The Bely Mishka (Polar Bear) educational centre, where first- and second-year school children will learn how important it is to protect polar bears, opened in Norilsk on 4 October. It will receive its first students on 15 October. The centre will use virtual and augmented reality technologies.

The centre plans to teach about 400 children per year free of charge. According to the organisers, next year it can also prepare lessons for third- and fourth-year school children.

According to Olesya Kuzhel, project manager of the expert centre at the Arctic Development Project Office, there are plans to open such centres in all regions of the Russian Arctic in the future.

 “In a year or so, such centres will open all across the Russian Arctic, so Norilsk will be a pioneer. I hope that this will be useful, in particular to Norilsk children,” Kuzhel said.

She added that international organisations have predicted that the polar bear population might decrease 30–60 percent by 2050.

“In creating this centre, we wanted to engender an enthusiasm for this species in children from an early age so that in the future, children will try to protect polar bears,” Kuzhel said.

Bely Mishka was opened at the Arctic Development Project Office jointly with the environmental foundation of the Siberian Federal University.