The Kenyan delegation is among the thousands of youth from over 100 countries who have converged at Nizhny Novgorod in Russia for the World Youth Festival Assembly (WYF) bringing fresh perspectives on technology, diplomacy, and global cooperation.
The Assembly that commissioned Thursday evening by the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia for Tourism, Sport, Culture and Communications Dmitry Chernyshenko in a colourful ceremony that was characterised in song and dance.
It has brought together 1,000 youth representatives from Russia, another 1,000 representatives from 120 countries across Africa, Europe, Asia, Latin America, and North America.
Speaking on the sidelines of the WYF Assembly, Amina Khubiyeva, Head of the delegation, Chief Adviser of the Department of International Cooperation with Asian and African Countries of the World Youth Festival Directorate, underscored the importance of African youth participation.
She emphasized on Africa’s role at the Assembly and praised the Kenyan delegation as talented and with great vision.
“We are proud to host young people from more than 100 countries across Asia and Africa. Personally, I visited Kenya earlier this year and met with several organizations, and I was impressed by the talent and vision of Kenyan youth. Our main goal is to ensure that every delegation is satisfied with the program we have prepared, which we’ve been working on for months.” Amina remarked.
One, Richard Kakung’a, the CEO AfroGreen Movement who is attending the event for the fourth time described the event as a great boiling point of cultures and great ideas that aims at bridging people, countries and relations.
“As always, this festival transforms into a great boiling point of cultures and great ideas. I’ve attended many sessions where many ideas are being exchanged, new co-operations being established and status quo being challenged by participants hence, I believe the Festival has achieved its goal of bridging people, countries and relations. That’s a great recipe for global progress.” Said Kakunga.
He noted that in the last three times he has attended the event, the youth attending these forums have ended up securing partnerships across different sectors from entrepreneurship to education sectors by securing scholarships or specialized training opportunities.
“Russia is very open for partnerships and offering opportunities. The youth we’ve helped attend these forums have ended up securing partnerships across different sectors from entrepreneurship to education sectors by securing scholarships or specialized training opportunities.” He noted.
He lauded the organisers of this year’s festival for forming specialised tracks, noting that: “this time round the participation has been organized in the form of specialized Tracks such as Public Administration, Education & Science, Sports, Media among others. This format enables a much more focused approach to empower participants as per their profession, while also having open time on the schedule to enable participants jump into other sessions from different Tracks that might be of interest to them. This has been quite interesting.”
Another Kenyan, Caren Katenya, Co-founder Advocacy for Change described the Assembly as eye-opening, noting that what stood out for her was how Russia integrates modern technologies while preserving its traditions.
“I’m excited to attend the World Youth Festival in Russia for the first time. It has been eye-opening to see how Russia integrates modern technologies while preserving its traditions. I’ve made many new friends from different countries, and I look forward to building on this experience when I return home.” Kateya remarked.
On his part, Graham Oluteyo Amakanji, a Researcher and lecturer of International Relations introduced his Project Decolonize, which promotes locally grounded approaches to knowledge and policy.
“Russia and the BRICS bloc are leaders in decolonization efforts and post-imperialist issues. This platform has given me the chance to raise awareness and connect with like-minded individuals, and I believe the conversation will extend well beyond this assembly,” he said.
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Russia through the eyes of the world
Even after the Assembly’s curtains fell Saturday, 200 international participants have embarked on a journey through the regions of Russia.
The regional hospitality program of the WYF Assembly offers a unique opportunity for guests from different parts of the planet to get acquainted with the culture, traditions, and modern development of Russia.
Two Kenyan youth are among the young people attending the program which will take place over the course of several days where they will visit 10 regions at once: from St. Petersburg and the Ivanovo region to Sakhalin and the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District.
The plans include meetings with representatives of the regions, visits to leading universities, enterprises and cultural sites.
This is a vibrant dialogue of cultures, technologies and ideas that builds trust and mutual understanding between young people around the world.
The program is organized by Rosmolodezh, operated by the World Youth Festival Directorate. The event is held within the framework of the National Project «Youth and Children».
WYF Assembly
The World Youth Festival continues to serve as a stage for young leaders to exchange ideas, build partnerships, and explore solutions to global challenges with African voices making a strong impact on the discussions shaping the future.
The World Youth Festival Assembly, held in Nizhny Novgorod since September 17 to 21 is being attended by young people from all over the world.
It was organized by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh) and co-organized by the Government of Nizhny Novgorod region. The operator is the World Youth Festival Directorate. The event is implemented as a part of the “Youth and Children” project.
In line with the orders of the RF President Vladimir Putin regarding preservation and development of the World Youth Festival heritage hosted by Sirius in 2024 and united 20,000 young people from 190 countries, festive activities will take place in the Russian Federation on an annual basis.
The next World Youth Festival gathering 20,000 participants will take place in 2030. In 2026, the World Youth Festival will gather 10,000 participants.
Every year, 2,000 participants will meet at the World Youth Festival Assembly dedicated to specific topics. This is an effort by the World Youth Festival Directorate to continue to take efforts aimed to strengthen the international cooperation among young people.
