The participants of eco-camp searched the most popular places for tourists nearby Berestovoe Lake in Yagodnoe rural settlement, mapped them and then collected garbage. They also installed “NO LITTERING” signs near ex-dumps.

Alyona Stepanischeva, the president of the Student Volunteer Center of ITMO University, said that the volunteer team included students from Spain, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Mexico. ITMO University launched preparations for the meeting in February 2015 together with the interregional youth social movement of voluntary initiatives support “SFERA”.

“We organized this event as an international volunteer exchange program. We are interested in such activity because unfortunately it is not popular in Russia,” said Ms. Stepanischeva.

Apart from garbage collection the program of this meeting included training activities as lectures on separate waste collection and walking tours.

“We are going to organize one more eco-camp next summer. We hope that international volunteer team activity influences inhabitants positively,” noted Alyona Stepanischeva.

The Student Volunteer Center of ITMO University also supervises other student projects like “People need you”competition and a variety of charity events and meetings.  

Aleksander Pushkash

News portal editorial office