World Youth Festival Assembly Opens in Nizhny Novgorod, Welcoming 2,000 Young Leaders from 120 Countries
Nizhny Novgorod, Russia – September 17, 2025
The World Youth Festival (WYF) Assembly officially opened its doors as the first participants and guests from 120 countries began arriving at the NEIMARK IT campus in Nizhny Novgorod. This year’s Assembly brings together 2,000 young leaders — 1,000 from Russia and 1,000 from around the globe — to engage in dialogue, share experiences, and design solutions for a shared future.
The business program, beginning September 18, features 86 events across seven key thematic areas: media, creative industries and the arts, public administration, entrepreneurship, sports, education and science, and digitalization and IT. The program includes 200 Russian speakers and 60 international experts from 39 nations.
To foster deeper engagement, the Assembly will use interactive formats such as workshops, project pitches, case studies, talk shows, and career counseling sessions. One of the highly anticipated sessions, “The Soft Power of Youth, or How the Younger Generations are Changing the World,” will explore how young people are reshaping global culture, education, and digital landscapes.
A major event will be the launch of the BRICS International Business Mentoring Program, featuring a case study session titled “The Power of Mentoring” with experts from Russia, Indonesia, Iran, and other nations. The discussion will highlight mentoring’s role in entrepreneurship and leadership development, with a special focus on empowering women.
The Assembly will also feature trend-battles — dynamic debates on topical issues. One of the most anticipated is “AI: Helper or Enemy?” featuring Aisha Bin (UAE), expert in global digital transformation, and Alexander Rapoport (Russia), psychotherapist and TV presenter. The debate will be moderated by Belarusian journalist Grigory Azarenok.
In the Media track, 50 foreign participants will undergo a three-day New Media Workshop intensive, learning content creation, neural network tools, and countering misinformation. Graduates of this program will form an international content center to promote stories about Russia and global youth culture.
Young participants aged 14–17 will join the Movement of the First for interactive sessions focused on intercultural dialogue, respect for diversity, and teamwork. Activities will include master classes, international project pitches, and even the creation of an immersive Playhouse Theater performance with no pre-written script — fostering collaboration and creativity.
The Assembly will be more than a business program. Partner activities will allow participants to explore entrepreneurship, Russian traditions, and hands-on experiences. Avito will host a School of Entrepreneurs, while the Russia – Country of Opportunities platform will immerse participants in Russian crafts, music, tea ceremonies, and cultural games.
The Bank of Russia will present financial literacy lectures, quizzes, and business games, and the Phygital Games 2025 will give participants a chance to try innovative sports like phygital basketball and phygital dancing.
The Assembly builds on the success of WYF 2024, which gathered 20,000 youth in Sirius, Russia. As part of Russia’s national project “Youth and Children,” these annual Assemblies will serve as stepping stones to the next World Youth Festival in 2030, expected to host 20,000 participants.
“It was a dream come true for me to be a part of this great event. Russia gives young people a chance. They always want to support our ideas, and that is something I have never seen anywhere else,” said Zarad Esraa, a student from Egypt.
The Assembly is organized by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh) in partnership with the Government of the Nizhny Novgorod Region and the World Youth Festival Directorate.