Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of St Petersburg Alexander Belsky visits St Petersburg University

The Speaker of the regional parliament of St Petersburg answered the University students’ questions regarding the parliamentary factions of the St Petersburg Legislative Assembly and the interaction between members of different political parties; the development prospects of St Petersburg’s transport infrastructure; legal support for economic agreements; and employment opportunities for graduates.

Anastasiia Kalinichenko, Chairperson of the Student Scientific Society and future political scientist, asked about the possibility of conducting political science research by St Petersburg University students at the request of the Legislative Assembly of St Petersburg. Alexander Belsky confirmed that there is, indeed, such a possibility. The city authorities support student civic engagement through active interaction with student councils. For instance, the Youth Parliament of St Petersburg was established at the Legislative Assembly to help in forming and implementing St Petersburg’s youth policy.

There was also a question regarding the principles of interaction among representatives of different political associations in the Legislative Assembly.

The interaction between different parliamentary factions in the Legislative Assembly of St Petersburg is based on the principle of common goals — we all work for the good of our great city.

Alexander Belsky, Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of St Petersburg

When answering a question about the relationship between the executive and legislative arms of the city government, the Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of St Petersburg shared the experience of interaction between different branches of power in St Petersburg. ‘Simply speaking, we are on the same wavelength. We are one team, working for the benefit of St Petersburg. The Legislative Assembly is often criticised by the media for not acting as a counterbalance to the other branch of the government. In fact, all controversial issues are discussed and debated in committees and commissions of the Assembly. Thus, we arrive at a reasonable compromise and only then vote for a common decision. This requires a great deal of continuous and painstaking work,’ Alexander Belsky explained.

The topic of the infrastructural development of St Petersburg was not overlooked by the meeting participants either. The University students were interested in the idea of an "overground metro" for St Petersburg and the Leningrad Region.

Alexander Belsky noted that this highly anticipated project had attracted a great deal of attention. Currently, efforts are underway to devise ways to implement it.

The question of employment opportunities for young professionals was of particular interest to the audience. Alexander Belsky shared his personal experience and offered some practical advice. ‘First of all, do what you really like. Secondly, do your best to get practical experience in your profession while still at the University. It will be your big competitive advantage in securing the position you want’, said Alexander Belsky, Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of St Petersburg.

St Petersburg University is one of the most dynamically developing universities that implements unique projects. One such project is Clinical Internship. In essence, it is project-based learning experience designed to provide the University students with real-world application of skills and knowledge. Under the guidance of the University academics, students work on real-life problems and implement projects at the request of both external customers and departments of St Petersburg University. This approach enables students to gain practical skills without interrupting their university studies.

Bogdan Zastavny, Chairman of the St Petersburg Committee on Youth Policy and Cooperation with Non-Governmental Organisations, also addressed the audience. He spoke about the government funding sources for supporting youth initiatives; the Russian Student Spring programme for the support and development of student creativity; the work of volunteer associations and student construction teams; and also about the state-sponsored network of co-working spaces for youth — PROSTO.

At the end of the meeting, Alexander Belsky invited students to attend meetings of the Legislative Assembly of St Petersburg and its standing bodies.