Results of international ecological children's forum summed up in Belarus

MINSK, 9 July (BelTA) – Results of an ecological children's forum were summed up and an exhibition of winners of the anniversary fifth international contest of children's photos “In nature's embrace” was opened in the Nuclear Energy Information Center in Minsk, the press service of the Russian state corporation Rosatom told BelTA.

The events took place as part of an annual project of the municipal entity development assistance foundation Association of Nuclear Power Plant Location Territories with assistance of the Rosenergoatom concern and Hungary's Paks Nuclear Power Plant.

The ecological children's forum took place on 26 June – 8 July. Laureates of the photo contest “In nature's embrace” took part in it – a total of 37 kids from towns and cities where nuclear power plants are present in Russia and Belarus as well as participants of the contest from Abkhazia. Representatives of the nuclear industry town of Ostrovets also participated in the contest. Deputy Chairman of the Ostrovets District Executive Committee Gennady Bychko noted that participation in international projects makes a huge contribution to the development of the territory around the Belarusian nuclear power plant.

Deputy Director of the Nuclear Energy Department of the Belarusian Energy Ministry Lilia Dulinets noted: “Such projects are extremely important for developing creative abilities in children. At the same time they allow saying a lot about the safety of nuclear energy. Photos by the contest's participants reflect magnificent nature from various countries. It vividly illustrates that nuclear energy industry is not only a reliable source of electricity but a guarantee of stable future and preservation of natural diversity.”

Deputy Chairman of the State Construction, Local Self-Government and Regulation Commission of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Viktor Svillo mentioned the high creative component of the project. “Participants of the forum have managed to convey the message that nuclear energy industry is safe and that future belongs to it. Plots of the photos depicting rich fauna and flora in the towns and cities where nuclear power plants are located convincingly demonstrate the environmental friendliness of nuclear power plants of Russian design,” he stressed.

Two weeks of the forum were intensive and helped bolster professional skills of young photographers. Lectures and workshops by leading photographers from Russia and Hungary took place every day. The educational program included macrophotography, landscape photography, photojournalism, portrait photography, wildlife photography, work with lights and colors, and picture composition. The kids could take photos in the Belarusian WW2 memorial Khatyn, in the national park Belovezhskaya Pushcha, in the museum complex Dudutki, in Mir Castle, and other historical sites in Belarus.

During the forum's closing ceremony Hungary picked up the torch of arranging an ecological children's camp: an educational intensive course on photography will take place in Hungary on 1-8 August for participants of the project. Apart from that, exhibitions of winning photos will be organized in all the participating cities in Russia, Hungary, Belarus, and Abkhazia by the end of 2021.