On September 17, the first participants and guests from 120 countries began to arrive at the site of the World Youth Festival Assembly in Nizhny Novgorod. The large-scale international event will bring together 2,000 young leaders, 1,000 from Russia and 1,000 from other countries, to engage in dialogue, share experiences and design the future together.
The official opening of the Festival’s business program is scheduled for September 18. Participants will attend 86 events across seven key areas: media, creative industries and the arts, public administration, entrepreneurship, sports, education and science, digitalization and IT. More than 200 Russian speakers and about 60 experts from 39 nations will contribute to the program.
In order to fully engage participants in the topics discussed, traditional panel sessions will replace the formats of interactive lectures and talk shows. Participants will be able to attend case study sessions, workshops, master classes, project pitches and career counseling events. The venue will host trend battles on topical issues of interest to young people, including artificial intelligence, education and new media.
Thus, on the inaugural day of the business program there will be a talk show titled, “The Soft Power of Youth, or How the Younger Generations are Changing the World”. Representatives from various countries will deliberate on the conceptual shifts that young people are driving here and now, and the ways in which young people are shaping the future of their nations and influencing global dynamics through culture, education, digital technologies, and civic engagement. As part of the business program of the World Youth Festival Assembly, an important event will be held — the official launch of the BRICS International Business Mentoring Program. A case study session entitled The Power of Mentoring will serve as the official launching ceremony of this large-scale initiative, as well as a lively discussion on the role of mentoring in entrepreneurship and leadership development. Experts from Russia, Indonesia, Iran and other countries will share best mentoring practices and personal success stories and answer key questions: how mentoring models vary from country to country, how they help women leaders to unlock their potential and what opportunities the BRICS program offers for young entrepreneurs.
One of the most hotly-awaited expected formats of the Assembly business program will be the trend-battles. For example, in the dynamic discussion “AI. Helper or Enemy” experts with opposing views on the role of artificial intelligence in the modern world will defend their positions. Aisha Bin from UAE, the founder and General Director of BinBishr, an expert in global digital transformation and the strategic leader of a number of Smart City projects, and Alexander Rapoport from Russia, a psychotherapist, theater and film actor and TV presenter, will take part in the battle. Well-known Belarusian journalist Grigory Azarenok will act as a moderator. The participants will discuss key dilemmas of the technological era, including whether artificial intelligence is a catalyst for progress or a threat to human identity, how AI is transforming professional industries and social interactions, and what ethical challenges arise when neural networks are introduced into everyday life.
In the Media section 50 foreign participants will follow a unique educational course from the Directorate of the World Youth Festival and the New Media Workshop. This three-day intensive will introduce them to the key trends in today’s media sphere and the challenges it faces. Under the guidance of leading Russian experts, participants will learn how to create engaging content, master the skills required to work with neural networks and study tools that can help counteract the spread of fake information. It is expected that those completing the program will go on to form an international content center — a permanent community for sharing experience and training, and for producing and promoting content about Russia aimed at young audiences. Continuing the tradition established by the WYF 2024 Kids Track, participants from 14 to 17 years old will be involved in themed activities organized by the Movement of the Firsts Movement on the sidelines of the main program.
Each day will be dedicated to a key value: intercultural dialogue to bring together people from different countries, developing trust and synergy through teamwork, and respect for diversity of opinions and joint creative projects. The main goal is to help each teenager to realize themselves not just as a participant, but as a real carrier and ambassador of these values, and to establish connections with peers from other countries and generate a practical impetus which they can use launch their own projects. The young participants will attend master classes on personal brand creation and communication skills, and will form international teams, which will take part in the development of projects within the remit of the International Association of Children’s Organizations. They will then pitch their projects to panels of experts. They will also have a unique opportunity to work together on the creation of an immersive Playhouse Theater performance. The special feature of such a performance is the lack of any pre-written script or rehearsals, which creates space for spontaneous creativity and improvisation.
In addition to a rich business program, the participants of the World Youth Festival Assembly will enjoy many partner activities, as well as atmospheric and events with a focus on bringing people together. For example, Avito will invite the Assembly participants to a School of Entrepreneurs. 14 speakers will conduct 11 sessions in which they will tell participants how to launch their own business with a small budget, promote it through social networks without excessive costs, use and trends and digital technologies to scale the business up. The most active participants will be able to present their ideas and get personalized advice from top experts. The most active participants will be able to present their idea and receive recommendations from qualified specialists.
In turn, the presidential platform Russia — Country of Opportunities will create an epicenter of Russian hospitality and creativity at the Assembly. The visitors will be fully immersed in cultural events, including master classes on folk crafts from weaving flower wreaths and painting Russian tiaras to playing the balalaika, as well as a welcoming Russian tea party with samovars. All participants will be able to send a postcard to anywhere in the world and take a memorable selfie with a bear in a traditional costume. There will also be unique interactive events that will bring together participants from all over the world, and which are sure to leave a lasting impression. With the help of a magic mirror from Russian fairy tales, participants will get wise answers to their questions and participate in setting record for large-scale group hugs in real time. The Bank of Russia will introduce participants to topics related to financial literacy and cybersecurity, financial technologies and services. Experts will talk about this year’s most important financial literacy-related project, the Financial Culture Capital Resident website, where useful content and announcements of financial literacy events are collected. Users will earn points for studying the information, which they can then exchange for souvenirs or tickets to cultural and sporting events. The Bank of Russia experts will also hold lectures, financial quizzes, business games and interactive sessions at the festival. A meeting of young central bankers is also planned at the WYF Assembly.
Among other things, the participants in this Assembly will be able to experience into immersive shows, become a part of creative activities in a street arts space, and test themselves in neuro-races organized by technology company Neuromir. Each day will be filled with live music, from chamber performances in the apartments area to a concert program. The Phygital Games 2025, which will be held as part of the World Youth Festival Assembly, will give participants the opportunity to try out phygital dancing and phygital basketball.
During the WYF Assembly participants will stay in new dormitory buildings on the NEIMARK IT campus, an inter-university educational ecosystem. It is being created in Nizhny Novgorod as part of the Youth and Children national project. At the center of the site is NEIMARK University, where students are taught IT disciplines based on cutting-edge research and focused on the current challenges facing Russian business. After the completion of the Assembly, the dormitories will house students on five of NEIMARK’s educational programs: Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision, Artificial and Augmented Intelligence Technologies, Connected Microelectronics Design, Information Security and Digital Technologies in Construction.
“I’m very happy to be with you this year. It was a dream come true for me to be a part of this great large-scale event. After joining the student team and participating in many activities at the university, I saw that Russians always welcome young people. They respond to any ideas. They always want to support young people. It’s unbelievable. And it’s unbelievable that this only happens in Russia. In other countries we don’t see this, we can’t share our ideas. Russia gives young people a chance”, says Zarad Esraa, a student from Egypt studying in Russia, summing up her impressions.
The general partners of the World Youth Festival Assembly 2025 are the Russian Music Union, Russian Railways and Phygital Games. The general media partner is the international television channel RT, and the general media partner is ANO “Dialogue Between Regions”. The tour and regional program partner is the “More Than Trip” program. The strategic partner is the technology company VK. The partner program was also joined by: Rossotrudnichestvo’s New Generation program, Movement of the First, the presidential platform Russia — Country of Opportunities, Sovcombank, the technology company Avito, the Rosatom state corporation, the Russian “Znanie” (Knowledge) Society, the Soyuzmultfilm film studio, the Government of Krasnoyarsk region, the Central Bank of Russia, Rosmolodezh.Undertake, and the Mashuk Knowledge Center. Publicity support for the event is provided by Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Argumenty i Fakty publishing house, the African Initiative and the Window to Russia project of ANO TV-Novosti.
The organizer of the World Youth Festival Assembly is the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh), the co-organizer of the event is the Government of the Nizhny Novgorod Region and the event operator is the Directorate of the World Youth Festival. The event is realized in furtherance of the goals of the Youth and Children national project.
Overview: In accordance with the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin on preserving and developing the legacy of the World Youth Festival, which took place on the Sirius federal territory in 2024 and brought together 20,000 young people from 190 countries, festival events will be held annually in the Russian Federation. 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 World Youth Festival-themed Assemblies for 2,000 participants will be held annually. The Directorate of the World Youth Festival continues its work aimed at strengthening international youth cooperation.
