Youth Time Capsule, "Deruny" and Dog Sleds — Foreign WYF 2024 Participants Getting to Know Russia

The World Youth Festival continues: 2,000 foreign participants travel to the cities of Russia. March 14 was another busy day of the large regional program. Live and Work in Russia, Memory Lane, Country without Borders, We Are Back in Russia, and Russia International Exhibition and Forum are the routes that introduce the youth of the world to the history, culture and traditions of Russia.

March 14 began for the foreign delegation in Ekaterinburg with morning exercises by Evgeny Tishchenko, Olympic Boxing Champion, WBA Champion, and Boxer of the RCC Martial Arts Academy.

"We had a very warm welcome in Ekaterinburg in spite of the weather here. The locals are very open and hospitable. This is my first trip to Russia. Ekaterinburg is a very big city with beautiful architecture," said Reza Ahadi Shahri, WYF 2024 participant from Iran.

As part of the regional program, the young generation of Ekaterinburg and WYF 2024 participants from different countries placed a youth time capsule with a message for future generations. It is made of an innovative material, heavy-duty carbon fiber. The container is 140 centimeters high and 60 centimeters in diameter. It weighs about 20 kilograms. Inside the capsule there is a message from the modern youth of the Sverdlovsk Region and letters of wishes from the WYF 2024 participants. It also contains items from ten areas: Sports, Media, Service to the Homeland, Volunteering, Science and IT Technology, Education, Business, International Cooperation, Culture, and Family Values. The most iconic sports artifacts in the capsule include a ball with autographs of all the players of the Uralochka Women's Volleyball Club and its famous coach Nikolay Karpol and a branded Putin Team bomber signed by outstanding Ural athletes Pavel Datsuk, Olympic Hockey Champion, Anton Shipulin, Olympic Biathlon Champion, and Yury Prilukov, Swimmer. Another special item is the form of racing driver Sergey Karyakin, in which he won the 2017 Dakar Rally. The capsule will be opened in 2049. 

The Novosibirsk Zoo, one of the largest in Russia, hosted the foreign WYF 2024 participants in the Novosibirsk Region. Young people had the opportunity to try cooking national Siberian dishes.

"Novosibirsk is a city with interesting architecture. When we arrived, I noticed right away that there were not many buildings in the modern style around here. It is great because it reflects the history. It is very interesting for those who come here. Novosibirsk is also a pretty cold city, but the people who live here make it a warmer place. I am happy to be here with you. I cannot even believe that I, a Mexican, am in Siberia now. This means that dreams can come true," Yamile Valeria Hernandez Rodriguez, a Festival participant from Mexico, shared her impressions of the trip.

The day of the WYF 2024 participants in Smolensk began with morning exercises by Anastasia Gapeeva, Deputy Chair of the Government of the Smolensk Region. Later, the young people went to the Gnezdovo Archaeological Complex. The participants were very interested in the complex of archaeological monuments of the Kievan Rus period. About 2,500 burial mounds and a settlement have been preserved there.

"I liked the largest archaeological complex in Russia and Europe. Various artifacts from the period of the formation of the ancient Russian state are preserved here. I learned a lot of interesting things not only about the region, but also about the whole country," said Roberto Caique Campos, a WYF 2024 participant from Brazil.

The organizers of the regional program in Smolensk prepared a surprise for gourmets. The participants had dinner where they tasted dishes of Smolensk national cuisine: "deruny", fried pancakes made of boiled grated potatoes, "lopuny", pies made of cottage cheese, semolina porridge and eggs, and other delicacies. The unusual dinner turned into an ethnographic party where the foreign guests danced to Russian folk songs and even tried to sing along to ditties.

The youth of the world enjoyed an active and eventful program in Khabarovsk today. First, the participants took part in the Maslenitsa festivities, where an ensemble of Russian (Cossack) songs performed for them, and the Cossacks demonstrated their mastery of traditional weapons, a saber. Pancake contests, chopping and sawing firewood, and making a woodpile were all enjoyed by the WYF 2024 participants. They especially liked the folk games: running in felt boots, throwing felt boots, and playing Gorodki. The guests also tried their hand at cross-country skiing, sledding, and snowmobiling. They also had the opportunity to ride a dog sled. A thematic photo shoot in national costumes was held for all participants to remember Khabarovsk and Russia. In the evening the foreigners took part in a workshop on cooking pelmeni and were immersed in the atmosphere of Russian traditions and customs. The day ended with a creative house party where they sang songs to the guitar.

"We received a truly royal welcome. With bread and salt, dancing and singing, we were warmly welcomed according to the folk traditions. The people here are open and friendly. I am looking forward to learning more about the culture and traditions of the region," said Monalisa Kangulu from Malawi.

The regional program of the Russian Znanie Society is also being held as part of the World Youth Festival. One of the highlights of the Marathon is getting to know real heroes and professionals of Russia. On March 14, Sergey Ryazansky, Hero of the Russian Federation, Russian Cosmonaut, and World's First Scientist and Commander of the Spacecraft, spoke in Ryazan. Motivational speaker Dmitry Cheshev met with students in Perm, and actor and TV presenter Oskar Kuchera and Olympic champion Olga Kaniskina talked about achievements and overcoming obstacles in Mordovia. Sergey Lamparov, Methodologist of the Association of Volunteer Centers and Manager of the #MYVMESTE Award, discussed the social significance of the volunteer movement with students of the Arkhangelsk region.

The day before, on March 13, in Ekaterinburg, at the premises of the Russian Znanie Society, Vladimir Yakushev, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Ural Federal District, held a meeting with the participants of the regional program of the World Youth Festival representing more than 30 countries. An educational program was held in Starobeshevo, Donetsk People's Republic, as part of the Act! Festival, organized by the Ministry of Youth Policy of the DPR and the Russian Znanie Society. It was attended by students of the Republic, who were part of the WYF 2024 delegation. Denis Pushilin, Head of the DPR, and Kirill Makarov, Acting Minister of Youth Policy of the DPR, talked with the active youth of the region.

"The atmosphere that prevailed at the Festival is a prototype of a new world order in which international relations are based on mutual respect and the search for common ground. I was very impressed by the Festival closing ceremony and I am very proud of our President, our leader, who spoke to representatives of 190 countries around the world. I consider the participation of our delegation as a full-fledged subject of the Russian Federation to be very useful. We develop, interact, learn new and useful things for ourselves, and try to share our experience not only with other regions but also with the whole world. What you are doing is cool," Denis Pushilin said.

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The World Youth Festival is taking place according to the Decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the development of international youth cooperation.

The World Youth Festival is organized by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh) and operated by the World Youth Festival Directorate.