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First Person

Photo: JAR

Sixteen finalists of the Simple Words essay contest, representing cities from across Russia, pose with contest judges and teachers during the award ceremony at the Central House of Journalists in Moscow.

“Childhood for me is more than just a period of my life—this is time when you suddenly realize yourself in the large and complicated world.”
—From the first prize essay of the Simple Words contest, by 12-year-old Katya Sokolovitch

With more than two million alumni, the Russia chapter of Junior Achievement is the second largest in the world, behind only the United States. Also a partner in USAID’s most successful business education program in Russia, Junior Achievement and USAID work directly with students and teachers to inspire young people to become responsible and innovative community and business leaders. Extracurricular activities supported by USAID and Junior Achievement reach 450,000 students in 7,000 schools throughout Russia.

One of those activities is the Simple Words essay contest. Each year, students choose one word from a pre-chosen thematic list and write an essay about what that word means to them. The essay-writing not only exercises their minds but also showcases their writing skills and illustrates what they have learned about civic and ethical responsibilities. Finalists from the regional essay contest go on to the national Simple Words contest in Moscow, where their work is judged by a distiguished group of representatives from government, businesses and education. Through the program, Russia’s future leaders learn to express themselves, value free enterprise and enthusiastically participate in entrepreneurial workshops and skill contests.

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