“It is young people, free from politic conventions and prejudices, that are drivers for developing stronger ties between countries. For youth, it is easier to agree on something than it is for older generations, since there does not exist unnecessary conventions,” explained Azalia Saitgalina, Manager of the Student Office 5-100, who recently attended the BRICS Youth Assembly Conference held in Altai.
Ms. Saitgalina, together with Meruert Nurysheva, deputy chairman of the Council of foreign students at ITMO University, participated in the conference from 23-27 June with young ambassadors from different countries. The purpose of the conference was to systematise collaboration in the sphere of youth politics and to make roadmaps for key areas: education, science, PR, innovation, politics, culture and business.
As a dynamic and rapidly developing university, Ms. Saitgalina believes that experience accumulated at ITMO U “should be shared across the country and internationally”, so others can benefit from it, “as such we shared successful experiences from our university with our colleagues, for example student Science Slam.”
The youth conference also gave ITMO U representatives an opportunity to talk with Chinese students studying in Russia, and to learn from their experiences. Ms. Nurysheva noted that Chinese students “want to see not only Russian language courses in their program but also basic technical English.” She also discovered that “Chinese youth have difficulty making new friends and communicating abroad”. She noted that if these issues are overcome, we can attract more Chinese students to study in Russia.
Roadmaps made at the conference were well received by experts and will outline the work of the BRICS Youth Assembly for the next eight years. Master classes at the conference helped students develop useful skills, and a hike through the Altai mountains allowed participants to enjoy the fresh air and beautiful views.
As an outcome of the conference, preparations were made to form an organization, which would be engaged in support of youth policy, youth initiatives and organizations at the international level within the framework of the BRICS countries. Ms. Saitgalina says that “The fact that our non-classical university was represented at the BRICS Youth Assembly is very important for us.”