YUNPRESS Media Expedition to the North Caucasus: KBSU Summarizes Results of Program for Young Journalists

The educational and outreach program for schoolchildren, «YUNPRESS: About Science,» concluded at the Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after Kh.M. Berbekov. This was the first time the regional public organization’s media expedition took place in the North Caucasus. The goal of the project was to immerse high school students in the scientific and cultural environment of Kabardino-Balkaria.

From January 26 to 29, 14 program participants from 11 regions of the country visited Nalchik. Over the course of three days, the students met with KBSU scientists, visited educational centers, museums, and research laboratories, and developed content for social media. Experts reviewed the materials at the university’s Center for Public Initiatives and selected the winners.

«Many participants demonstrated their skills as photographers and videographers for the first time, trying their hand at news reporting and analytics,» commented Maria Anikina, Associate Professor of the Faculty of Journalism at Lomonosov Moscow State University. «The most valuable thing was that during the media expedition, the students expanded their comfort zone and learned to work with a scientific base and reliable sources.»

The students reflected on the academic and traditional life of Kabardino-Balkaria in team and individual case studies. For example, the article «The Delicious Chemistry of Happiness» was dedicated to the region’s gastronomic code. Exploring the national cuisine, the authors prepared a longread and a video about the influence of food on neurochemical reactions in the brain.

The second team case study included a concept for a Telegram channel about students and the peoples of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. The students created cards and videos, news and photo reports, analytical articles, and guides to the capital of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic on social media.

YUNPRESS experts evaluated the participants’ projects and provided personalized recommendations on the style, format, and design of the materials.

Yana Troyan from the Moscow Region received the highest scores. The «Podkova Kavkaza» team won with their Telegram channel concept, and Anna Yuryeva from St. Petersburg and Snezhana Popova from the Tver Region were recognized in the abstract competition. Participants of the media expedition received diplomas and valuable prizes from YUNPRESS, as well as collections for aspiring science journalists.

The next stops on the project map in 2026 will be St. Petersburg and Yakutsk.