25 March 2019 New Space for Learning, Communication and Creativity A co-working centre for youth opened at the National Library of the Komi Republic on Sunday. The establishment of the centre became possible when the Legion of the Smart Project won the 2018 Russian Presidential grant.
The opening ceremony was attended by Natalia Yakimova, the Minister of Education, Science and Youth Policy of the Komi Republic, and Aleksey Prosuzhikh, the Deputy Minister of Investment, Industry and Transport of the Komi Republic. Together with director of the library Olga Miftakhova, they cut the red ribbon marking the official opening of the centre. The Sunday programme at the library included a number of interactive activities for young visitors of the library with a focus on creativity and fun learning. Whole families were engaged in making paper crafts, having intellectual quests and learning computer skills. Smaller guests had lessons in speed-reading, programming and toy design.
The Komi Regional Centre for Financial Competence organized a case study game training the participants in taking the right financial decisions and building protection against swindlers.
A workshop on the topic of digital economy and professional training in the future was introduced by Yulia Manayenkova, the manager for strategic development and external communication at the Academy of Civil Service and Management. Another speaker on the Sunday programme was pediatrician Denis Zhelezov who talked about schoolchildren's health giving tips on how to increase concentration, relief fatigue and build studying capacity. The attending parents were able to ask specific questions about their children's diets and regimes discussing how to boost their energy potential in spring. The newly-opened co-working centre will operate within the Department of Patents, Technical and Economic Literature. The department facilities had been renovated to fit the new tasks; new furniture, net books and an interactive screen were bought to equip a multifunctional space for learning, leisure and creativity. The centre will also offer consultations on issues of intellectual property and entrepreneurship, organize workshops and lectures, assist in locating the required literature and provide all sort of support to the young visitors. The services offered at the centre are free for children under 18.
In total, by the end of 2019, 16 similar co-working centres will open in the Komi Republic. They will be based on municipal and district libraries with the main objective to popularize intellectual activities among young learners and support development of entrepreneurial skills.
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