On December 9-11, an educational program from the Center for Youth Media Development "SHUM", a project from Rosmolodezh, brought together young media specialists from Abkhazia, took place in Sukhumi on the basis of the World Youth Festival Directorate Representative Office. The program combined theory and practice, fostering professional growth and intercultural dialogue through collaborative creativity and content creation. The event was aimed at improving video production skills, both in short forms and full-scale projects, as well as understanding modern media trends and their application in working with a youth audience. The educational program is implemented within the framework of the national project "Youth and Children".
"When shaping the work plan of the Representative Office, we relied on feedback from young people — their requests, suggestions and real needs. That's how the idea came to invite our partners from "SHUM": the guys clearly indicated that they wanted to develop in the media sphere, and we heard this request. The partners from "SHUM" responded very quickly: they arrived and put together a program based on current topics and requests from young people, as well as recommendations from the State Committee on Youth and Sports. The intensive products will really be useful and in demand — they will remain in operation and will continue to be broadcast among the youth community," said Yulia Krastsova, head of the WYFD Representative Office in the Republic of Abkhazia.
The participants were divided into two areas: the creation of short videos and the development of large media projects. As part of their work on short videos, they explored the image of modern young citizens of Abkhazia, their values, lifestyle and self-expression, and also prepared a series of portrait materials about talented youth representing science, art, sports and entrepreneurship. Full-scale projects were devoted to the most important topics for the future of the republic: the popularization of the Abkhaz language as the basis of national identity and the formation of a youth vision of the country's development in the next five years. The teams worked in urban locations, formed concepts, shot videos, received feedback from experts and finalized their ideas.
"The program implemented by the "SHUM" Youth Media Development Center has shown how media can bring together children from different countries and create a space for open dialogue. We saw how common values and joint creativity help to form a unified media community, trust and strong professional ties between young media professionals from Russia and Abkhazia. Such initiatives become the foundation for the sustainable development of the media environment and open up new opportunities for cooperation, which is especially important today," said Anna Musevich, Minister of Youth Policy of the Kaliningrad Region.
The program included educational blocks from experts from the "SHUM" Youth Media Development Center and the World Youth Festival Directorate Representative Office of in Abkhazia. The educational program was attended by videographer, creative producer Anthony Ivanov and Daniil Mikheev, author of reportage videos for federal projects. Lectures and practical blocks were devoted to the creation of catchy content, trends in the media environment, the peculiarities of youth policy and the development of public speaking skills. The participants got acquainted with the theory and immediately practiced, creating media products reflecting modern Abkhazia and its cultural context.
"During these three days, we have become convinced that modern media is a space where young people can unite around common values and ideas through work on video projects. Each project has become not just a content creation, but a way of understanding what is really important for the republic. We have seen how valuable content can build trust, inspire and create strong professional and intercultural ties," added Tatiana Stepanova, Acting Head of the Rossotrudnichestvo Representative Office in Abkhazia.
The main result of the program was not only the creation of new video content, but also the formation of a community of young professionals who are ready to develop the media space of Abkhazia and strengthen ties between the two countries. The participants managed to master modern tools and look at their own cultural environment through the lens of new approaches. The final part was a public presentation of the projects, where the young authors presented the results of their three-day work to a wide audience and received an expert assessment. One of the teams presented a full-scale video project dedicated to the development of the Republic through understanding its historical and cultural heritage. The participants emphasized that the future of Abkhazia is impossible without respect for the past: the preservation of traditions, language and cultural code becomes the foundation for further progress. The work on the project reflects the difficulties faced by the country, but also shows how modern initiatives, reforms and active youth are shaping a new vision for the development of the Republic. The project demonstrates the connection of generations and emphasizes that the sustainable future of Abkhazia is built through respect for history and responsible attitude to its cultural values.
The program proved that joint creativity becomes a powerful resource for development, and the exchange of experience is the foundation for long-term cooperation between the youth communities of Russia and Abkhazia.
"Participating in the educational program has given me new acquaintances, emotions and motivation to continue working on projects that help the development of the republic. Such events are important not only for young people, but also for an older audience — they teach proper presentation of material, work with videos and emotions, give a lot of energy and knowledge from speakers on how to behave in different situations and how to present their ideas competently. During the program, I managed to find real like-minded people - our warm, friendly team. The experts helped me figure out new terms, figure out how to engage the viewer, how to show the material correctly, and where to start working. And most importantly, I was once again convinced of how important it is to unite," participant Sergei Khadekhin shared his emotions.
The project is being implemented by "SHUM" Youth Center Autonomous non-profit Organization together with the World Youth Festival Directorate Representative Office of in Abkhazia within the framework of the national project "Youth and Children" with the support of Rosmolodezh and the Government of the Kaliningrad Region.
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.
In accordance with the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on preserving and developing the legacy of the World Youth Festival, which took place on the Sirius Federal Territory in 2024 and united 20,000 young people from 190 countries of the world, festival events on the territory of the Russian Federation will be held annually. The next World Youth Festival for 20,000 participants will be held in 2030. In 2026, there will be a smaller event, an International Youth Festival with 10,000 participants. In between, the World Youth Festival’s themed Assemblies will be held annually for 2,000 participants.
The first World Youth Festival Assembly was held in Nizhny Novgorod from September 17 to 21, 2025 and brought together 2,000 young people from 120 countries.
The World Youth Festival Directorate continues the work aimed at strengthening international youth cooperation.
The "SHUM" Youth Media Development Center was opened on April 4, 2024 on the instruction of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The key projects of the center are the All–Russian Youth Educational Forum "SHUM" of the Rosmolodezh.Forums platform and the All-Russian Youth Award of the same name in the field of media and journalism.