WYF 2024 Foreign Participants to Follow the Memory Lane

On January 27, the Memory Lane, one of the five routes of the World Youth Festival Regional Program, was presented to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi siege. More than 500 foreign guests will follow the route dedicated to World War II. The route includes hero cities and cities of military glory: St. Petersburg, Volgograd, Smolensk, Tula, Kursk, and Belgorod. Foreign guests will visit unique museum complexes and learn more about how the heroic deed of Soviet soldiers who defeated Nazism is honored in modern Russia.

"This year we celebrate one of the most important dates in the history of our city. The siege of Leningrad was completely lifted exactly 80 years ago, on January 27, 1944. Nearly 900 days of hunger, cold, constant bombing and shelling. Not only did people survive, they worked, studied, saved and protected their city, its monuments and masterpieces under such inhuman conditions. We preserve the memory of those terrible days, the heroic deed of the defenders of Leningrad and the authentic evidence of life in the besieged city. It is very important for us to tell the historical truth to foreign guests, because this is the only way to prevent a repetition of these terrible events," said Bogdan Zastavny, Chairman of the Committee on Youth Policy and Interaction with Public Organizations of St. Petersburg.

The foreign participants will get to know St. Petersburg from March 12 to 16. They will get to know the true history of World War II and the rich culture of the city. They will also participate in outlook sessions and discussions at leading universities together with young people from Russia. As part of the cultural program, the delegation will visit the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery, the Lenrezerv Museum, the Missing in the Newsreel panorama, modern public spaces, famous St. Petersburg theaters, scientific and industrial sites, youth policy institutions and universities. Participants will also engage in community service activities, visiting shelters and volunteer centers.

The hero city of Volgograd will host foreign guests from March 9 to 13. Foreign participants will visit Mamayev Kurgan, the Battle of Stalingrad Reserve Museum and the Russia Is My History Park. They will visit key enterprises of the region, youth centers and universities, the Quantorium Children's Technopark and the Aviation Sports Club named after Hero of the Soviet Union Aleksandr Chislov. The organizers have also planned useful and sports programs, which will include an international sports relay race, training with a famous Russian athlete, visits to a shelter and a city hospital for emergency medical care.

In Smolensk, the foreign participants will also have a guided tour of memorable places. The delegation will visit one of the main attractions of the city, the Heroes' Memorial Square and the Smolensk Region during the Great Patriotic War Museum.

From March 10 to 14, the Regional Program will be held in Tula. The participants will visit the Defense Museum, meet the heroes of the Special Military Operation, and place a time capsule for future generations. The Festival guests will not only learn about the history of the hero city and visit cultural events and industrial centers, but will also have the opportunity to try their hands at cooking traditional Russian dishes. During the workshops, the foreign participants will learn how to make pelmeni and Tula gingerbread. They will also create a "gingerbread" art object dedicated to the WYF 2024. As part of the sports program, the WYF 2024 participants will be divided into teams and play hockey in felt boots and Russian lapta.

Foreign guests will stay in Kursk from March 14 to 17. The route will take the participants to the memorials, places of remembrance and mourning on the north face of the Kursk Bulge, which was the scene of bloody fighting during World War II. The participants of the Regional Program will have the opportunity to meet with the veterans of the region and the heroes of the Special Military Operation.

The Belgorod Region will also host the WYF 2024 foreign guests. From March 14 to 17, representatives of foreign youth, together with their counterparts from Russia, will lay flowers at the Eternal Flame, take part in the solemn ceremony of handing over and burying the remains of the soldiers of World War II and plant trees on the Alley of Memory. The Participants will visit the Battle of Kursk. Belgorod Direction Diorama Museum and the Prokhorovskoye Field State Military Historical Reserve Museum dedicated to the largest tank battle. As part of the cultural program, the foreign guests will hear the From Baroque to Rock concert of organ music performed by the Belgorod State Philharmonic Society.

The Regional Program will take place on March 10-17, following the conclusion of the Main Program in Sirius. 2,000 foreign participants will travel to 30 cities of Russia. They will get to know the cultural and historical heritage, national diversity and unique nature of the country.

Overview:

The World Youth Festival will take place in 2024 according to the Decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the development of international youth cooperation. At the first meeting of the Organizing Committee chaired by Sergey Kiriyenko, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration, it was decided to hold the Festival in the Sirius Federal Territory.

20,000 young leaders in education, science, international cooperation, culture, volunteering, charity, sports, business, media, etc., including 10,000 foreign participants, will take part in the WYF 2024. For the first time in the history of the festival movement young people aged 14-17, 500 from Russia and 500 from abroad, will have the opportunity to participate in the event.

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

Prepared by the WYF 2024 Press Office