One School One Country raises the curtain on WorldSkills Kazan 2019

It is the starting gun for WorldSkills Kazan 2019, as One School One Country brought together Member Teams and the young students of the host city.

Held in the morning before the Opening Ceremony, this is a special moment that celebrates the common values of education and tolerance across the WorldSkills movement.

For the Chinese team, it was Polytechnic Lycee 182, a school of 1,800 pupils on the outskirts of Kazan, surrounded by pastel colored tower blocks and a world away from the heat of the Competition.

As the young members and officials of the Chinese team stepped off their coach, they were greeted by teachers in Tatar national costume bearing the traditional welcome of bread and salt.

Behind them two lines young students, smart in their best uniforms, waited to meet their guests with a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

There was no need to worry. As well as proudly guiding the Contestants around the school, which teaches children from seven to 18, the staff had arranged a program of fun activities to break the ice.

For WorldSkills President Simon Bartley, who joined the visit, it was a chance to demonstrate previously unrecognized talents in tug of war, hitting a bucket while blindfolded and sprightly session of Russian dancing.

Afterwards President Bartley said: “One School One Country is a great opportunity for the competitors and children of the host schools to learn a little about each other’s cultures as well as giving the competitors a chance to relax.”

For WorldSkills Kazan 2019, One School One Country saw competing teams paired with 58 schools in a cultural exchange that began with introductions during Competition Preparation Week in January.

The students are all from Kazan and Laishevsky District of the Republic of Tatarstan and aged from 11 to 15 years.

For the WorldSkills contestants, these visits are a chance to relax before the heat of competition and to learn and appreciate the culture of Russia and Tatarstan.

The pupils have spent the last eight months discovering more about not just their chosen guests, but also the importance of WorldSkills Kazan 2019 and how it might shape their futures.

For all schools across the Russian Federation, the Competition has been incorporated into the curriculum, with a “WorldSkills Lesson” as preparation for the 45th WorldSkills Competition.