From September 10 to 16, the Children's Program organized by the Movement of the First will take place as part of the International Festival of Youth in Ekaterinburg. Its participants will be 1,000 teenagers aged 14 to 17 from 99 countries. The program will bring young people together to collaborate on international initiatives, learn about the culture and traditions of Russia's peoples, and connect with peers from around the world. Alongside the Children's Program, participants will also take an active part in the events of the Festival's main program.
"The Children's Program will introduce participants to the achievements of contemporary Russia and give them the chance to develop joint projects across various priority areas. What matters is that teenagers have shown great interest in our work: we received more than 15,000 applications from participants aged 14 to 17, around 5,000 of them from abroad. In the end, 1,000 young people were given the opportunity to take part in the program. We will develop the initiatives put forward by the young diplomats through the International Association of Children's Organizations. I believe that during the Festival, participants from different countries will find plenty of like-minded peers and come up with ideas to bring to life back home," said Artur Orlov, Hero of Russia, a graduate of the Time of Heroes presidential program, and Chairman of the Board of the Movement of the First.
The official opening of the Children's Program will take place on September 12 during the Voices of a Big World show.
The Children's Program will be organized around 17 interactive labs and creative workshops. Participants will be able to choose from the following thematic tracks: science and education, sport, creative industries, media, IT, entrepreneurship, and public administration. Young people will get the chance to try their hand as authors, researchers, volunteers, entrepreneurs, athletes, and developers of digital solutions. The educational program will conclude with a Festival of Projects, where participants will present 60 initiatives developed under the guidance of experts from leading Russian companies partnering with the program. A Children's Newsroom will also operate on the IFY – 2026 grounds, with young journalists taking part in covering the Festival's key events.
"The Children's Program has become an important part of the festival tradition. We first launched it as part of the World Youth Festival in 2024, continued it at the Assembly in 2025, and today the children's track has already become an integral part of international youth events. This year, 1,000 young people from 99 countries will take part in the IFY – 2026 program, and we are creating a space for them to connect, grow, exchange experience, and bring joint initiatives to life. It is fundamentally important to us to work with this audience already today. These young people will very soon be the ones shaping the development of their countries, launching new projects, and building the future. So our task is to give them the chance, right now, to get to know one another, to learn, to find like-minded peers, and to build the kind of experience in international interaction that will become the foundation for future cooperation," noted Dmitry Ivanov, General Director of the World Youth Festival Directorate.
Children's Program participants will also have access to the City of the Future science park, where leading Russian research centers and enterprises will present their developments. Here, young people will be able to learn about Russian scientific achievements in space, robotics, artificial intelligence, ecology, and new materials. Participants will take part in scientific experiments, master classes, and virtual tours. And through the interactive Ethnographic Village, they will immerse themselves in the world of a traditional Russian village, where everyone can make a matryoshka doll or a souvenir and join a large khorovod round dance – a symbol of unity and friendship.
"I am really looking forward to the trip to Ekaterinburg. I am very interested in getting to know a new culture, meeting young people from different countries, and proudly representing Mozambique. I hope to make real friends from different countries, learn from mentors, and take part in activities that will help me develop skills for my future studies and community life. I am planning to present a project on youth leadership and education. Its main focus is on strengthening youth communities through learning and cooperation. In my view, international festivals are very important, since events like this bring young people together, help them immerse themselves in the cultures of other countries, and encourage cooperation," highlighted Ariel Bacar, a participant of the Movement of the First's Children's Program at the International Festival of Youth from Mozambique.
For international participants of the Festival, the Movement of the First has prepared A Day in a Family of the First. Russian families will welcome 15 international children into their homes to introduce them to their way of life and family traditions. The program includes a shared breakfast, a trip out of the city, walks, and a look at the professions of family members. The day will conclude with creative master classes in the Family Living Room, where participants will share their impressions.
"I am really looking forward to the trip to the International Festival of Youth, to learn a lot of new things, make new friends, and work together with people from different countries. I want to present my project on sport and a healthy lifestyle in Ekaterinburg. I think events like this are very important: they help young people from different countries get to know each other and find common ground," commented Anna Herrmann, a participant of the Movement of the First's Children's Program at the International Festival of Youth from Germany.
A key event of the Children's Program at the International Festival of Youth will be the meeting of the Coordinating Council of the International Association of Children's Organizations (IACO). It will bring together 11 member organizations from 10 countries, along with invited guests. During the meeting, the Regulations on the IACO Expert Council are set to be approved, with the Council's first meeting planned for autumn 2026. Participants will also vote on the admission of new organizations to IACO. Among the candidates are the MIR International Association from the Republic of Serbia, the Lao People's Revolutionary Youth Union from the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the Ethiopian Youth Council from the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and the Mongolian Children's Council from Mongolia. IACO brings together children's organizations from different countries, whose members carry out joint projects and propose new formats of work.
Children's Program participants will also be able to visit the Sports Town, where anyone interested can take the “Ready for Labor and Defense” (GTO) physical fitness test to find out their fitness level, join competitions in traditional and modern sports and phygital games, and try their hand at relay races and master classes led by renowned athletes, including Olympic champions.
Children's Program participants will also visit the International Library of Cultures and take part in readings, meetings with writers, and creative discussions. As part of the "Mail of the Future: A Letter to a New Friend" initiative, they will write messages to peers from other countries. The letters will be sent to their recipients after the Festival concludes. The program also includes a special quest game called "Secrets of Russian Classics," a "Memories Workshop" where participants will create their own photo albums, and career counseling sessions. In addition, a rich excursion program will introduce young people to Ekaterinburg through special routes, team challenges, and historical puzzles.
The Movement of the First will also organize two interactive zones on the Festival grounds. A Media Station will let participants create both user-generated and professional content – this is where young journalists will run live broadcasts from the Festival in various languages, record podcasts, and interview honored guests. The second interactive zone will introduce participants to the Movement of the First's projects and programs, as well as to opportunities for personal growth and self-realization in Russia.
The Movement of the First's Children's Program is supported by more than 100 of Russia's largest organizations as partners, including state corporations, companies, research centers, government ministries, leading universities, autonomous non-profit organizations, and international children's centers. The International Festival of Youth is being held as part of the Youth and Children national project.
Overview:
The World Youth Festival took place in Sirius on March 1-7, 2024, 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 line with the Russian President’s instructions to preserve and further develop the legacy of the World Youth Festival, festival events are now held annually across the Russian Federation. In 2025, the World Youth Festival Assembly was held in Nizhny Novgorod, bringing together 2,000 young people from 120 countries. In 2026, the International Festival of Youth will welcome 10,000 participants. The next World Youth Festival for 20,000 participants will take place in 2030.
The World Youth Festival Directorate continues its work to strengthen international youth cooperation and develop a global community of young people committed to shaping a better future.
The Russian Public State Movement of Children and Youth, Movement of the First, is the largest community in Russia, bringing together children and adults, along with government and public institutions, to build a unified educational and upbringing space both within and beyond the school system.
The Movement has more than 16 million participants. Over 55,000 primary chapters of the Movement of the First operate on a regular basis at schools, vocational colleges, and universities across 89 regions of Russia. The Movement's work is carried out through the voluntary engagement of children and young people outside of school hours. Participants include more than 13 million students, with over 2 million people serving as mentors.
The Movement of the First runs an educational and upbringing program for children and young people, grounded in traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, national cultural and historical heritage, and the principle of an unbroken connection between generations. Its aim is to build a shared educational space of equal opportunity for the all-round development and self-realization of children and young people, and to help participants build skills for practical use and career guidance.
The Movement of the First's projects are carried out as part of the Youth and Children national project (through the federal projects We Are Together (Fostering a Harmoniously Developed Personality) and Russia – the Country of Opportunities). The Movement runs 25 federal projects and more than 1,100 regional initiatives. These include the All-Russian projects "Resonate", "School Classics," "Literary Marathon," "Hikes of the First – More Than Trip," "First Student," "Young Naturalists of the First," "Media Attraction," "Do Good," "First Aid," the physical fitness event "Challenge of the First," "First in the Profession," the All-Russian project-festival "Russian School Spring," "First in Science," the International Festival of Childhood and Youth (Movement of the First Festival), themed shifts at federal children's centers and regional children's recreation and wellness organizations, the All-Russian program "We Are Citizens of Russia!," the educational-tourism programs "Academic Shifts," a set of activities under the Movement's international outreach work, the "Movement of the First Primary Chapters Competition" for the best children's and youth projects, a set of activities supporting the Movement's family community called "Beloved Relatives," the humour contest club, a set of activities supporting children from socially vulnerable groups, a set of activities aimed at increasing the effectiveness of the federal project's initiatives and sustaining the results achieved, as well as the Movement of the First's grant competition and the All-Russian "Bolshaya Peremena" ("Big Change/Big School Break") competition.