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“Sholokhov Source” Originates Knowledge, Inspiration and Discoveries

On 26 of April, 2017, the First Round of the XVIII Rally of the children and youth environmental movement “Sholokhov Source” took place in Sholokhov country. The Rally was themed “The Environment Around Us”

For 18 years young ecologists from Russia and near foreign countries have been gathering together to study and promote the creative heritage of M.A.Sholokhov, the wildlife of the Don region, the history and traditions of the Don Cossacks. Form year to year the number of the movement participants increased and their geography expanded. “Sholokhov Source” has become a source of knowledge and inspiration for the whole generation of young ecologists.

For 18 years the rally has been joined by over three thousand people from 62 regions. And it is significant that “Sholokhov Source” attracts new partners. This year, among the organizers and partners of the Rally there is the Deputy of the State Duma A.M.Sholokhov and the representatives of the Nongovernmental V.Vernadsky Environmental Foundation – LLC “Gazprom Volgograd Transgaz”.

The opening ceremony of the First Round of the XVIII Rally of the children and youth environmental movement “Sholokhov Source” took place in the farmstead of T.A.Karghin in Stanitsa Karghinskaya. There were 13 teams from the Rostov, Volgograd, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Kaluga regions, the Krasnodar Territory, the republics of Kabardino-Balkaria, Mari El and the Lugansk People’s Republic. (The Rally was joined by the winners of the International contest of research works of the children and youth environmental movement “Sholokhov Source” held before the Rally).

The young ecologists were greeted by T.V.Avgusmanova, leader of the educational programs of the Nongovernmental V.I.Vernadsky Environmental Foundation, A.S.Pekhtashev, Head of the Kalininsky LLC “Gazprom Volgograd Transgaz”, and T.Y.Turchin, Deputy Head for Economic and Environmental Activity of the Museum-Reserve of M.A.Sholokhov.

The Rally program was informative and interesting: the members had a lot to discuss, to share with each other and compete in the contests.

The children saw the famous Sandy Mound, where Misha Sholokhov was fond of playing with his friends. They passed by the route “Karghin Trails of Sholokhov’s Heroes” and answered the questions of the environmental quiz, submitted their creative land-art projects of the original landscape design of their

plots in the environmental literary forest park area “Pearl of Eurasia”, which aroused interest of the Rally organizers.

In the contest “The Time to Gather Stones” the teams’ representatives defended with honour “their” stones symbolizing the literary contribution of their region. Now these stones, each bearing the words from the works of writers and poets, will replenish the Flower Garden of Friendship on the territory of the Museum-Reserve of M.A.Sholokhov. In the competition “The Second Breath” the children demonstrated original handicraft articles made of waste thus giving the second life to their old things. The children gave their handicraft articles to the museum of “Sholokhov Source”.

Especially interesting was the work of the team from Kabardino-Balkaria “Donkey with a Cart”. This is a kind of illustration to one of the poems by the Balkarian poet and prose writer Kaisyn Kuliyev. The children gave a piece of interesting information about the acquaintance of M.A.Sholokhov and Kaisyn Kuliyev and presented the Museum with a photo of the Kabardino-Balkarian delegation of writers during their visit to Mikhail Alexandrovich.

The Rally members successfully defended their research works, made a tour about the mill complex of T.A.Karghin, attended the exhibition “My Path to School…” based on the parochial school, where in 1912–1914, Misha Sholokhov studied, and answered the questions of the literary quiz.

For the first time within the rally there was held a “round table” for the teams’ leaders and teachers to discuss modern problems of environmental education, prospects for solving them as a guarantee of sustainable development of the regions of Russia. The session was held by T.V.Avgusmanova, leader of the educational programs of the Nongovernmental V.Vernadsky Environmental Foundation.

The First Round of the XVIII Rally of the movement “Sholokhov Source” ended with awarding ceremony of the winners and laureates of the competitions and quizzes.

In the overall standings, the 1st place was awarded to the team of secondary school No 40 of Voronezh, the 2nd place – to the “Environmental and Biological Centre” of Kabardino-Balkaria, the 3d place was awarded to the team of Kruzhilin secondary school, the Rostov Region.

The winners were invited for the International Rally of the children and youth environmental movement “Sholokhov Source” which will be held in summer of 2017.

Tatyana Balak