The Volunteer Corps of the International Festival of Youth has been finalized. The IFY will take take place in Ekaterinburg from September 11 to 17, 2026, as part of the Youth and Children national project.
"The Volunteer Corps of the International Festival of Youth, held on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, comprises 2,000 of the most motivated and proactive volunteers. They are true ‘little stars,’ selected from almost 22,000 applicants. Each of them has demonstrated an ability to work as part of a team and a responsible approach to their duties. Most of the volunteers have already helped organize events of global scale. I believe each of them will make a tangible contribution to the Festival and help create an unforgettable atmosphere," noted Dmitry Chernyshenko, Russian Deputy Prime Minister.
The IFY-2026 Volunteer Corps brings together people of widely varying ages and professions. Vladimir Sapanyuk and Valentina Dubina, a married couple from the Voronezh Region, volunteer together as "silver" volunteers. Svetlana Kartashova of the Vologda Region began involving her daughter Daria in volunteer work from an early age, and the two now represent a family dynasty of volunteers actively engaged in social projects. Olga Belyaeva of the Arkhangelsk Region brings extensive volunteering experience, including participation in the cleanup following a fuel oil spill on the Black Sea coast.
"This year's Volunteer Corps turned out exceptionally strong, bringing together people with truly unique life experience. The age range among volunteers spans 67 years – the youngest candidate is 16, the oldest 83. We also brought on board around 70 foreign volunteers. Every volunteer underwent thorough preparation. Particular attention was paid to the Corps' management team: team leaders and managers will receive additional training in Ekaterinburg from September 2 to 4. They are our captains on the ground, and it is their competence that will ensure the well-coordinated work of a corps thousands strong across all Festival venues," said Grigory Gurov, Head of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh).
The application campaign for the IFY – 2026 Volunteer Corps opened on December 5, 2025, at the #WeAreTogether International Award ceremony, drawing nearly 22,000 applications. The selection process included several stages: an application form, online courses, an interview, and in-person training delivered through 78 programs across 46 regions of Russia. The largest numbers of volunteers came from the Sverdlovsk Region, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Krasnodar Territory, and the Moscow Region.
"Volunteers are among the Festival's key organizers on site. No event of this scale can succeed without them, as the experience of hosting major international events in our country has shown time and again. To make their work easier, IFY – 2026 will use a web application developed by the Moscow Volunteer Resource Center. The digital tool will let volunteer team leaders manage rosters and shift schedules in real time, track volunteers' participation status, log communications with them, record working hours, and monitor shift attendance. The application will make managing the Volunteer Corps faster and more efficient, reduce the risk of organizational errors, and free up more time to support Festival participants directly," emphasized Artem Metelev, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Youth Policy and Head of Dobro.RF.
To build the IFY – 2026 Volunteer Corps, 28 Volunteer Recruitment and Training Centers were established across Russia. These centers supported candidates at every stage, from the initial outreach and advising through selection and training.
During the Festival, volunteers will support 17 functional areas. Their responsibilities will include creating a warm, festive atmosphere for guests, handling accreditation and logistics, assisting medical staff, accompanying experts and Russian and foreign delegations, supporting participants with limited mobility, providing interpretation and translation services, helping organize excursion programs, producing content for social media, and liaising with the press. After the main program concludes, volunteers will continue to accompany foreign delegations as part of the Festival's regional program.
"To me, volunteering has always meant being ready to help, even when it requires sacrificing your own time and energy. I felt this most acutely when I joined the Arkhangelsk delegation in the cleanup after a fuel oil spill on the Black Sea coast. People from all kinds of backgrounds worked alongside me there – actors, models, entrepreneurs, students – yet we were all united by a single goal: helping nature and saving animals. Moments like that show you how volunteering knows no borders and brings people together more powerfully than any differences can divide them. Becoming a volunteer at the International Festival of Youth – 2026 means, for me, joining a large team of like-minded people, meeting others from across Russia and around the world, learning about their projects and initiatives, exchanging experience, and perhaps building new ideas together that will keep making a difference long after the Festival ends. I want to put my knowledge to good use and do everything I can so that our guests leave with the warmest impressions of Russia and its people," shared Olga Belyaeva, an IFY – 2026 volunteer.
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.