Within the framework of the All-Russian Patriotic Forum, a discussion session titled "Experience in Implementing International Projects and Developing Youth Communities" was held. The session aimed to strengthen international cooperation, exchange experience in patriotic education and humanitarian cooperation, and discuss state youth policy. The platform brought together approximately 100 representatives from Brazil, Argentina, Abkhazia, Moldova, Jordan, Iran, Kenya, South Africa, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and other countries. Additionally, Russian experts shared their best practices in patriotic youth education.
The session is the practical embodiment of the special "International Track" of the Forum. Representatives of the session stressed that preserving historical memory, countering the falsification of history and fostering a sense of civil responsibility are global challenges facing the entire multipolar world. The foreign guests got acquainted with the practices used in Russia and discussed how patriotism, respect for history and national traditions can strengthen social stability and form a stable national identity.
The participants presented successful cases and discussed how, through joint youth initiatives, mutual understanding can be enhanced and strong communities with shared traditional values can be formed.
"Our methodology is the transition from passive informing to active engagement through action and co-creation. We don't tell young people "what to think", but create tools so that they understand "how to think" in a complex modern world. Today we can clearly see how patriotism is becoming the language of international dialogue. Despite our different cultures and historical paths, we are united by a common desire to pass on to the younger generation the truth about key events, respect for our ancestors and a sense of responsibility for the future of our country. The Russian experience, especially in terms of systematic work with the memory of the Great Patriotic War, is of great interest and willingness to partner," said Elena Belikova, head of the Rospatriotcenter.
Andrei Berezovikov, Deputy Director General for Project Development at the World Youth Festival Directorate, shared tools for involving foreign youth in projects to preserve historical memory and promote traditional spiritual and moral values.
"In addition to hosting large-scale international youth events, we also pay great attention to the post-festival activities, such as maintaining established contacts and creating new opportunities for young people from different countries. To this end, 90 International Friendship Clubs have been established in all regions of our country and on the federal territory of Sirius. These clubs aim to promote cooperation between young people from Russia and other countries. The international friendship clubs have already hosted about 1,200 events, including patriotic events, which have been attended by more than 35,000 young people from 140 countries. We are confident that foreign youth support our projects aimed at preserving historical memory. A striking example of this was the active involvement of foreign citizens in the environmental campaign "We Are for Cleanliness", in which our European partners organized cleaning days at memorials and the graves of liberation soldiers," said Andrei Berezovikov, Deputy Director General for Project Development at the World Youth Festival Directorate.
He also noted that in 2025 the Directorate implemented a thematic blog tour dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. 33 bloggers from 19 countries went to the Hero cities. Their materials about the Great Patriotic War reached an audience of over 40 million people on social networks.
Andrei Berezovikov said that educational programs, such as the WYFD Summer Schools for government officials, journalists and teachers, are one of the key tools for promoting the ideas of preserving historical memory and traditional values among foreign youth. According to the speaker, the main task now is to show an impartial image of Russia abroad.
One of the young participants continued the conversation by presenting a project to build a cultural "bridge" between Russia and Jordan. The project has already started on the other side, the organizers have asked for support from Russia. As a result, they exchanged phone numbers and agreed to cooperate.
In turn, Yulia Knyazeva, Deputy Director for Program Activities at the Organization of Youth Forums and Programs Directorate, noted that through the forums and educational centers organized by the Directorate, about a thousand young people from 45 countries were united. In 2025 alone, 27 international youth forums were held. For 2026, a large-scale international youth forum is planned that will bring together approximately 10,000 participants from more than 180 countries. Anastasiia Kalugina, First Deputy Director of the "My Story" Foundation for the Support of the Humanities, continued to talk about successful projects, including 80 Russian language learning centers opened in various countries around the world. Special attention was paid to the "I Teach the Great" project: within its framework, Russian language teachers from other countries are brought to Russia and educational events are held here. And as part of the "The Power of the Mind" project, additional classes in physics and exact sciences are conducted abroad in Russian.
The session confirmed that the All-Russian Patriotic Forum is moving beyond internal coordination and is turning into a significant international platform. It directly echoes the concept of "Heroes through the Ages", demonstrating that the themes of heroism, duty and memory can become the basis for long-term youth cooperation.
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.
On December 7, 2025, the All-Russian Patriotic Forum under the theme "Heroes through the Ages" began its work at the National Center "Russia" in Moscow. The large-scale three-day event, which will last until December 9, will bring together more than 4,000 participants from all regions of Russia and representatives of 24 foreign countries, including Belarus, Abkhazia, Italy, Kazakhstan, India, China, Cuba and other countries. The forum became a key point of consolidation of the patriotic community and the final chord in the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the Year of Defender of the Fatherland.
The forum is organized by the Rospatriotcenter of Rosmolodezh. The Center implements the state youth policy in the field of civic and patriotic education, supports youth initiatives and projects aimed at preserving historical memory and strengthening spiritual and moral values.