2026 Russia International Youth Festival Kicks Off
Participants in the Children’s Programme of the International Youth Festival, which runs from 11 to 17 September, flew from Moscow to Yekaterinburg on a special flight of Rossiya Airlines. Young guests from ten countries — Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Brazil, India, Kazakhstan, China, Morocco, Nepal, the UAE and Serbia — departed aboard a Superjet 100 airliner in a themed livery of the Movement of Firsts. Already in the air, the children got to know each other, shared their first impressions of Russia and spoke about their expectations for the upcoming event.
“The Children’s Programme of the International Youth Festival has brought together young participants from different countries — bearers of unique traditions, their own experience and bold ideas. It is important for us to create a space where they can truly hear each other, discover modern Russia and its achievements, work together on projects and find like-minded people. I am convinced that live communication becomes the foundation for friendship, trust and initiatives capable of uniting young people regardless of language barriers and geographical borders. It is symbolic that for many foreign guests, their acquaintance with the Movement began on the way to Yekaterinburg. They flew to the festival venue aboard a Superjet 100 of Rossiya Airlines in a special livery of the Movement of Firsts. Even before the start of the main programme, the children felt like part of one big international team,” emphasised Hero of Russia, graduate of the presidential personnel programme “Time of Heroes”, Chairman of the Board of the Movement of Firsts Artur Orlov.
The children felt the special festive atmosphere literally from the first minutes. The crew of Rossiya Airlines greeted the passengers, and flight attendants told them about the Movement of Firsts, the Children’s Programme of the International Youth Festival 2026 and the activities awaiting them in Yekaterinburg.
“This is my first trip abroad, so everything that is happening is especially exciting for me. Already during the flight, I got to know some of the children, learned a few Russian words from them and heard a lot of interesting things about life in Siberia. The festival has brought together participants from all over the world, and most of all I want to meet new people, learn about their culture, traditions and views on the world. I am also interested in discovering Russia, its history, music and cinema. I see a lot in common between Russia and India: our countries are huge, and each is home to people with a rich culture. It seems to me that it is important for all of us to communicate more with each other, to be friends, to exchange ideas and to search together for solutions that will help make people’s lives better. That is exactly the idea I brought with me to the festival,” shared Rim Megaiz, a participant of the Children’s Programme of the International Youth Festival from India.
Already in the aircraft cabin, the schoolchildren shared their emotions, dreams and hopes related to the trip in their native languages. For many, this flight became the first step towards getting acquainted and the beginning of a great international communication.
In Yekaterinburg, the children were greeted by a packed programme, new acquaintances with peers from different corners of the planet, live communication and the opportunity to present their own ideas. The Children’s Track of the International Youth Festival became a space for exchanging experience, finding like-minded people and discussing initiatives that the guests plan to develop in their countries and in the global youth community.
“My acquaintance with this event began in 2024 at the World Youth Festival in Sirius. Back then I chose the Media track, tried my hand at radio journalism and realised that I wanted to develop further in this field. After the festival, many new projects and opportunities appeared in my life, and now I am studying at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. From IYF 2026, I expect new acquaintances, vivid impressions and ideas. I especially want to learn more about international journalism and modern media, talk to professionals and understand what projects I will be able to implement in the future,” noted Ksenia Zayats, a participant of the Children’s Programme of the International Youth Festival from the Republic of Belarus.
Within the framework of the Children’s Programme of the Movement of Firsts at the International Youth Festival in Yekaterinburg, 17 interactive laboratories and workshops are operating in seven areas: science and education, sports, creative industries, media, IT, entrepreneurship, as well as public administration. Young delegates try on a wide variety of roles: from researcher and journalist to entrepreneur and developer of digital solutions. The culmination of IYF 2026 will be the Festival of Projects, where participants will present 60 initiatives created jointly with experts from leading Russian companies. The key international event will be the meeting of the Coordination Council of the International Association of Children’s Organisations, which will bring together leaders of children’s associations from all over the world.
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The All-Russian public-state movement of children and youth, the Movement of Firsts, is the largest community in the Russian Federation, uniting children and adults, state and public institutions for the development of a unified educational space in the education system and beyond.
More than 16 million people are participants in the Movement of Firsts. Over 55 thousand primary branches of the Movement of Firsts operate on a regular basis at schools, colleges and universities in 89 regions of Russia. The Movement’s work is implemented through voluntary engagement of children and youth in extracurricular time. Among the participants are more than 13 million students, while over 2 million people perform the role of mentors. The Movement of Firsts implements an Educational Work Programme with children and youth based on traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, national cultural and historical heritage and the principle of the unbreakable connection between generations, to develop a unified educational space of equal opportunities for the comprehensive development and self-realisation of children and youth, and to form in participants skills useful for practical application and career guidance.
The projects of the Movement of Firsts are implemented within the framework of the national project “Youth and Children” (federal projects “We Are Together (Upbringing of a Harmoniously Developed Personality)” and “Russia — a Country of Opportunities”). The Movement organises 26 federal projects and more than 1,100 regional initiatives. Among them: the All-Russian project “Zvuchi”, the All-Russian project “School Classics”, the All-Russian project “Literary Marathon”, the All-Russian project “Hikes of the Firsts — More Than a Journey”, the All-Russian project “First Student”, the All-Russian project “Young Naturalists of the Firsts”, the All-Russian project “MediaAttraction”, the All-Russian project “Do Good”, the All-Russian project “First Aid”, the physical education event “All-Russian project ‘Challenge of the Firsts'”, the All-Russian project “Firsts in Professions”, the All-Russian project — festival “Russian School Spring”, the All-Russian project “Firsts in Science”, the International Festival of Childhood and Youth “Festival of the Movement of Firsts”, themed sessions at federal children’s centres and regional organisations for children’s recreation and health improvement, the All-Russian programme “We Are Citizens of Russia!”, the educational and tourist programmes “University Sessions”, a set of measures on international activities, the competition of the best projects for children and youth “Competition of Primary Branches of the Movement of Firsts”, a set of measures aimed at developing the family community of the Movement of Firsts “Dear — Beloved”, the All-Russian project “KVN.Firsts”, a set of measures to support children from socially vulnerable categories, a set of measures carried out with the aim of increasing the effectiveness of projects and maintaining the achieved result of the federal project, as well as the grant competition of the Movement of Firsts and the All-Russian competition “Big Change”
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2026 Russia International Youth Festival Kicks Off
