On June 12, the House of Youth hosted a panel session titled “Innovative Practices in Event Volunteering: Experience of the World Youth Festival” as part of the Dobro.Conference. Participants discussed best volunteer practices and the experience of creating the volunteer corps for the World Youth Festival.

The event featured Artyom Metelev, Chair of the State Duma Committee on Youth Policy, Chair of the Council of the Association of Volunteer Centers, and Head of DOBRO.RF, along with Denis Ashirov, Deputy Head of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs. They presented Letters of Appreciation to session participants for the successful implementation of the WYF-2024 volunteer programme and contribution to the development of volunteering in Russia.

“The Festival left an indelible impression on every young person who came to Russia and it will remain a unique event of 2024. This wouldn’t have been possible without the resource centers in our country. It’s these centers that form the backbone of volunteer movements in every region, municipality, and district that have those volunteers who carry warmth in their hearts and a genuine willingness to do good that are reflected in the whole volunteer movement”, said Denis Ashirov.
The panel session was opened by Larisa Sulima, Deputy Director General of the World Youth Festival Directorate. She spoke on the formation and key stages of work of the WYF-2024 volunteer corps.

“In the 10 years since the Winter Olympic Games, a robust volunteer community has emerged in Russia. No international or national youth event takes place without volunteer support. I firmly believe that the success of any initiative lies in the team of like-minded individuals who share common values and goals and are genuinely committed to celebrating the glory of our country. Such
a team of volunteers was created to prepare and host
the World Youth Festival”, emphasized Larisa Sulima.
Other session participants included: Viktoria Zvyagintseva, Executive Director of the Volunteer Resource Center of the Arkhangelsk Region; Yulia Ryabova, Deputy Director of the Youth Policy Implementation Agency of the Samara Region; Olga Semenova, Head of Youth Policy at Chuvash State University; Evgeniya Dyomina, Director of the Kaliningrad Volunteer Center; Alexander Levit, Director of the Resource Center for the Development and Support of Volunteering “Mosvolontyor”; Alexander Lyalchenko, Head of the Cultural and Recreational Programme of the WYF-2024; Alexander Suzyumov, Director of the Volunteer Center at Tambov State Technical University; Alexander Maksimov, Director of Centralized Services and Volunteer Programme of the World Friendship Games.

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 the future, the World Youth Festival will become a platform for the development of a permanent international youth movement aimed at creating a just multipolar world. 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 international themed gatherings and events will be held under the auspices of the WYF annually.

The World Youth Festival is organized by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh). The WYF-2024 was operated by the World Youth Festival Directorate.