8 questions about Pushkin Card
What entertainment 3,000 rubles from the state can be spent on
Pushkin Card federal project has been operating on Vladimir Putin’s initiative since 1 September: young people are given 3,000 rubles and they can spend the money on culture, so to speak. Realnoe Vremya explain who can receive the card, how to get it, where to go with it in Tatarstan and why this project designed to combat a lack of education is necessary in general.
What is Pushkin Card?
It is a new youth federal programme. It kicked off on 1 September across Russia, including in Tatarstan.
The state will transfer 3,000 rubles to Pushkin Card for the youth from 14 to 22 years. The money can be spent to go to cultural institutions — theatres, museums, concert halls, libraries, etc. — till the end of 2021. From 1 January 2022, the state is expected to transfer 5,000 rubles to Pushkin Card.
Museums took the new project especially seriously: they offered not only their classical programme but also various forms of work with the youth — from quests to tours. According to the data provided by the minister in early September, more than 1,000 tickets were already sold in Tatarstan with Pushkin Card. Tickets to museums of the republic are actively purchased via Pushkin Card.
How to get it?
Tatarstan Minister of Culture Irada Ayupova puts an example of his ministry: the process of getting a virtual Pushkin Card on State Services takes just 5-10 minutes.
Where to go?
The list of events that can be attended with Pushkin Card is available on Culture.RF, in the apps StateServices.Culture or Pochta Bank Online.
Nowadays Tatarstan has a list of 725 events a Pushkin Card holder can attend. But there are just 530 names (because, for instance, a play is shown several times). 207 names are represented by theatres, 223 names are represented by museums and art galleries, 52 are concert halls, 20 — clubs and so on. 25 names of events are announced by private cultural establishments. For the latter, the Tatarstan minister of culture thinks, Pushkin Card is an excellent instrument of support during the post-pandemic period.
Can tickets for parents or friends be purchased with this card?
Pushkin Card is personal. Its holder can buy a ticket only for himself or herself. Even if the owner buys two tickets and gives the second one to somebody else, only a card holder can use it. But not everything is bad: in this case, the person can comfortably take two chairs at once.
By the way, the card is valid across Russia. If a ticket to Petersburg’s Hermitage is at least 500 rubles, while a visit to several locations of the Russian Museum will be 1,000 rubles, this really turns out to be cheap and pleasant.
How are events selected? Is Rammstein’s concert eligible?
The list of the content the card provides access to is made by experts. They evaluate every event and verify if it complies with the card holder’s age. So there can be problems with Rammstein. Also, the experts evaluate not only the morality and the content but also the technical capability of cultural institutions to receive guests.
Can the money from Pushkin Card be withdrawn?
No. Though it is, in fact, a usual bank card, it won’t be possible to withdraw money from it. The card is designed only to pay for a visit to cultural events.
What does Pushkin in fact have to do here?
The mission of the project is to educate. This is why the card was named after the great poet who is associated with the concept and essence of Russian culture like nobody else.
Where to find more info?
A republican online meeting for parents about Pushkin Card was scheduled in Tatarstan for 16 September. It is also planned to hold online conferences with directors of educational establishments, form tutors.
There is a hotline on 8-800-100-06-45 to get answers to questions about the Pushkin Card programme of popularisation of cultural events among the youth.