Ilsur Metshin, Honorary Chairman of the Association, about the participants of the first BRICS Youth Festival: «They will be friends and hopefully work together in the future»
150 talented students from 35 municipalities of 13 countries will arrive in Kazan.
From September 20 to 28, the capital of Tatarstan will become the venue for the first BRICS Youth Festival. Kazan will host 150 children aged 14 to 17 from 35 municipalities in 13 countries around the world. A rich program has been prepared for them, including sports and recreation activities, an Olympiad in mathematics and computer science, as well as an introduction to the main sights of the city.
The first delegations will begin arriving in the capital of Tatarstan on September 20. Participants from Russia, China, South Africa, Brazil, India, Turkey, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Egypt and Iran are expected in Kazan.
As Ilsur Metshin, Mayor of Kazan, recalled, the initiative to create the festival was announced last year at a working meeting of the BRICS+ Association of Cities and Municipalities in Dubai.: «Very little time has passed from our idea to its implementation, and we see how this initiative is warmly supported by everyone. It is important that not only we communicate professionally and exchange best practices, but also our children», the Mayor said.
The main venue for hosting and conducting activities will be the Molodaya Gvardiya sports and recreation camp. The camp program includes master classes in robotics, the international Brixovision song contest, a national costume show, a board game festival, quests, as well as games and discos. One day, the participants will hold a presentation of the countries, during which they will talk about the history and culture of their state.
The opening ceremony of the Festival will take place on September 22 at the Tatar State Academic Theater named after G.Kamal.
Next, Kazan Federal University will host the Olympiad of schoolchildren from BRICS+ cities and partner countries in Mathematics and Computer Science. The participants will compete in team and individual stages, divided into two age categories: senior (16-17 years old) and junior (14-15 years old).
«We are able to hold such an international Olympiad. Kazan is a university city, one of the leaders after Moscow in the number of Olympiads in various subjects, both Russian and international, so we have an excellent base. The guys should not only be friends, but also compete in a good rivalry. It is important that they enrich each other with the cultural peculiarities that each country has. To study not only on the Internet, but in live communication», the Mayor emphasized.
Ilsur Metshin thanked his colleagues from Kazan Federal University for providing a platform for organizing the Olympiad and the teachers who will be involved in the preparation and conduct of the competitions.
In parallel with the children’s activities, as part of the business program of the festival, a round table will be held in the Kazan City Hall, where participants will represent the interests of their countries. Then there will be a meeting of the Committee on Youth Policy and Education of the BRICS+ Association of Cities and Municipalities. Experts and representatives of municipalities from different countries will discuss topical issues of the development of a modern youth policy system, share successful practices in its implementation and outline prospects for further international cooperation in this area.
Excursions to the Kazan Kremlin, the Kamal Theater, the URAM Extreme Park and the Kazan Zoo, as well as a visit to the Ak Bars hockey team’s match with Avangard Omsk are also planned for teenagers.
As part of the festival, the alley «Friends of the World» will be created, where children will plant trees. Gymnasium No. 107 will host the BRICS+ Youth Library with youth publications from different countries.
The festival will end with a gala concert featuring performances by the best youth and children’s creative teams in Kazan, as well as talented young artists from other countries.
«We hope it will be a very interesting and great holiday that will definitely unite our youth. They will be friends and hopefully work together in the future. Let’s check our watches again and try to meet the guests with dignity, as we know how to do. We are all involved in organizing this extraordinary event, and the main responsibility lies with the social block and the Committee for Children and Youth Affairs of Kazan», concluded the mayor.
