"Follow Your Dream": Yekaterinburg Has Become a Platform for Dialogue Among Youth from All Over the World

"Follow Your Dream": Yekaterinburg Has Become a Platform for Dialogue Among Youth from All Over the World

On September 13, the opening ceremony of the third International Youth Festival took place in Yekaterinburg, at the "Yekaterinburg-Expo" International Exhibition Center. This year, 10,000 people from 191 countries are participating in the festival — 5,000 Russians and 5,000 foreign guests.

As part of a major concert program, popular Russian and foreign musical performers, groups, and actors performed in front of the numerous festival participants, including actress Yulia Peresild, Natalia Oreiro, and the star of the TV series "The Magnificent Century," Halit Ergenç. In addition, delegations from five of the world's macro-regions — Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, and the Middle East — presented vibrant presentations reflecting the characteristics of their national cultures: traditions, symbols, music, and dances.

President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin addressed the festival guests via video link with greetings and words of encouragement. He urged the youth to follow their dreams and change the world through joint efforts, and also emphasized the special significance and symbolism of the Urals as the venue for the current festival: according to him, the Ural land has long been a cradle of progressive ideas, scientific breakthroughs, and the industrial revolution.

"Where else but here — in one of the main centers of Russia's industrial, cultural, and intellectual heritage — should young leaders from different countries discuss how our lives are changing with the advent of new technologies, and what the world of the future should be like," the head of state emphasized.

The third International Youth Festival began in Yekaterinburg on September 11 and will run until September 17. The official motto of the festival is "Follow Your Dream," and the main idea is to create a space for open communication among young people from different countries so they can get to know each other, find common ground, exchange experience, and together seek ways to solve pressing global challenges and problems.

Interest in the festival arose long before its opening. During the four months of the application campaign, the organizers received more than 113,000 applications. Moreover, for the first time in the history of the festival movement, the number of applications from foreign participants turned out to be higher than the Russian ones — by 32,000.

A feature of the current festival is the sector-based principle of forming foreign delegations. Young specialists and leaders from the fields of science and education, public administration, business, sports, media, IT and digitalization, creative industries, and civic activism came to Yekaterinburg. Many of them are already implementing their own projects and plan to significantly influence the development of their countries in the coming years.

The main venues of the festival are the "Yekaterinburg-Expo" International Exhibition Center and the campus of the Ural Federal University. The festival program is built around communication and joint work: in addition to discussions and lectures, participants can expect team projects, creative and sports events, educational meetings, and events of many other formats that allow people with different cultural backgrounds to find a common language.

A special place is occupied by the educational program of the Russian "Znanie" (Knowledge) Society. Participants can attend lectures, open dialogues, and discussions, as well as personally communicate with well-known experts. The cultural program is no less rich: performances, concerts, film screenings, exhibitions, fairs, a gastronomic festival, and a design and merch market are designed to allow participants not just to learn about each other's cultures, but literally to immerse themselves in them.

The modern media sphere also received its own platform: "Mediapotok" (Media Flow) brought together journalists, bloggers, producers, and representatives of science and art. Here they talk about the transformation of the media industry, new technologies, and the development of creative industries. For participants, this is not only an educational platform but also an opportunity to meet professionals and find potential partners for future projects. As part of the wellness program, morning exercises with famous athletes, master classes, a run, and tournaments in football, table tennis, and esports are held. Acquaintance with the culture of different countries also continues through the festival of national sports.

A separate block is dedicated to volunteering and social initiatives. Young people get acquainted with the opportunities of the Dobro.rf platform, participate in volunteer and charity projects, and get the opportunity to continue this work after the festival ends.

It is also worth noting that for foreign guests of the festival, their acquaintance with Russia is not limited to Yekaterinburg. As part of the excursion program, they will be able to travel to the Urals and get acquainted with its natural, historical, and cultural heritage. And after the main part of the festival, a thousand foreign participants will go on expeditions across the regions. For them, 33 routes have been prepared through 35 constituent entities of Russia, the "Sirius" federal territory, as well as Abkhazia and South Ossetia. During the five days of travel, the guests will get acquainted with local sights, nature, and technological projects, take part in field research, and meet with Russian youth and representatives of indigenous small-numbered peoples.