Imagine: a group of young Russians comes to a school in Peru, Cuba or Armenia - and in a week turns boring Russian lessons into a real holiday. The children learn the alphabet through games, taste pancakes, play with spoons and laugh at Russian proverbs. This is not fiction - this is the work of Russian language ambassadors.
«Ambassadors of the Russian Language in the World» is a kind international volunteer program that has been helping foreigners to love our language for 10 years. It was launched by the Pushkin Institute, and during this time more than 350 volunteers have traveled to 25 countries and inspired more than 70 thousand schoolchildren and students to learn Russian!
The main idea is simple: people learn the language not from a textbook, but through live communication, smiles and shared emotions. As one of the first ambassadors says: «We don't teach grammar - we open the door to the world of the Russian soul.
What do ambassadors do in practice?
Expeditions last from a week to a couple of months. Russian language volunteers travel to schools, universities and even summer camps and turn lessons into an adventure. Instead of «repeat after me» - games, songs, matryoshka doll master classes, pelmeni tasting and stories about Pushkin.
It is especially valuable that foreigners communicate with real native speakers from different Russian cities - from Sochi to Vladivostok. For foreigners who are already learning Russian, this is a chance to hear live speech, not just academic phrases. And for beginners, it is the first step towards discovering a new culture.
All trips are accompanied by experienced teachers who help to adapt cultural programs to local children. The result is not «we came to teach», but «let's make friends and get to know each other».
How do you become an ambassador and why is it necessary?
The program accepts students and young professionals from 18 to 35 years old who love the Russian language and want to share it. Every year, thousands of people apply for the competition - the most sincere and talented are selected. Before the trip, everyone is prepared: they are taught how to explain words without translation, how to play with children and how to talk about Russia in a way that is interesting.
Why it's worth it.
First - traveling and making new friends all over the world.
Secondly - skills that will be useful in any profession: the ability to talk to different people, improvise, inspire.
But the main thing is the feeling that you are doing something important. You are not just a volunteer - you are an ambassador of kindness and culture.
What does the future hold for the program?
Every year the popularization of the Russian language through this program becomes more and more interesting and large-scale. Methodologists come up with new formats: lessons about space, Russian rock, fairy tales of the peoples of Russia. Perhaps soon there will be whole textbooks based on these expeditions.
For parents, this initiative is a good example that language is not a rote learning of rules. It is a living thread that binds people together. When a child sees that his mother tongue modern language is interested in boys from Ecuador or girls from Cuba - he starts to take real pride in it.
The Russian language is very interesting and diverse. It has many peculiarities and nuances. For example, in different CIS countries its own accent and special words. And you can learn it only through live communication and sincere interest.
Becoming an ambassador means not lecturing, but giving people the joy of discovery. And when a Cuban schoolchild says «thank you» with a smile for the first time, you realize that language unites better than any borders.
