World Youth Festival Alumni Global Congress Brought Together 150 Russian and International Students
On November 26, MGIMO hosted the inauguration of the WYF Alumni Global Congress. The event brought together 150 Russian and international students of Russian universities. In March 2024, they participated in the WYF-2024 – the biggest international youth event of the year. The Congress was organized by the World Youth Festival Directorate, MGIMO University, People’s Friendship University of Russia (RUDN) supported by Rosmolodezh, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and Ministry of Education and Science of Russia.
At the ceremony, Advisor on International Affairs to the Head of Rosmolodezh, Director General of the World Youth Festival Directorate Daniil Bisslinger addressed the young people. He noted that the main legacy of the event is its participants – 20,000 young Russians and foreigners from 190 countries who came together in Sirius in spring this year.
“The Festival became a really important starting point in the international youth policy, as it has acquired a more long-term and systematic nature thanks to the Festival. And now, our task is to maintain and actively develop this cooperation. For this purpose, the Directorate holds many events that Russian and international youth participate in, including the WYF Alumni Global Congress. Event participants will attend discussions and master classes, devoted to career opportunities for Russian and foreign students, student entrepreneurship, digitalization and many other topics,” said Daniil Bisslinger.
According to him, the final day of the Congress will reveal the city to host the International Youth Forum 2025. The event will bring together 2,000 young people from Russia and abroad in September next year.
Rector of MGIMO University Anatoly Torkunov also addressed the Congress participants:
“As part of meetings and round tables, it’s very important that you participate in discussions of global problems. Perhaps, you are not yet ready to propose specific suggestions and ideas on how to solve them, but anyway, when you get a feeling of belonging to global processes, you will have more interest and desire to deal with them professionally in the future. Today, the feeling of belonging to great deeds is something young people really need. And it’s important that it should encompass many young people. And your task, as Festival legacy successors, is to attract as many young people as possible to participating actively in building our common future”.
Anatoly Torkunov also noted that Festival alumni are at the forefront of all international youth initiatives.
Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Olga Petrova commented on the start of the WYF Alumni Global Congress and emphasized that the post-festival work helps involve more and more students in interesting events.
“We can see that students have picked up the spirits and meanings of the World Youth Festival with great pleasure. Now, they eagerly participate in the events of the post-festival legacy ecosystem. This regards communication, participation in projects, forums and other formats of youth communication. I am sure that the Congress will allow to maintain and strengthen the emotions of friendship, warmth and love, that everybody at the WYF-2024 felt,” noted Olga Petrova.
The first day of the Congress also featured the “Youth in the Global World: Challenges and Opportunies” session. Foreign and Russian experts in the field of education and youth policy discussed key projects and main prospects that are opening up before the younger generation in today’s world.
“We, young people, should really take on initiatives, find opportunities and open doors for a new multipolar world order. Youth is not about the future, it’s about the present. We are architects of our time and it’s necessary to get the changes going already and fight for what we need,” highlighted Head of the National Committee of Colombia Juan Marco Gonzalez Cruz.
The WYF Alumni Global Congress will be held until November 29. Young people will be able to take part in round tables, lectures and discussions on five thematic tracks: “Education and Career”, “Neurotechnologies and Artificial Intelligence”, “New Media Laboratory”, “Student Entrepreneurship” and “International Youth Diplomacy”. Participants will receive not only theoretical knowledge, but also practical skills that will help them unlock their potential in their professional field. The Congress will wrap up with a gala concert and the Ceremony to reveal the upcoming International Youth Forum 2025 Host City, as well as 10 Russia’s subjects to hold regional programme events.
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 International Youth Festival, and in between, international themed gatherings and events will be held under the auspices of the WYF. 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 work aimed at strengthening international youth cooperation.