Student Brigades of the Kuibyshev Region at the Country’s Construction Sites

The article contains an analysis of the phenomenon of student construction brigades (SCBs) in the USSR, taking the activities of the construction teams from the Kuibyshev Oblast as a case study. The author reconstructs the organizational structure of the movement and the multifaceted activities of the construction teams. The article provides information on a wide range of work performed by SCB members: from the construction of industrial and agricultural facilities to participation in harvesting, landscaping, and organizing cultural events. The study is focused on the geographic scope of the work of construction teams (Kuibyshev Oblast, Tuva ASSR, Tyumen Oblast) and the evolution of the professional skills of their members. The article presents an overview of the assessment of the movement’s activities published in the periodical press of that time. Analysis of the participants’ memoirs revealed the practical signifi cance of the acquired skills and the unique nature of interpersonal relationships based on mutual assistance and self-management. The author demonstrates that participation in construction teams has become a powerful factor in the civic and professional development of young people, and this experience had a positive impact on the subsequent careers of university graduates. This allows us to evaluate the role of the SSO as a unique social institution that combined labor education, practical training, and the formation of an active civic position among students.