In 2024, 7.5 thousand schoolchildren of grades 5–8 living in the Polar region had a rest in the southern resorts of the country within the framework of the Children of the
Arctic programme. In total, since 2022, 24 thousand children who visited camps and children's centres on the coasts of the Black, Azov, Caspian and Japanese seas, as well as resorts of the Caucasian Mineral Waters, have received free vouchers. In the period from 2024 to 2027, the Children of the Arctic programme will receive about RUB 500 mn from the federal budget every year—this is about RUB 50 mn more than in the previous 5 years. Unlike other federal and regional programmes, there is no need to belong to a privileged category to participate in the Children of the Arctic programme—everyone can apply once a calendar year. Schoolchildren are paid for escorting, tickets, meals for the trip and, of course, the vacation itself.

The journey to the destination is usually long and tiring. From Arkhangelsk, Murmansk and Petrozavodsk to Anapa or Sochi, the train takes about two days, but from Naryan-Mar to Moscow you will have to fly by plane, and then get from the airport to the station through the busy capital. But all the way, the children are accompanied by specialists who monitor the safety of the wards, because no one should get lost, fall behind or go to the wrong place. But upon arrival...

At the camp itself, schoolchildren are not only given the chance to swim in the sea but also offered clubs, discos and excursions. The entertainment component blends seamlessly with the educational component and also changes with the seasons. For example, during the autumn holidays, a team from the Yamal Counsellors' Community arrived at Madagascar Island with their signature programme, 'Greater or Equal.' This organisation has over 400 members, the most experienced of whom have been working for more than 18 years. Their signature programmes have repeatedly won or placed in competitions among the best counsellors in the country.

The list of establishments changes from year to year—some boarding houses have been hosting polar guests for five years in a row, while others are only preparing to join the programme. Most of them are located on the sea coast of Krasnodar Territory resorts. Thus, the already mentioned Madagascar Island children's camp, organised on the basis of the Romashka boarding house near Sochi, is located on the first line away from the noise of the big tourist city. From spring to autumn of each year, children from the Arkhangelsk Region, Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area, Komi Republic and other regions arrive there. The reconstruction of the camp building was completed in 2017—modern rooms and cosy territory with lots of southern greenery accommodate up to 650 people at a time. The programme also includes the children's camp 'Pearl of Russia' in Anapa, and for schoolchildren from NAA, the shift is held in the Shate Sel camp. The latter is located on a hill, successfully combining the neighbourhood with the sea and fragrant coniferous forest. Schoolchildren from the Taimyr Peninsula are offered resorts in the Caucasian Mineral Waters, while children from the Arctic regions of the Far East are taken to the warm beaches of Primorye—the Krasnodar Territory is still quite far away.

The Children of the Arctic programme currently operates most of the year but is still seasonal. However, perhaps that will change in the near future. Within the Ministry of Education, an idea is emerging to introduce a 'language shift' as part of the initiative, aimed at teaching children the languages of the peoples of the North. The initiative successfully combines several imperatives at once: preserving the cultural heritage of the indigenous peoples, expanding the Children of the Arctic programme to a year-round format and, as a result, increasing the number of schoolchildren on vacation. Winter Anapa, compared to the cold on the White Sea coast, may well pass for a resort and reduce the volume of respiratory diseases among the younger generation. Feodosia Gabysheva, Head of the Centre for the Study, Preservation and Development of Native Languages of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, proposes to create a programme with the title 'Native Language—the Soul of Russia' with the help of the Artek camp and teams from other all-Russian children's camps. 

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