Fifteen international guests of the Movement of the First’s Children’s Program at the International Festival of Youth had the chance to spend a day with the families of their Russian friends. The project involved parents of Russian Festival delegates from the Sverdlovsk Region – engineers, teachers, Emergency Situations Ministry staff, entrepreneurs, and IT specialists.

The host families are active members of the Movement of the First’s “Beloved Relatives” community – a space where children and parents spend leisure time together through shared activities. The community offers parents advice from family psychologists and runs educational talks, creative activities and competitions, and games for children and adults alike.

Each of the 15 international teenagers got to spend a full day in a warm, welcoming setting. The day began with a family breakfast, after which an individual program was arranged for every participant: some went to a museum, others went on a family bike ride, some took part in a master class on making dumplings, while other guests learned embroidery and how to make matryoshka dolls.

After a full day of adventures, the families and their guests gathered at the Festival grounds for tea served with a samovar and baranki (ring-shaped bread rolls), sharing their impressions of the day. Sergei Kiriyenko, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office, took part in the tea gathering.

“I want to say a huge thank you to all the families of the Sverdlovsk Region for their hospitality. These young people will head home having seen a great deal over these days, but what always stays with you is whatever is tied to real emotion, to genuine feeling. I’m absolutely certain these feelings of kindness and warmth will stay in their hearts. And our values are the same, and the word ‘love’ sounds the same in every language. That, I think, is probably the most important thing that unites people. I’d love for the whole world to be like it is at this Festival. Everyone smiling. Everyone different, yet wearing their national costumes with such pride. And everyone treating that with enormous respect. I’m confident that everyone will carry a piece of this kindness, this love, these genuine emotions home in their heart, and I hope the friendships made here will last. And we’ll always be glad to welcome you back,” said Sergei Kiriyenko.

Meanwhile, Artur Orlov, Hero of Russia, a graduate of the Time of Heroes presidential leadership program, and Chairman of the Board of the Movement of the First, noted that the “Day in a Family of the First” format was prepared for Festival participants by the Movement of the First.

“Russian families welcomed international young people into their homes to introduce them to their way of life and family traditions. The day was full of surprises for our participants — they had a shared breakfast, engaging master classes, walks around the Sverdlovsk Region, and got to learn about the professions of family members. The day wrapped up with a shared dinner in the ‘Family Living Room’ and an exchange of impressions. Many of the young people spoke of falling in love with Russia and were full of admiration for the Festival’s atmosphere. To close out the gathering, everyone sang the legendary song ‘Katyusha’ together. I want to say a huge thank you to all the families who took part in our program. I’m confident these international guests will take home the most wonderful impressions of Russia!” noted Artur Orlov, Hero of Russia, graduate of the Time of Heroes presidential leadership program, and Chairman of the Board of the Movement of the First.

“This is my fourth visit to Russia, and when people ask me why I come here so often, I tell them it’s because Russia follows a different policy than other countries. I like that Russia holds on to its traditions, and that your country runs events and projects like this one, which bring children from different countries together. Today I didn’t just spend a day with a Russian family — I was immersed in their everyday life, and I felt what it’s like to live here. I didn’t just walk around the city – I was feeling the spirit of Russia, and now I’ll carry a piece of it home with me,” shared Luca Amir Silva Aguero from Argentina, who spent the day with the Darensky family.

Yosef Alemu Teklu from Ethiopia said he had a truly happy day with a Cossack family, and that he found it fascinating to learn about Cossack history and traditions.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve taken part in Movement of the First projects. Today, together with our guest, we visited the Aramil settlement, a center of Cossack culture, talked about the settling of the Urals, and saw how people lived here centuries ago – without modern comforts, electricity, or running water,” said host father Igor Artyukhin.

He also noted that young people, even without a shared language, find it much easier to connect – his own children found common ground with their guest within minutes.

Mikhail Sboyev, an Emergency Situations Ministry employee, gave Karuna Ani Kosle from India a tour of a fire station, showing her the fire trucks and the dispatch room, and introducing her to firefighters’ traditions and customs.

“Afterward we came home, and my wife showed our guest a matryoshka doll. She opens the first one, and there’s a smile on her face. By the second and third, she’s already laughing, and it goes on like that all the way to the last one. When the smallest one finally opened up, she was absolutely delighted. We also set up our own photo zone and took pictures of our guest in traditional folk costumes,” shared Mikhail Sboyev, describing his impressions.

“It was a surprise for me to end up with a family like this. They were so kind, and almost from the very first moment, I stopped seeing these people as strangers,” noted Karuna Ani Kosle.

Overview:

The International Festival of Youth, held as part of the Youth and Children national project, is taking place in Ekaterinburg from September 11 to 17, 2026. The decree establishing the event was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 29, 2025. The Festival is being held under the motto “Follow Your Dream”.

Participants of the IFY – 2026 include 10,000 young leaders from 191 countries, including 5,000 Russians and 5,000 international citizens. Among them are leading representatives of creative industries and the arts, public administration, science and education, sport, entrepreneurship, media, digitalization and IT, and civic engagement – people who are already shaping the future of their countries and the world. Continuing the successful practice established at the World Youth Festival 2024, those invited include 1,000 teenagers aged 14 to 17 – 500 from Russia and 500 from abroad. The Children’s Program is organized by the Movement of the First.

The World Youth Festival took place from March 1 to 7, 2024, in Sirius, in accordance with a decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin, aimed at developing international youth cooperation. The WYF-2024 brought together 20,000 young leaders from 190 countries.

In line with instructions from Russia’s President on preserving and building on the legacy of the World Youth Festival, festival events are now held annually across Russia. The World Youth Festival Directorate continues its work to strengthen international youth cooperation and build a community of young people who care about the future of the world.