22.08.2023
Volgograd hosted the International Youth Conference for Peace in the Future
Young representatives of 6 countries – Japan, Germany, France, China, Thailand and Russia – discussed ways to achieve a peaceful future. This year the city-hero has got to host the Youth Conference for the second time.
The first ever International Youth Conference for Peace in the Future was held in Hiroshima in 2005 – 60 years after the atomic bombing. Its organizer was Hiroshima International Youth Association with the assistance of the Board of Education of the City. Since then, the event is organized in turns by Hiroshima itself or one of its friendship cities.
All the five days of the event were interconnected by the acronym “PEACE”, each letter of which stood for a separate concept that referred to the scope of activities, contacts and cooperation which helps people on the planet to maintain and strengthen peace.
August 14 – Past
It is the knowledge of world history, the preservation of historical truth and the desire to avoid repetition of already committed errors that helps the mankind maintain peace. Therefore, the opening ceremony of the conference was held in the memorial museum-reserve “The Battle of Stalingrad”. Participants were greeted by the chairman of the International Youth Conference for Peace in the Future in Hiroshima Dr. Koki Inai and chairman of the International Youth Conference for Peace in the Future in Volgograd Deputy Mayor Aleksey Volotskov.
All foreign delegations made presentations about their home towns, their past and present, and tried to look into the future. Volgograd, Hiroshima, Cologne, Chemnitz, Dijon, Chengdu and Bangkok – their young people envisage their cities even more beautiful and tidy, their streets and squares full of smiling, relaxed and confident people.
Expert on the theme of the “Past” was an honorary citizen of the hero-city of Volgograd and honorary citizen of Hiroshima Yury Starovatykh, who had made a great personal contribution to the establishment of twinning relations between Volgograd and the participating cities. The day ended with a tour of the museum.
August 15 – Education and Environment
Cooperation inside academic circles and the joint care about our only home – the planet Earth – these are two more important areas for the implementation of peace initiatives. Not surprisingly, the city universities became the partners of Volgograd Municipality during the organization of this conference.
In the morning, pupils and students visited Volgograd State Technical University. The guests went to the Museum of History and Science, the scientific and technical library and several laboratories. The new expert of the day was the first Vice-Rector A.V. Navrotsky, who delivered a presentation in English on the topic “Education as a tool for the maintenance of peace”. The lecturer raised simple and comprehensive questions, like: why are universities important for the preservation of peace and its future, how can they help the world and the future, what is the role of universities in the modern world?
In the afternoon, IYCPF delegates reunited in Volgograd State Agrarian University, where volunteers happily introduced their peers from different countries to the history of their university and the “Hall of military glory”. Guests were greeted by the Vice-Rector for additional education and international relations E.N. Patrina. Agrarian University became a platform for discussing projects aimed at environmental protection and the implementation of green technologies. The harmonious coexistence of man and nature, renewable energy, eco-design, IT-technologies and green office-society, the preservation of the purity of water as a guarantee of health, food and energy – these and other issues were mentioned in the lecture by the Environment expert Professor L.N. Medvedeva, Head of the Laboratory of economic technologies in agriculture.
August 16 – Action
Sport, you are the world! And joint participation in sports and social activities can bring people closer in no time. In the first half of the day, participants visited Gymnasium No. 5 of Voroshilovsky district of Volgograd and Volgograd “Children’s school of choreographic art”, where the famous ensemble “Volzhanochka” is based. Gymnasium students surprised the guests with a musical presentation of their school, the teachers held a master-class on making traditional Russian dolls, and the Center of Classical Yoga at the Volgograd regional public organization “Yoga Federation” organized a training session to restore internal harmony of the participants. Parallel to this, at the Children’s school of choreographic art O.N. Ananieva, Merited culture worker, taught the IYCPF attendees the basics of traditional Russian dance.
The afternoon was just as energetic. Municipal Youth Center “Lider” with the support of the Youth Policy Committee, organized a large-scale sporting event on the basis of the Volgograd branch of the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, where participants competed in darts, arm-wrestling, running, basketball, football and so on. The honorable guest of the awards ceremony was Maxim Opalev – the 2008 Olympic champion in canoeing, 11 times world champion, a multiple champion of Europe and Russia.
August 17 – Culture
Volgograd region is home to over 130 nationalities! Respect for the traditions and culture of each of them is an important factor in maintaining peace. In the first half of the day, IYCPF participants visited Volgograd Regional Museum of Natural History, which had prepared an exhibition on the sister and partner-cities of Volgograd. They were greeted personally by the museum’s director, deputy of the Volgograd City Duma I.A. Kareva - an expert on the topic of the day.
After lunch, the participants moved to Volgograd Youth Theatre to watch the Concert of National Cultures, where representatives of different national associations demonstrated colorful performances. Folklore Ensemble “Spalokh” (Cossacks), the Center of Slavic culture “Slaviya”, Youth Center “AMOR” (Azerbaijanis), vocal group “Kupalinka” (Belarusians), male vocal group “Gvura” from the Volgograd Jewish Community Center, the “Chergen” ensemble of Gypsy song and dance, the house of Slavic culture “Zhar-ptitsa”, a song and dance theater “Artuit” of the Armenian community of Volgograd region and the Volgograd exemplary ensemble “Volzhanochka” allowed the guests to explore the songs and dances that reflected the uniqueness and cultural identity of their peoples. Then the fest was joined by the participants of the conference, which is where the real interactive fun started, with master classes on Japanese games, tasting of French cuisine, lessons in German humor, Thai dancing and Chinese singing. In addition, a photo exhibition “National Kaleidoscope”, prepared by the Museum and Exhibition Center of Krasnoarmeyskiy district of Volgograd was displayed in the lobby of the theater.
August 18 – Closing ceremony
As for the last letter of the word “PEACE”, the conference organizers had slyly left it without explanation. Participants were the ones to determine themselves in their working groups what else helps us maintain and consolidate peace, which they successfully did at the premises of Volgograd State University. All groups came up with creative opinions and produced splendid acting performances to illustrate their views.
At the closing ceremony, IYCPF participants were greeted by the Rector of Volgograd State University V.V. Tarakanov. Among the outcomes of the 2016 conference was a final communiqué in which participants expressed the idea of promoting peace and peaceful cooperation between the sister-cities and partners-cities. In the future, the text will go down in the history of the International Youth Conference for Peace in the Future. At the end of the closing ceremony, all participants were awarded certificates. The day culminated with a dance party on the river, which allowed participants to say their goodbyes and to exchange wishes for the future.
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