On the participation of a young Gomel resident in the Children’s Partisan Readings dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War

On December 11, 2025, the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus hosted the national conference «Partisan Archives. II Children’s Partisan Readings», dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Soviet people’s victory in the Great Patriotic War.

The conference was attended by Maria Belko, a student from Gomel Secondary School No.75, who is a member of the «Young Archivist» club at the Gomel Region State Archives. In her work, «Conditions for the Development of the Partisan Movement in the Dobrush District in 1941-1942», Maria used materials from regional archive documents. It is gratifying that the student’s work was recognized as one of the few that utilized archival primary sources—documents on the partisan movement.

The importance of archives in fostering a sense of patriotism in the younger generation is difficult to overestimate. Lessons as part of the «Archives for School» campaign and the «Young Archivist» club allow schoolchildren to implement creative projects and also foster a sense of patriotism and love for their native land.

Svyatoslav Kulinok, Deputy Director of the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus and a PhD in History, spoke about the idea behind the forum and its goals:

– «The idea for the Children’s Partisan Readings arose last year. In the year of the 80th anniversary of Belarus’s liberation, we wanted to organize an event that would increase interest in our heroic history among the younger generation. We decided that the archive was the perfect venue for children to implement their research projects».

Pictured: (left to right) A.Ermoolenko, history teacher at Gomel Secondary School No.75; S.Kulinok, Deputy Director of the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus; and M.Belko, participant