Ecology and Nature Protection Programme of Regular Student Activities of the Ecosystem Russian Ecological Movement
The comprehensive development system of the Ecosystem Movement is designed to systematically engage, educate, and foster the professional growth of university students in environmental affairs and includes several interconnected elements.
Student environmental clubs are the entry point into this system. The Ecosystem Movement establishes these clubs at universities and provides them with both methodological and organizational support. At the regional level, the movement organizes educational and awareness-raising activities, such as lectures, workshops, field trips, and hands-on practical sessions, that help students build foundational environmental expertise. In addition, students are involved as public observers who monitor progress in improving the environmental situation within their respective regions.
Highly proactive students have the opportunity to participate in national forums, which serve as platforms for networking, developing and presenting their own projects, and securing grant funding.
To date, student environmental clubs affiliated with the Ecosystem Movement have been established and are active in 32 regions of Russia, as well as Belarus. Based at regional universities and vocational education institutions, these clubs carry out regular educational and volunteer activities focused on ecology and nature conservation. Students help monitor regional environmental progress, organize community clean-ups, plant trees, and conduct environmental assessments, in addition to launching their own independent projects.
More than 15 projects have received grant funding to implement their environmental initiatives. This has resulted in systemic thinking and a sense of environmental responsibility in people's daily lives and has also generated positive media coverage regarding youth-led environmental initiatives.