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How Russian pensioners are teaching foreign students their language </h1>
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bridging divides</span>
<p>LinguaLink of Generations was launched by three individuals who’ve
studied at a school in Moscow. The program pairs retirees and students
for language lessons using Skype.</p> </h2>
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<div class="gmail-author-name">Diana Kulchitskaya</div>
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<span class="gmail-staffline">Contributor</span> </div>
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<p><span class="gmail-pubdata"><time id="gmail-date-published" class="eza-publish_date gmail-outer_block gmail-all_caps" datetime="2017-01-20T12:53:59-05:00" title="Published: January 20, 2017 12:53 pm EST">January 20, 2017
</time></span><span id="gmail-dateline" class="eza-dateline gmail-pubdata">
Moscow</span><span class="gmail-pubdata gmail-separator">—</span>Svetlana
Pavshintseva, Kirill Golubev, and Andrey Lisitsa, who have studied at
the Higher School of Economics (HSE) in Moscow, have older parents and
observed a common problem: After people retire, they can sometimes
struggle to feel useful and connected. The HSE trio saw a way to help.</p><p>They launched a program enabling retirees to teach Russian to foreign students using Skype. The <a href="http://www.lingualink-g.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LinguaLink of Generations</a> project started in October, and about 100 older people have been paired with students, based on their interests.</p><p>“[We]
received a lot of requests right away,” says Ms. Pavshintseva, who is
now pursuing a master’s degree at HSE and is the public-relations
manager for the project. Interest in the initiative, she notes, surged
after several media outlets wrote stories about it.</p><p>According
to Pavshintseva, the idea to create such a project came from Brazil,
where a school in a small town used the internet to connect to a
retirement home in Chicago. The point was to help Brazilian children
study English. Unfortunately, the venture lasted for only a few months.</p><p>Now,
in Russia, pensioners from all over the country have asked to
participate in the Skype lessons, Pavshintseva says, although most are
from Moscow and other big cities. The majority of the students come from
European countries, the United States, China, and former Soviet
republics, say the project’s founders. In particular, many requests come
from Italian students.</p><div class="gmail-injection"><div class="ezp-inbody-promo"><div class="gmail-story_list_item ezv-listing">
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Sochi, Soviets, and czars: How much do you know about Russia?
</span></a></h3></div>
</div></div></div><p>Most of the pensioners don’t have a language
degree. However, LinguaLink of Generations is not only about practicing
Russian, but also about exchanging cultural experiences more generally.</p><p>“By
communicating with the students, I get a chance to share with them
knowledge about my country and city,” says Galina Kuchmiy, a retiree
from Moscow in her 60s. “I know a lot of facts about Moscow and may
outperform any tour guide. I am happy that my interest in Moscow’s
architecture is helpful for foreigners who would like to visit our
capital.” Ms. Kuchmiy joined the project after a friend recommended it
to her.</p><p>Rauza Valieva, a pensioner from Moscow in her late 50s, is
also excited about participating in LinguaLink of Generations. “I have a
lot of free time now, and I am very happy about communicating with
young people,” Ms. Valieva says. She is working with an Italian student
who is passionate about the Tatar culture, in addition to Russian
language and culture. As Valieva represents this ethnic group, she is
glad to share her knowledge about Tatar dishes and folk songs with her
student.</p><p>All can participate in the project free of charge.
LinguaLink of Generations received a grant from the Vladimir Potanin
Foundation, a Moscow charity, to set up the organization and cover other
expenses.</p><div class="gmail-injection"><div class="ezp-inbody-promo"><div class="gmail-story_list_item ezv-listing">
<div class="gmail-story_thumbnail gmail-standard_100x67"><a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2012/0202/Sochi-Soviets-and-czars-How-much-do-you-know-about-Russia"><img class="gmail-" src="http://images.csmonitor.com/csm/2014/01/0110-Russiaquiz-head%20image.jpg?alias=standard_100x67" alt=""></a></div>
<div class="gmail-story_detail"><h3 class="gmail-story_headline"><a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2012/0202/Sochi-Soviets-and-czars-How-much-do-you-know-about-Russia/Territory"><span class="gmail-story_link">
Sochi, Soviets, and czars: How much do you know about Russia?
</span></a></h3></div>
</div></div></div><p>LinguaLink of Generations works with several nongovernmental organizations that deal with pensioners.</p><p>“The
members of our organization showed great interest in the project,” says
Gulnara Minnigaleeva, head of the NGO My Years – My Wealth, which
provides older people with opportunities to stay active and be involved
in social activities. “Of course, there are some technical problems, as
some of the retirees are not advanced computer users, but I guess these
are all manageable difficulties.”</p><p>Ms. Minnigaleeva is also an
associate professor at HSE; Pavshintseva was a student of hers and
proposed a collaboration between her organization and LinguaLink of
Generations.</p><p><br></p><p>Forwarded from the Christian Science Monitor, 1/23/17<br></p><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">**************************************<br>N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its members<br>and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write directly to the original sender of any offensive message. A copy of this may be forwarded to this list as well. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)<br><br>For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to <a href="https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/" target="_blank">https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/</a><br>listinfo/lgpolicy-list<br>*******************************************</div>
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