On April 23, Rostov-on-Don hosted the opening of the WYF Alumni Assembly. It brought together representatives from 25 countries: 450 WYF-2024 participants and foreign students living in the Rostov Region. The event focused on discussing joint projects and developing new formats of interaction among young people globally. The Assembly was organized by the International Friendship Club with support from the Youth Policy Committee of the Rostov Region.

Egor Litvinenko, Deputy Head of Rosmolodezh, delivered a welcome speech: “The mission that Rosmolodezh and the whole Russian youth policy share is to create an environment of equal opportunities for continuous development and education of any young person in Russia. Our focus is to make all these opportunities available for international youth too. This said, in addition to international festival platforms, to be held annually on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, we are expanding the range of programmes at our year-round youth educational centers, and we invite young people from different countries to join them. The first centers will open at: the Senezh Management Workshop in the Moscow Region, the Mashuk Knowledge Center in Pyatigorsk, the Meganom Academy of Creative Industries in Crimea, and the SHUM Center in the Kaliningrad Region. I am sure that in the future most Russian year-round centers will feature international education programmes.

Mr. Litvinenko also noted that the World Youth Festival 2024 united 20,000 people from 190 countries, and today it’s really important to preserve and build on the festival legacy.

Dmitry Ivanov, Director General of the World Youth Festival also addressed the audience, mentioning that Russia’s experience in youth policy and major international youth events is popular across the world.

“From April 15 to 17, 2025, New York hosted the UN Economic and Social Council Youth Forum, featuring a substantive Russian delegation. As part of the event, we presented a comprehensive system of youth development in Russia, our projects, best practices and standards. This attracted much attention from other countries, leading to over 40 bilateral meetings with our foreign partners. Our colleagues expressed their interest and asked questions. All this clearly demonstrates that Russia isn’t isolated, Russian youth policy practices are popular abroad, and the global community is eager to embrace our unique experience”, emphasized Dmitry Ivanov.

Mr. Ivanov introduced event participants to WYF Directorate’s educational projects and major upcoming events.

In September 2025, Nizhny Novgorod will host the World Youth Festival Assembly, bringing together 2,000 young leaders from Russia and abroad. Only one week into the registration campaign, 14,000 people applied to join the Assembly.

The World Youth Festival Alumni Assembly in Rostov-on-Don will last until April 25. The programme includes 3 thematic tracks: international youth cooperation, mentorship, culture. It features panel discussions, open dialogues, and quizzes on youth exchanges, preservation of traditions and national culture, the role of international youth associations in building trust among representatives from different countries.

Overview:

The World Youth Festival took place on March 1–7, 2024 in Sirius, according to the Decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the development of international youth cooperation. The WYF-2024 brought together 20,000 young leaders from 190 countries.

On the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation, the WYF will be held in Russia on a regular basis – once in six years. Also, every six years 10,000 young people from all over the world will get together at the World Youth Festival Forum, and in between, international themed assemblies for 2,000 participants will be held under the auspices of the WYF. The first Assembly is scheduled to take place in September 2025 in Nizhny Novgorod. Festival events of various formats will be held in Russia annually.

According to the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation on the preservation and development of the Festival legacy, the World Youth Festival Directorate continues the work aimed at strengthening international youth cooperation.