandrovskaya, noted the high level of organization of the project: “I would like to express my gratitude to all the organizers: the Bishop and the brethren for their prayers, the hosts, photographers, invited speakers, sponsors, the director, DJs, volunteers, representatives of the security structure, who modestly, but faithfully and reliably did their job. It seems to me that the unique atmosphere in the camp is due to the fact that everyone in their place works sincerely, with soul, with a kind attitude to everyone around them. And, of course, thanks to the guys. Thank you for these wonderful 5 days to everyone, and prosperity to the project!”
The participation of students of the State University of Management in the project became possible thanks to cooperation with the rector of the Church of St. Andrew Bogolyubsky in Volzhsky, Father Kirill. Let us recall that the State University of Management also holds patriotic events, meetings with heroes of the SVO, talks about marriage and family, and sends dry souls and trench candles made by students to the front as part of the “GUU – SVOim” campaign.
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