International Friendship Club preparing to celebrate 50th anniversary
A press conference was held on 7 November at Tatar-Inform agency.
The event was attended by Vice-Rector for International Affairs Timirkhan Alishev and featured Club activists from the 1980s – Marina Useinova, Rezeda Safiullina, and Tatyana Bespalova.
Dr Alishev commented, “This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Friendship and Solidarity Club. Today it is called the International Friendship Club and unites international students of Kazan Federal University, of whom there are over 12 thousand from more than 100 countries. The Club’s task is to contribute to the creation of favorable conditions for adaptation of international students, to ensure their interaction with students from different countries, including Russia. The club contributes to the study of the Russian language and traditions by foreign students, the rules of stay in the Russian Federation and at the University, ensuring their educational and scientific socialization.” Notably, KFU is second after RUDN University in Russia by the number of international students.
Tour guide Marina Useinova talked about the Club’s establishment and its first steps back in the day. Ms Safiullina and Ms Bespalova also shared their memories of the Club’s life in the 1980s.
“Today, students from almost all countries represented at Kazan University take an active part in the Сlub’s activities. It is headed by a representative of Turkmenistan. The club has a room where meetings are regularly held. A student science union, called Polimirie [Multi-World], is a part of the Club. Today the union communicates not only on general political and educational topics. Along with cultural adaptation, it is very important for us to involve foreign students in scientific activities. At the meetings, they make reports in which they tell about their scientific work,” continued the Vice-Rector.
A meeting of International Friendship Club is scheduled for Friday, 10 November. Dr Alishev invited everyone to join. In conclusion, he talked about the upcoming 220th anniversary of Kazan University, to be celebrated in November 2024.