MINISTRY OF EDUCATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS

This season, nearly 6,000 health camps of various types operated, hosting approximately 400,000 children. Viktor Dovnar, Head of the Main Directorate for Ideological, Educational Work, and Youth Policy at the Ministry of Education, announced this to journalists today.

The summer health camp campaign is drawing to a close, and with the remaining week until September 1st, preliminary results can be summarized. "This season, nearly 6,000 health camps of various types operated, hosting approximately 400,000 children. These included 24-hour and permanent camps, as well as school camps. Tent camps, including military-patriotic ones, were particularly popular this year – approximately 650 of them operated, hosting approximately 25,000 children," said Viktor Dovnar.

The children not only spent their vacations in country and school camps but also actively worked. One form of such employment was work and recreation camps, where approximately 18,000 teenagers were able to combine leisure with work, earning their first capital. "Student brigades have also proven to be in demand – more than 4,500 of these brigades have already completed their work, providing employment opportunities for approximately 66,000 young people since the beginning of the year. Of these, 22,000 were underage schoolchildren who also participated in student brigades," the head of the main department reported.

Student brigades are very popular, with young people actively participating in agricultural student brigades, where assistance is especially needed. Pedagogical brigades have also been particularly in demand this year, offering students from teacher training universities the opportunity not only to complete internships but also to stay and work at the camps, earning money. Service brigades, which provide cleaning services for various organizations, have also been active this year. Traditionally, teams working at large enterprises in the country, such as the Minsk Automobile Plant and Atlant, are popular. "As for wages, they vary depending on the type of work, but on average, the guys earned between 400 and 1,500 rubles," added Viktor Dovnar.

Furthermore, young people actively participated in international events during the summer. "In order to more clearly organize children's travel outside of Belarus, Resolution No. 423 of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus was adopted on August 20, defining the procedure for minors' travel outside the country. This resolution will enter into force one month after its publication. It clearly outlines the requirements for organizers, the necessary documents for organizing the trip, and the government agencies that will coordinate the procedure for children's travel outside the country. Furthermore, the document stipulates liability for organizers involved in the travel of minors, as well as safety measures that must be observed during the trip," stated Viktor Dovnar.

The resolution specifies that the presence of statutory documents is a mandatory requirement. Organizers will be required to provide a program for the children's stay outside of Belarus, including participation in events, competitions, and contests. They will also be required to describe in detail the children's itinerary. Important requirements include insurance and parental permission to travel abroad, as well as information on all planned transfers and methods of transporting the children. Furthermore, the document also sets clear deadlines: all necessary documents must be submitted to government agencies for travel approval no later than 30 days before the planned date.