Within the framework of the events dedicated to the closing of the Year of Youth Exchanges between Russia and Germany, a panel discussion «Together or each by himself/herself? The future of Russian-German youth relations» took place. The participants of the meeting discussed the issues of visa support for the youth of the two countries, the possibility of organizing further joint events and projects, as well as the impact of youth exchanges on the foreign policy of states.
Together with the Chairperson of the National Youth Council of Russia Grigory Petushkov, the participants discussed the influence of the political situation on friendly relations between the youth.
«Those young people who are involved in youth exchanges understand perfectly that no political, economic circumstances can aggravate relations between the representatives of countries. However, to date, the political situation is still making its own adjustments to the relations of even those who are far from big politics. The task of public organizations is to continue developing cooperation, no matter what» said Grigory Petushkov.
Director of the International Youth Center Alexey Lyubtsov spoke about active projects with various countries, and the significance for the Russian Federation of the Russian-German youth exchanges.
«The Coordination Office for Youth Exchanges helps our youth to build friendly and partnership ties among themselves. This contributes to an understanding of the real political situation that exists in Russia and Germany. Thanks to joint activities, we see that for participants political issues are not so important, the most important thing in such exchanges is the search for new connections for further realization of personal growth» said Alexei Lyubtsov.
He also paid attention to the need to maintain contacts between the youth and the authorities of the countries and noted the importance of today’s events held on the territory of Russia and Germany.
«For the Russian side, youth exchanges with Germany are strategically important. We are confident that in the near future such events will be improved and developed, and also will be organized with the participation of other countries. An important factor in such relations is mutual respect for the interests of the country that is a partner and friend» commented the director of the International Youth Center.
The German side of the meeting noted the need to support young people, which seeks to develop international relations.
«Today’s participants in youth exchanges are future diplomats, we must bet on it and support their interests,» said Deputy Chairperson of the German Federal Youth Association Hetav Tek.
In addition to the panel discussion, the communication platform «Bar Camp» was organized. The format of «Bar camp» implies open conferences in the form of reports, presentations, trainings, master classes, the course and content of which are determined by the participants themselves at the beginning of the meeting. The main directions of the day were: information support of youth events, inclusive theater, teambuilding, development of cultural values and much more.
Remember, that on July 13, the official closing of the Year of Youth Exchanges 2016-2017 between Russia and Germany took place.
