One of main events of the outgoing summer in international youth cooperation was the International Youth Camp “Dialogue”. For the thirteenth time he gathered participants in the picturesque Kaluga land where the ethnographic park-museum “ETNOMIR” is located in the vicinity of ancient Borovsk.
As you know the Camp “Dialogue” is a part of the Action Plan for 2021-2022 for the implementation of the Strategy for International Youth Cooperation of the CIS Member States for the period up to 2030. However, the geography of the educational platform that gained popularity was by no means limited to the Commonwealth of Independent States. Armenia and Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Moldova (with Pridnestrovie) and Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan together with guys from Russia presented the post-Soviet space. They were joined by delegates from the recently appeared on the map the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.
The representation of the far abroad turned out to be wide. Boys and girls from Bolivia, Venezuela, Vietnam, Guinea-Bissau, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, Kenya, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Peru and Ecuador came to “Dialogue”. It should be noted that among camp participants there were quite a few who represented the states of the Black Continent at the Russian-African Forum in Moscow a month ago.
“The event will be held in order to form a joint educational field for discussions and exchange of experience among public figures with different cultural identities. One hundred people will join the camp, they are youth leaders, activists of youth and ethno-cultural organizations from Russia and other countries participating in work on joint youth initiatives”, Oleg Kalugin, the Minister of Internal Policy and Mass Communications of the Kaluga Region announced the event on his Telegram channel.
Camp organizers: the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the National Youth Council of Russia and MIREA – the Russian Technological University – the basic organization of the CIS Member States for working with youth – have traditionally set ambitious purposes: to create an educational space bringing together young leaders, representatives of youth and ethno-cultural organizations with different cultural identities and experiences in order to develop their competencies to improve the quality of their activities in promoting ideas of intercultural dialogue and a culture of peace at the international, national and local levels.
Welcoming participants of the Camp during the opening ceremony the Chairman of the National Youth Council of Russia Grigory Petushkov recalled the history of the Camp. According to him, those who came to the first shifts have already matured, but they continue to recall the bright moments of “Dialogue”, interesting meetings and discussions and share unfading impressions. The most important thing, according to guys, is that “Dialogue” taught them to listen to each other and accept a different point of view.
“For this reason our Camp “Dialogue” was conceived. And I really hope that in the coming days you will find new friends, enrich yourself with new knowledge in the field of intercultural dialogue, in the field of cultures of the world”, Grigory Petushkov said.
He recalled that the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation traditionally supports the Сamp and is the main partner and colleague of the National Council. In turn, Artyom Fomin, the Head of the Department of International Youth Cooperation and Tourism of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science noted that “Dialogue” has become traditional for the entire agenda of international youth cooperation in Russia and abroad.
“Every year the Camp becomes more and more interesting. A vivid confirmation of this is the number of program participants from such a large number of countries. I congratulate organizers of the event on this success. Without the participation of the National Council, RTU MIREA, the Commissioner for Human Rights, Rossotrudnichestvo and other interested departments the event would not have taken place”, said Artyom Fomin.
Ekaterina Torubarova, the Head of the Public Diplomacy Department of Rossotrudnichestvo has no doubts about the effectiveness of international youth cooperation programs implemented in our country and abroad. “The main purpose of such work is to make friends with everyone. There are endless opportunities for young people in this area”, she says.
It should also be noted that youth policy is a priority for the United Nations. The Director of the UN Information Center in Moscow Vladimir Kuznetsov took part in the opening ceremony of the camp and noted with satisfaction that the Dialogue still retains a deeply international character. “The task of young people is to understand each other, even if they speak different languages. To make this common language be the language of friendship and cooperation. For this the United Nations was created”, the diplomat believes.
Areg Agasaryan, the First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Young Diplomats (CYD) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the First Deputy Director of the International Youth Centre agreed with him. According to him, diplomacy is the ability to find a common language, a complex professional skill that requires constant work on oneself.
“Today we are witnessing a crisis of confidence in the world. Everything is built on trust as a result of dialogue. It takes years to build, but it gets lost in one day”, said Areg Aghasaryan.
The fact that young people facilitate the creation of a favorable environment in international cooperation in the long term is emphasized by Tatyana Moskalkova, the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation. Her message to delegates was read out by Anastasia Shatilina, the Executive Secretary of the Youth Council under the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation.
“During its existence this international camp has managed to become one of the most authoritative platforms that facilitate strengthening ties between Russian and foreign youth. Every year it gathers young leaders and novice professionals, heads of international projects and like-minded people involved in international cooperation and strive to realize their plans. Despite any difficulties this year the Camp brought together more than a hundred participants from different countries, gave them the opportunity to exchange experiences, acquire new skills and establish interaction”, the message said.
Answering a question about objectives of the Camp program the Deputy Chairman of the National Youth Council of Russia, the Director of the Camp “Dialogue” Olga Popova called the formation of an understanding among participants of intercultural dialogue and a culture of peace as a concept and as a group process as well as necessary conditions for their promotion, increasing participants’ intercultural competence and other competencies that facilitate the development and implementation of projects in the field of intercultural dialogue and a culture of peace.
According to Olga Popova, in the “Dialogue” process it is important to identify and consider current problems and challenges on the way to building intercultural dialogue and a culture of peace in realities of participants and in society as a whole as well as to develop possible responses.
The result of the work should be ideas for joint projects and the formation of a community of young activists who promote ideas of intercultural dialogue and a culture of peace.
Immediately after the grand opening the Camp program was presented, and participants were able to indicate their expectations and form individual educational trajectories. In addition, a separate educational session was devoted to an introduction to the topic of the Camp “Intercultural dialogue and a culture of peace” and the formation of a common semantic field. At the end of the day participants went on a tour of the ethnographic park-museum “ETNOMIR”. In the evening a professional networking took place where everyone could present their organization and projects.
The second working day was devoted to the study of principles on which intercultural dialogue and learning are built, the study of intercultural competence and the role of a deep understanding of cultural manifestations. As a part of the role play participants were faced with the fact that often our interpretations of the behaviour of people from other cultures are superficial and do not correspond to the truth. In the evening as a part of the animation program “Peoples’ Friendship Bonfire” and the master class “Music and Dances of the Peoples of Siberia” participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with cultures of different peoples through dances, games, songs and music.
The third day of the Camp began with the identification of challenges that stand in the way of building intercultural dialogue. After that within the framework of the expert session they talked about the interaction between the state and civil society in the field of intercultural dialogue. Anastasia Milyutina, the First Deputy Executive Director – Chief of Staff of the Association of Lawyers of Russia, the member of the Youth Council under the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, and Youth Digital Ombudsman, the Director of the Centre for Ensuring the Rights of Youth in the Digital Space of Kutafin Moscow State Law University (MSAL), the member of the Advisory Group of the Alliance for the Protection of Children in the Digital Environment Dmitry Gulyaev shared their working experiences in this sphere.
The communication of well-known Russian human rights activists with guys did not end there. Together with Dmitry Gulyaev, the Head of the International Development Department of the Office of the Russian Bar Association, the member of the Youth Council under the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation Wu Cha Mi spoke about methods for solving the most acute problem – counteracting hate speech on the Internet.
After expert sessions workshops were held to develop skills in the field of intercultural dialogue “Overcoming stereotypes”, “Mediation as a way to establish a dialogue”, “Emotional intelligence”, “Critical thinking”, “Conflict transformation”, “Non-violent communication”. Everyone could choose for yourself the master class to liking.
On the fourth day of the program Olga Goncharenko the Head of the Department for Cooperation with International Organizations of the Office of International Cooperation of the Working Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation spoke about the role of international cooperation in the field of human rights protection in maintaining intercultural dialogue. Then, having devoted a practical block to the development of project ideas, solutions and recommendations in the field of intercultural dialogue guys completed their working day at creative master classes on ethnic themes.
On August 26 participants of “Dialogue” took part in the solemn ceremony of laying the stone for the construction of the “Indonesia” ethnic courtyard. Honor guests at the ceremony were the Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo Pavel Shevtsov, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia to the Russian Federation Jose Antonio Morato Tavares, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Sri Lanka Janita Abevikrema Liyanage, the Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Budget and Financial Markets Anatoly Artamonov, the Secretary General Russian Association for International Cooperation (RAIC) Vladimir Polozkov, the Chairman of the RAIC Presidium Sergei Kalashnikov, members of the Board of Trustees of the Friendship Society of Russia and Indonesia.
“Today in “Ethnomir” we laid the first stone in the construction of the “Indonesia” ethnic courtyard. Relations between our countries have a 70-year history. Indonesia is one of Russia’s key partners in the Asia-Pacific Region. At a recent meeting of leaders of our countries in Moscow agreements on building up mutually beneficial economic partnership, humanitarian cooperation, expanding opportunities for cultural, tourist and educational exchanges between countries were reached”, the Senator Anatoly Artamonov, former governor of the Kaluga Region wrote on his Telegram channel.
A messenger from the distant island of Java was also among participants in the Camp. Tegu Imanulla, the Chairman of the Russian Representative Office of the Indonesian National Youth Committee (KNPI) called “Dialogue” a breath of fresh air in the current rather difficult situation in the world especially for youth interaction in the international arena.
“This is also an arena for strengthening cooperation between the National Youth Council of Russia and the National Youth Committee of Indonesia. A big topic sometimes forgotten by young ambitious people from around the world is mentioned here. Namely, the importance of principles of “listen – hear” and “speak so I can see you.” This minimizes prejudices that often arise in the international youth debating field. After all, the essence of cooperation is understanding and accepting the point of view of others”, Tegu said.
According to him, for him as a representative of a state not from the post-Soviet space, more holistic understanding of the current situation in countries or quasi-states experiencing conflicts is important, people need to receive information directly from the source.
“This Camp gave me a unique opportunity to build a bridge in the form of intercultural dialogue, a bridge of understanding between youth of participating countries. “Dialogue” is a great example of how different identities interact, how people from different countries speaking different languages, with different approaches to solving problems respect each other”, the guest from Indonesia smiled.
In the final part of the educational program participants presented developed projects. And the last day of the Camp ended with an intercultural evening with creative performances which participants prepared on their own.
Other delegates shared their impressions about the International Youth Camp “Dialogue” as well as plans for further actions at the personal level and in the organization, in the field of international cooperation in general.
The Deputy of the Council of People’s Deputies of the Pridnestrovian village of Ternovka Alexander Tolochenko is sure that in order to expand cooperation one should not be afraid to engage in dialogue. “We are different. We have our own traditions and rituals. We all have unique languages, a different history of the formation of statehood. It is necessary to expand cooperation through culture, music, dance. Do not be afraid to start the dialogue first. We need to broadcast and show family and cultural values of our people”, Alexander said.
He believes the Camp “Dialogue” is a unique platform. There is seven days of non-stop, an extensive educational, informal and cultural program. He plans to hold a Russian-Pridnestrovian meeting in Tiraspol after the Camp, to work with people and for people, to work for benefit of society.
“Dialogue” gave me energy for the year ahead. A cool program, cool coaches, very rich cultural program!” Alexander Tolochko noted.
Alexander Akulov, the student majoring in International Relations in Education at the Ural State Pedagogical University wrote on social media that the Dialog International Youth Camp was an unexpected but surprisingly inspiring event. “We are accustomed to perceive differences between us as a deep abyss that everyone is afraid to cross. And this is exactly what the notorious “intercultural dialogue” is about. We really are all different, but why should this create barriers?” Alexander asked.
According to him, as soon as this thought comes to mind, the surrounding world and people seemed far away are perceived in a completely different way. “Being surrounded by charged guys motivated to constantly conquer new heights in their development you understand that life is here and now. And here you realize yourself as a part of something bigger”, Alexander wrote.
The words of the Peruvian Carlos Cortes turned out to be the most emotional: “I am happy because I met so many people from different parts of the globe. The day of farewell has come, but I really do not feel alone, since we are all under the same sky now. I know that somewhere in the world there will always be someone who will remember the campfire or the dance with the same excitement as I do. Thank you all for memories that I will always carry with me wherever I go. Now you can tell there is a Peruvian guy somewhere who is thinking about all of you!”
So, the task of forming a community of youth activists promoting ideas of intercultural dialogue was successfully completed during these five August days. Therefore, the 13th International Youth Camp “Dialogue” was a success!
