Vasilisa Smirnova
Moscow, guest, MSU Physics student, 2014, 4th session

Recently, my understanding of creativity has changed significantly from what it was for most of my life. Creativity comes from the word "to create," not just in the form of drawings or musical compositions, or paper crafts… but in everything a person can give to the world. Often, this is not something tangible, but an Action. The gap between a thought and its realization is much larger than the gap between the absence of that thought and its recognition. Our desire is the only criterion for accomplishing that action. No matter how perfect an idea may be, it is nothing if it doesn't find its response in the external world and isn't applied.

At JUNIO-R, there is no room for unspoken ideas. Everything here is focused on providing all the opportunities so that everyone can engage in creation, bringing a part of their inner world to life. This is encouraged with all the camp’s energy. There is no time for laziness here; everyone is constantly working on projects, which are a reflection of the child’s thought and will. And the most wonderful part is that all this activity makes a person happy! Life is movement, and happiness is the realization of your thoughts and expectations, achieving your goals, and knowing that you are doing what you love.

Ordinary camps are just models of adult life with elements of rest and entertainment for children, but everything follows a limited framework. However, JUNIO-R (of course, there are certain rules, but they are absolutely not restrictive) is not a model—it is a small, fully functioning universe that operates under real laws, which we create ourselves.