The International Youth Festival is currently underway in Yekaterinburg. Students from Derzhavin University, as part of the Tambov Region delegation, are participating in this major youth event of the year.
"I applied for the festival because, for me, movement is life," says Elena Kudryashova, a student at Derzhavin University’s Institute of Pedagogy. "The selection process was rigorous; experts evaluated essays and video introductions. Waiting for the results was nerve-wracking, but when the positive news arrived, I was overjoyed. Now, I feel like a part of something big and important. For me, this isn't just an event—it’s a lifelong memory."
Volunteers, including students from Derzhavin University, are assisting the festival's participants and guests.
"In 2024, I volunteered at the World Youth Festival. After seeing that scale from the inside, I simply had to come to Yekaterinburg," says Rajab Rushtiev, a student at Derzhavin University’s Institute of Medicine and Health Preservation. "I’m working in the medical support team. My tasks include preventing accidents, providing prompt first aid, and lifting everyone's spirits. The atmosphere and sense of unity here are incredible."
The festival program covers a wide range of topics—from education and science to technology and digital services.
During the session "Education in Russia: From Initial Choice to the Profession of the Future," Rector Pavel Moiseev spoke about the experience of international students at Derzhavin University. Experts, university representatives, and government officials discussed the greatest challenges international students face in Russia today, as well as what they should take away with them beyond just a diploma.
"We are creating not merely conditions for study, but an environment where a student from any country feels right at home," Pavel Moiseev noted. – An international student should leave Derzhavin University not only with a diploma but also with the feeling that Russia has become a second home.
During a panel discussion, Abdessamad Menasria, an alumnus from Algeria, shared his success story. He graduated with a degree in General Medicine in 2021 and became a surgeon. At the event, Abdessamad explained why he had chosen Russia—and specifically Derzhavin Tambov State University—in the first place.
An international youth festival brought together 10,000 participants from 191 countries in Yekaterinburg. This event served as a continuation of the 2024 World Youth Festival held at Sirius. It was there that a new movement was launched, with its primary outcome being the formation of an international community of socially conscious young people.
