Youth Festival Kicks Off in Sochi With Participants From Over 180 Countries
Jakarta. The 19th World Festival of Youth and Students, or WFYS, is held in Sochi, Russia, from Saturday (14/10) to Oct. 22, gathering around 20,000 young professionals from more than 180 countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin opened the festival on Sunday at Bolshoy Ice Dome in Sochi's Olympic Park.
Putin told the participants that this year marks 70 years since the festival's first edition in Prague, Czech Republic.
"They have proven that barriers are powerless in the face of true friendship, and that the warmth of human communication isn't dependent on political, religious, cultural and other differences," he said as quoted by Russian news outlet RT.
He encouraged the youth to follow the steps of the festival's pioneers by fighting injustice and conflicts.
"Energy and talent of the youth have an astonishing power. The younger generation is always bringing innovative ideas. You are prone to experiments, disputes, you never accept traditional ways of life. Be daring! Create your own future! Be bold enough to change this world to make it better! You can do that," the president said, according to Russian news agency Tass.
Putin is going to return to the festival on Oct. 21 to take part in several workshops and attend the closing ceremony.
Nicolas Papademitriou, president of the World Federation of the Democratic Youth (WFDY), the festival's organizer, said in a statement that the key idea of the festival is to bring together various youth organizations to battle imperialism and fight for peace, democracy and independence, as well as to protect economic rights and interests of young people.
"This is a festival that rests upon political, cultural and sporting events. The people that come to the festival have strong political and ideological views, they love sports and culture. We have everything it takes to send a powerful signal to the world. We got team spirit, respect traditions and cultures and we can join our efforts for the future of the world," he said.
By engaging youth worldwide, he expects them to be agents of change that will push leaders to take action in solving global crises.
"If we can inspire youth from around the globe to battle fascism and terrorism, then the leaders of those countries can influence the global situation," Papademitriou added.
What to Expect
The main agenda of the WFYS are panel discussions and workshops on global politics, civil and economic development, architecture and design, trends in sports, future technologies, new media, as well as environmental and health issues.
They will feature well-known figures from various fields of expertise, including Google director of public policy and government relations for Europe, Middle East, and Africa Doron Avni and motivational speaker Nick Vujicic.
Exhibitions, film screenings and performances accompany the festival. A day before its opening ceremony, around 10,000 youth joined the International Carnival Parade in Moscow showcasing their respective cultures.
Participants can also see the Youth Expo to learn about cultural and scientific achievements of Russia and other countries. They can try mock-up spacesuits and space shuttles and taste the world's cuisines.
In the first three days, 2,000 foreign participants will tour Russia's provinces — from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok.
The Jakarta Globe is the WFYS's official media partner.
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