July 4, 2005: German friends from Lüdenscheid Bergstadt Gymnasium visited Taganrog Management and Economics College, June 25 - July 3, 2005. The collaboration on the project "The Migrants in Taganrog and Lüdenscheid" was started within the framework of the program JUNGE WEGE IN EUROPA of the Robert Bosch grant foundation. Thirteen Lüdenscheid citizens (11 students and 2 teachers from the Bergstadt Gymnasium in Lüdenscheid) visited the Taganrog Management and Economics College. The sister cities have been developing this relationship for nearly 15 years.


The main feature of this year's meeting was participation in the project "The Migrants in Taganrog and Lüdenscheid", which was fulfilled in cooperation with the German friends and received the Robert Bosch grant within the frameworks of the program JUNGE WEGE IN EUROPA. The goals of the project were the perfection of the language skills and mutual understanding of foreign and own culture. Close acquaintance with foreign culture and the cooperation in an international team help to overwhelm the superstitions and another culture.

The object of the common activity was the study of the migrant situation in Taganrog and Lüdenscheid. The project participants met with the settlers from Chechnya, Kazakhstan, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, weeded grass on the common grave of the Russian soldiers on the Old Cemetery, became acquainted with the work of the Juvenile Court and with the criminal situation among the immigrants.



The sports and culture events were also carried out. The German guests learned to play the Russian traditional folk game lapta, visited Rostov, the capital of Don region. The vice-mayor Elizaveta Lipovenko received the participants of the project.

According to the analysis results of the questionnaire, the purposes were achieved. The common work on the project aided to get rid of the superstitions about the migrants, to reveal the common problems and characteristics in each country. The integration process in Russia isn't so difficult as in Europe because of absence of the language barrier. The children found new friends, and look forward to continue their friendship and improving the knowledge of foreign languages.