Orlyonok

State run youth camp near Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai, Russia

The Russian Children's Center "Orlyonok" (Орлёнок) is a federal state all year camp for kids aged 11–16 (school grades 6 through 10). It is located in the Southern Federal District of Russia, on the eastern shore of the Black Sea, Krasnodar Krai, 45 kilometers north west from Tuapse. Orlyonok is officially registered as the Federal State Education Organization. Prior to 1991, its full name was USSR Pioneer Camp "Orlyonok", and it was officially part of the Young Pioneer organization of the Soviet Union. Orlyonok received the Order of the Badge of Honour from the Komsomol (abbreviation of Communist Union of Youth) organization, a decoration awarded for outstanding social and civil accomplishments. Orlyonok welcomes children from all regions of Russia and other countries, regardless of their social strata or affiliation. During the combined summer/spring season it accepts up to 3,500 kids, in the fall/winter season – up to 1,200; the total number of children that it receives annually is about 20,000 children of both genders. Depending on the season, the duration of a stay varies between 21 and 30 days respectively. Similar to Artek, Orlyonok was intended for Russian children who were notable for excellent study, prize winners at various Student Olympiads, contests, or sports competitions, decorated or notable members of Komsomol or Young Pioneer organization activists. In 1962 Orlyonok welcomed 50 representatives of the then experimental Communard Movement, including kids from the famous Leningrad Frunze Community organization (now dismissed) led by Igor Ivanov. During this time, Orlyonok acquired some of its laws and traditions and adopted what has become known as the creative team effort methodology. In 2011 Orlyonok hosted a delegation from UNESCO reviewing Orlyonok admission to the UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network. In 2012 Orlyonok was admitted to the UNESCO ASPNet. On February 5, 2014, Orlyonok hosted the final part of the 2014 Winter Olympics torch relay. A relay torch was lit with the Olympic flame next to the Memorial Stone, from where it was carried throughout Orlyonok by 15 torchbearers covering a distance of approximately 3 kilometers.

Orlyonok has its own history and traditions, one of the most important among them – respect for people, their work, their personality, and experience This requires future "Eaglets" to have a certain culture of communication and interaction with peers and adults. Furthermore, almost everything is planned and done by the kids themselves, as part of joint activities performed together with teachers and peers. For example, self help is the rule of the day: from simple things like making one's bed in the morning and self care, to collectively serving a rotating duty around the camp and in the dining rooms. The book Lost in Moscow (sometimes called Lost in Moscow: A brat in the USSR; published by Turnstone Press in 2005) by Kirsten Koza, chronicles the true life experience of an eleven year old Canadian girl's summer at Orlyonok during 1977. September 1–12, 2000 – a group of Orlyonok employees climbed the west summit of the mountain Elbrus, dedicating this to the Orlyonok's 40th anniversary.