Only a few hours remain before the moment when Russia solemnly opens its doors to 20,000 participants from all over the world: the International Festival of Youth and Students Sochi 2017 will begin on October 14, 2017.

According to the organizers, it will be one of the largest in the history of the festival and unique, as it will take place outside the capital, but at the same time it will capture the whole country.

President of the World Federation of Democratic Youth N. Papadimitriou

At the conference in the TASS press center, a rich program of events was announced, the purpose of which is to establish mutual understanding between representatives of different cultures and religions. During the week, young people from 150 countries of the world will exchange experiences and become imbued with Russian culture.

What is the festival

70 years ago, in the capital of the Czech Republic, for the first time, a congress of leaders of youth organizations with a socialist or communist orientation was organized, and held under the slogan "For Peace and Friendship", to which one more term was later added - "imperialist solidarity". In the 21st century, the organizers of each subsequent event at the preparatory meeting choose a new motto. This year it reads as follows: "For peace, solidarity and social justice, we fight against imperialism - respecting our past, we are building our future!"

For Russia, this is the third festival of youth and students. In 1957, Moscow gathered 34 thousand participants - a record number in history.

It was then that Soviet students got acquainted with rock and roll, jeans and Western values, which so impressed young Soviet people that at the subsequent event in 1985, the authorities made every effort to limit the communication of our citizens with foreigners.

In 2017, the organizers tried to think over the plan of the festival events in such a way that young journalists, athletes, engineers, entrepreneurs, representatives of the creative sphere and programmers, scientists, teachers, as well as leaders of youth organizations and political parties had the most effective and interesting time, exchanging useful experience . Numerous discussions and seminars, concerts, sports competitions, and, of course, large-scale festivities await students.

Sochi - out of competition

In May 2016 in Caracas (Venezuela), the preparatory committee of the festival unanimously approved the decision to hold the 2017 forum in sunny and hospitable Sochi, since after the 2014 Olympics the city has all the necessary infrastructure corresponding to the scale of the event, which will help to significantly save organizational costs. The host party is sure that Sochi will pleasantly surprise the participants and leave an indelible impression in their memory.

Guests will be accommodated in the hotels of the Olympic Village. It will also host concerts, exhibitions and lectures. As for sporting events, the Rosa Khutor ski resort (Mountain Cluster) will be used for their holding.

Aims and themes of the festival

This year's event sets itself the goal of consolidating the youth of the whole world, strengthening existing international ties and doing everything possible for the further development of intercultural and interethnic interaction of the participating countries.

The festival is designed to work out the image of the future of people and the world and try to find answers to the most acute challenges facing the representatives of the modern young generation.

The purpose of the festival is to increase interest in Russia, as well as to preserve the memory and history shared with it.

The themes of the festival are carefully thought out

• culture and globalization (cultural heritage of the nation, communication of representatives of different cultures, creativity)
• economy and development of small and medium business
• knowledge economy: education, new technologies, ideas and discoveries
• public sector, charity and volunteering
• politics and security

TV presenter and journalist Yana Churikova, figure skating champion Irina Slutskaya, director of the Moscow Circus and People's Artist of the Russian Federation Edgar Zapashny, high jump champion Elena Slesarenko and representative of the UN Secretary General for Youth Affairs Ahmad Alkhendawi were chosen as ambassadors of the Youth and Student Festival 2017.

Anthem and talisman

You can get into the spirit of the 19th World Festival of Young Leaders even before it opens: the anthem of the 2017 event has been officially published online. The composition was created and performed by singer, actor and UN Goodwill Ambassador Alexei Vorobyov.

Listen to the anthem of the festival.

Especially for the flash mob at the festival, the song was arranged by the Swedish musician and producer RedOne, who has two Grammy awards in his piggy bank, who has successfully collaborated with a number of world-famous stars (Michael Jackson, Enrique Iglesias, Rod Stewart, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, U2 and others) and wrote the anthem for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The main composition of the festival sounds in Russian and English and conveys as much as possible the meaning and ideas of the international forum: the ideals of peace, love, friendship and international solidarity.

The mascot for the festival was chosen through an open international vote, which was attended by about one hundred thousand people. The largest number of votes was won by an unusual trinity: Romashka the robot, Shurik the ferret and Mishan the polar bear. The creator of the latter, Sergey Petrenko, a designer from Volgodonsk, decided that just such a character, dressed in a traditional red blouse and with a flower behind his ear, would be able to fully convey the scale of the holiday and the positive atmosphere that simply cannot be in Sochi.

Volunteers have not been forgotten either - they have their own anthem and great uniforms!

Listen to the anthem of the festival volunteers

Equipment

Just a week ago, the official uniform of the Sochi Youth Festival, designed by renowned Russian designer Igor Chapurin, was presented in Zaryadye Park.

The presentation turned out to be a real treat!

The equipment for participants, volunteers, organizers and guests is made in the official colors of the festival, so it turned out to be bright and beautiful. Pleasant and important details on each kit are waterproof zippers, logos, embroidery and appliqués, made using the latest technologies in the clothing industry.

The sets were appreciated and perfectly demonstrated by journalist Alla Mikheeva, TV presenter Aurora, actresses Ekaterina Varnava and Nadezhda Sysoeva, singer Mitya Fomin and other famous personalities.

15 main words

15 is the number of regions from which participants will arrive. That is how many images, personifying Russia, they will take home and will remember with warmth. A specially prepared video presentation will help those who do not speak Russian to get to know a little better, and perhaps even understand the Russian soul.

These 15 words are:

Welcome

Meetings with speakers, as well as discussions, will be held at the main Media Center. In addition, a youth expo center will operate in the building. It is expected that it will become a platform for the start of fruitful international cooperation between young people from different countries. The building is equipped with venues for film festivals, photo exhibitions and press conferences.

The World Youth Symphony Orchestra will be located in the Adler Arena, where both rehearsals and a grandiose concert of a unique team created specifically for the festival will take place.

For dancers and theatre-goers, spaces have been prepared in the Ice Cube, where there will also be a mini-football field. Sports slot machines will be located on the site of the skate park and Fomula-1 track. Participants will find many activities at other facilities:

• Olympic park sites
• Green Theater of the Riviera Park
• Winter theater
• concert hall "Festivalny"
• Southern pier and Sochi circus

Youth Festival in Sochi: plan of events

The start of the festival week is scheduled for October 14 in Moscow, where a solemn meeting of guests and a grand carnival parade will take place.

The opening ceremony will take place on October 15 in Sochi. A special feature is the idea of ​​the organizers to build a ceremony around the history of real people who are trying with all their might to change the world for the better, for example, Afroz Shah from India, who cleared the beaches of Mumbai from five tons of garbage, or Russian Roman Gek, who built a school in Nepal, and many others.

A discussion program will be implemented from the first day

• October 15 - First day of education
• October 16 is America's Day. On this day, the guests of the event have a unique opportunity to participate in a discussion on the topic "World Culture: Global Challenges", listen to one of the most famous contemporary writers Frederic Begbeder, and also ask questions to the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky.
• October 17 - Africa Day
• October 18 - Middle East Day
• October 19 - Asia and Oceania Day
• October 20 - Europe Day
• October 21 - Russia Day

Plan of cultural events

• October 16 - Jazz Festival
• October 17 – International New Music Festival
• October 18 - New Russia State Orchestra with Diana Arbenina
• October 19 – Festival of National Cultures
• October 20 - Concert of the World Youth Symphony Orchestra, Gala Concert of Classical Music and Ballet
• October 21 - Day of Russia

Sport program

• October 15 - Opening of the site "World TRP"
• October 16 - Festival run for 2017 meters, the opening of the "Dancing Planet"
• October 17 - Rope-skipping show, tournament among Workout camp graduates
• October 18 - Show of stars "Ekogonka", a session of simultaneous blind play on 30 boards
• October 19 – Final contests in extreme sports
• October 20 - Performance of the Football freestyle team, GTO race, mini-football tournament final

Scientific and educational thematic areas will be implemented through the organization of speeches by more than 700 speakers. One of the brightest guests will be motivational speaker Nick Vujicic.

The regional program involves the festival participants visiting 15 regions of Russia from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok, where discussions of various thematic areas will also be held.

The closing ceremony took place on 21 October. The culmination of the program was the message "Let's change the world" written by the participants. The highlight of the music program is the Dutch singer Rochelle Perts, winner of the X Factor music competition.

Online broadcast of the closing of the festival

The Sochi Youth Forum will bring together young and ambitious leaders aged 18 to 35 to once again prove to the world that friendship, love and creativity can make our planet and people's future better.

Dates of the festival of youth and students in Sochi 2017: from 14 to 21 October 2017.

The article used materials and photos from sites:
Official website of the event: http://russia2017.com
WFYS Photo Bank 2017: http://wfys2017.tassphoto.com
Official group VKontakte.

Russian-Kazakh youth of the deaf

With Christoph

Each participant went to the festival in his own direction, and there were a lot of directions:
. The Future of Science and Global Education
. Designing the Future: Architecture and Design
. Technologies of the future
. Ecology and health
. New media
. Civic Development Platform
. International cultural space
. Economy for the future development
. Global politics and its agenda: how to protect the world
. Industries of the future
. Aviation of the future
. The global rail network: bringing the future closer
The venues for the festival were the Olympic Park and various venues. Lectures, panel discussions, master classes, business games, sports and art, music, dance, literature, and cinema were held every day. It is noteworthy that the participant of the festival could visit any venue, even not in his own direction, in this regard, the participants were given freedom.
The festival was attended by various celebrity speakers, for example: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Russian Commissioner for Children's Rights Anna Kuznetsova, head of the LDPR faction Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova, Australian motivational speaker Nick Vuychich, French writer Frederic Begbeder , actor Sergei Bezrukov, athletes Elena Isinbaeva, Alexander Karelin, Sergei Karyakin ... and many others who explained, taught and inspired us!

Nick Vujicic

Unfortunately, for us, the deaf participants, there were no professional interpreters of Russian Sign Language, and for Christoph - an interpreter of International Sign Language. They provided only two volunteers who knew only a little sign language and, accordingly, complex topics and terminology were not translated as we would like. Because of this, there was a lack and distortion of information, we did not receive it fully, because there were many sites, the deaf dispersed, the volunteers were not always with us, and in the end we had to get out on our own. It's good that Vera Samsonova and Anna Prokhorenko were hard of hearing, and at some venues they managed to translate themselves.

Vera Samsonova translates to Maxim Barsukov

In the first days of the festival, so many people came, even more than planned, so not everyone had enough full-fledged equipment. The participants were given polo shirts, sweatshirts, vests, caps, bags, Irbis smartphones with the symbols of the festival and gift boxes containing diaries, pens, colored pencils and, most importantly, the badge of the participant of the World Festival of Youth and Students. They also gave away free tickets to attractions in Sochi Park, known as the best amusement park in Russia.

Equipment and recruitment of the participant

It was not so easy to get to the opening and closing ceremonies of the festival. Since Russia was the host country, most of the tickets were given to foreign participants and guests. As a result, not all Russian participants were able to get to the ceremony, each delegation was given a certain number of tickets. And then they were distributed - where by drawing lots, where through selection according to their own, internal criteria.
The opening ceremony was framed as a theatrical performance with show elements, with thematic designation of the pressing problem areas in the world: ecology, poverty, education, energy, information, science. Also, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a welcoming speech and announced the opening of the festival. And at the closing, the main characters of the closing ceremony were the participants, volunteers of the festival and music - as one of the main elements that unite people around the world.

The opening ceremony

Each day at the festival was dedicated to certain continents and countries. For example, October 15 was Middle East Day, October 16 was America Day, October 17 was Africa Day, October 19 was Asia and Oceania Day, and October 20 was Europe Day. And finally, October 21 is the day of Russia. On each of these days, the history, politics, art, culture of those countries located on the selected continents were studied. Literally in the corridors of the huge media center, they sang songs, danced dances, played games and did much more, thereby showing the unity and friendship of peoples.
Despite the fact that there were disadvantages, we all got a lot of impressions from the festival. We gained some experience, new acquaintances (only communication with Christophe from Jamaica was worth something, and he is also a deaf lawyer in his country), new ideas, emotions, motivation and inspiration! I would like to thank all the organizers of such a cool festival, all volunteers, speakers, participants and deaf friends who have been with us for 10 days! Without all of you, such an unforgettable festival would not have taken place!

Becoming a participant of the XIX World Festival of Youth and Students is an honorable mission. We have already entered the history of at least the first twenty years of the 21st century! And, perhaps, as the first deaf participants participating in such a festival. Of course, we are all proud to have attended this large-scale event. We also went there with the aim of being an example for other deaf people. We wanted to try it out for ourselves and show that it is really possible to get to such international festivals among the hearing-deaf, if only there was a strong desire!
We want and encourage deaf youth to apply and participate in various hearing forums and festivals! So that there would be more of us, the deaf, so that everyone could see us - and know that our youth is also active and strong in their work. Because it is at the events among the hearing that you can see and get much more knowledge, experience and connections that can help you in your future activities. No need to be shy about such events, you need to get out of your comfort zone, go against everything! And then the deaf will be on an equal footing with everyone, because together we are strong!
Festival, you are forever in our heart!

Vera Samsonova,
head of the Smolensk Youth of the Deaf

The World Festival of Youth and Students is a unique platform where young people from around the world jointly develop an image of the future of the whole Earth.

The issue of holding a major meeting of youth representatives from all over the world was first discussed at the World Youth Conference in London (Great Britain) in 1945, where the creation of the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) was announced.

The creation of the WFDY was followed by the establishment of the International Union of Students (UIS) in Prague (Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic) in August 1946.

In the course of the joint activities of the MSS and WFDY in 1947, the organizations made a historic decision to hold the I World Festival of Youth and Students.

I World Festival of Youth and Students (WFYS) was held from July 25 to August 16, 1947 in Prague (Czechoslovakia). II WFMS took place in 1949 in Budapest (Hungary); III VFMS - in 1951 in Berlin (GDR), IV - in 1953 in Bucharest (Romania); V - in 1955 in Warsaw (Poland); VI - in 1957 in Moscow (USSR); VII - in 1959 in Vienna (Austria); VIII - in 1962 in Helsinki (Finland); IX - in 1968 in Sofia (Bulgaria); X - in 1973 in Berlin (GDR); XI - in 1978 in Havana (Cuba); XII - in 1985 in Moscow (USSR); XIII - in 1989 in Pyongyang (DPRK); XIV - in 1997 in Havana (Cuba).

The festival was also hosted by Algeria (XV WFYS, 2001), Venezuela (XVI WFYS, 2005), South Africa (XVII WFYS, 2010) and Ecuador (XVIII WFYS, 2013).

Moscow twice hosted the World Festival of Youth and Students. The 1957 festival was attended by 34,000 people. Under the slogan "For Peace and Friendship" it brought together young representatives from 131 countries. The Moscow festival has become one of the largest cultural and political events of several post-war decades.

The 1985 festival, held under the slogan "For Anti-Imperialist Solidarity, Peace and Friendship", was attended by 26,000 young people. At 15 specialized venues, they discussed various issues - from disarmament and interethnic to economic and environmental. This festival has become the most representative in terms of the diversity of political and public organizations and their concepts.

The festival is organized by its founder, the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) and the National Preparatory Committee of the host country.

The decision to hold WFYS 2017 was made on February 7, 2016 by the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) and international student organizations.

The slogan of the festival is: "For peace, solidarity and social justice, we fight against imperialism - respecting our past, we are building our future!"

The WFYS 2017 will start with the International Student Parade on October 14 in Moscow. Key events will take place from 14 to 22 October 2017 in the Sochi Olympic Park.

The Festival program consists of a discussion program, a campus (a common space for participants in all thematic areas of the program, combining educational, educational and leisure activities) and a series of scientific, educational and educational events, including panel discussions, lectures, conferences, master classes and workshops.

For the first time in the history of the festival movement, the whole country will be involved in a grandiose youth holiday. As part of the festival, from October 14 to 17, 2017, a regional program is planned for more than 1.5 thousand foreign participants. During the first three days of their stay in Russia, they will visit 15 different regions of the Russian Federation and

From October 14 to October 22, the World Festival of Youth and Students (WFYS) will be held in Russia. The procession of delegates will take place in the capital, the opening and most of the events will take place in Sochi. The congress will bring together 25 thousand young people from all over the world, its main goal is to establish mutual understanding between representatives of different cultures and religions. According to preliminary estimates, representatives of 150 countries will take part in the event, and 8,000 volunteers will provide it.

Sochi is the capital of the festival in 2017

Russia received the right to host the festival in May 2016. The application of the Russian Federation was the only one that was unanimously approved by the preparatory committee of the festival, which met in Caracas (Venezuela). The proposal to hold the WFYS in Russia was personally made by Vladimir Putin. After submitting the application, he discussed the goals and content of the festival with representatives of the youth associations that will organize it.

The head of state emphasized that during international events, Russia should show its best sides and successes, demonstrate its desire for international cooperation and the development of the youth movement. The festival will open with the Student Parade, which will take place on October 14 on Red Square. The festivities will continue on Vorobyovy Gory, overlooking the main building of Moscow State University - a symbol of Russian students.

Further events will take place in . After the 2014 Olympics, the resort has an international level infrastructure that allows you to host large-scale events at no extra cost. The participants of the festival will stay in the hotels of the Olympic village. There will also be exhibitions, lectures and concerts. The Rosa Khutor ski resort, located half an hour from Sochi, will become a venue for sporting events.

Program of events

The festival is dedicated to topics relevant in the youth environment:

• Culture and globalization (cultural heritage of the nation, communication of representatives of different cultures, creativity);
• Economy, development;
• Knowledge economy (education, new technologies, ideas and discoveries);
• Public sector, charity and volunteering;
• Politics and security.

The festival will include art and scientific exhibitions, open lectures, and creative master classes. Russian culture will be presented by a jazz concert, ballet or ice show, film screenings and circus performances. The sports program includes a cycling marathon, games and extreme sports competitions. The exact schedule of events will appear after the second preparatory meeting, which will be held on October 30 in Namibia.

The main part of the Festival 2017 will take place in Sochi and

Festival ambassadors

The event was supported by personalities known in Russia and abroad:

• Yana Churikova- TV presenter and journalist.
• Irina Slutskaya- Champion in figure skating.
• Edgard Zapashny- People's Artist of the Russian Federation, director of the Moscow Circus.
• Elena Slesarenko- high jump champion
• Ahmad Alkhendawi- Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Youth Affairs.

How to get to the festival?

To become a participant of the event, you need to meet a number of requirements:

• Your age is 18-35 years;
• Do you have a hobby and an active lifestyle?
• You respect your country and the international community.

The last requirement is belonging to one of the active youth groups:

1. Heads of youth non-profit organizations or political parties;
2. Media workers, artists, writers, filmmakers, etc.;
3. Organizers of sports sections;
4. Engineers;
5. University teachers, researchers, members of student government;
6. Entrepreneurs;
7. Foreigners interested in the Russian language and culture.

Leaflet inviting participation in the World Youth Festival

Participants will be able to live and eat free of charge in the Olympic Village, as well as attend all festival events. Foreigners will get to Russia without a visa. If you meet the requirements and wish to participate in the festival, fill out the form at russia2017.com/#/members. Candidates will then go through face-to-face and face-to-face interviews.

How to become a volunteer?

Another way to get to the festival is volunteering (free organization work). Volunteers can be active Russians over the age of 18 who speak a foreign language and want to try their hand at one of the areas of work:

• Transport logistics
• Holding and servicing events, including the parade in Moscow
• Medical support of the festival
• Meeting and escorting foreign delegations
• Working with journalists
• Working with volunteers
• Catering and accommodation for participants
• Translation for employees and delegates of the festival
• Creating a solemn atmosphere in Sochi ("city volunteers")

Volunteer recruitment will begin in October 2016. All applicants must fill out a form on the site. The best applicants will undergo a face-to-face or online interview, then training at centers that will open throughout the country. Participation in the festival will give volunteers an unforgettable experience and new acquaintances. The events will be organized by "silver volunteers" - experienced volunteers who worked at international congresses during the Soviet era.

Festival organizers

The main organizer of the event is the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY). It includes domestic youth organizations of the left orientation:

• Russian Komsomol (RKSM)
• Leninist Communist Youth Union (LKSM RF)
• Youth Union "Just Force"

The application for the festival was supported by the Russian Youth Union and the National Council of Youth and Children's Associations. The chairman of the last department, Grigory Petushkov, headed the National Preparatory Committee for the event. According to MSU rector Viktor Sadovnichy, Russian students will play an important role in organizing the festival. He suggested that the management involve students in the activities.

Festival preparation

Events dedicated to the festival are in full swing. On October 12, 2016, a meeting of the festival's ambassadors took place in Moscow. On October 10-13, the participants of the forum "Russia - a sports power" overcame the 2017-meter distance in honor of the festival. On October 14, young people celebrated the year before it began with a concert on Sparrow Hills. WFYS will be the leading theme of the Vkontakte festival, which will be held in St. Petersburg in the summer of 2017. Postage stamps and a commemorative coin dedicated to the student event will appear in Russia.

History of the festival

The World Festival of Youth and Students is a congress of youth associations of a "left" (socialist or communist) orientation. It was first held in 1947 in the Czech capital under the leadership of youth democratic and student organizations. The slogan of the event read: "For peace and friendship."

Russia hosted the Festival of Youth and Students back in Soviet times

In the first decades of its existence, the festival was held every two years. He gathered representatives of communist, socialist and anti-fascist youth associations. Participants included members of radical movements, some of which were banned in their countries. The leading themes of the festival were international cooperation and the fight against fascism.