Russia will host the World Youth Festival 2024 from 29 February to 7 March in the city of Sochi, on the shores of the Black Sea. Young leaders from all over Latin America are meeting in work groups to select the most talented candidates who will be part of the national delegation and travel to Sochi.
The first meeting with the members of the National Preparatory Committees (NPCs) of the Latin American countries was an unforgettable event. This meeting became a great opportunity to discuss the agenda of preparatory and dissemination activities for the World Youth Festival, to elaborate the common strategy and to share the achievements of the work done by the members of the Committees: meetings with the representatives of the Russian embassies and Russian Houses, press conferences held in the state institutions, one of the largest of which was held in the Mexican Senate. In addition, the importance of the participation of indigenous youth movements in the Festival was highlighted so that their voices and opinions could be made known to the world.
The presidents and secretaries of the National Preparatory Committees (NPCs) of 16 countries were present: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Costa Rica and El Salvador.
The organisers of the Festival are charged with creating a unique and enriching experience for all young people from Latin America and around the world. These meetings with the representatives of the National Preparatory Committees from different countries, brought together by common values, are a great opportunity to build a network of friendship and work contacts, which will be useful long after the event.
According to Geraldine Angely Siles Rios, from the UN Major Group for Children and Youth and the International Youth Council in Bolivia: “We meet, we connect, we we weave bonds. The World Youth Festival gives us an incredible networking opportunity. We work tirelessly to add value to activists at every stage of the preparation, bringing together amazing young people from Latin America – this is where everyone gets to meet and together we create amazing international initiatives!
Luis Durango from Future Team in Ecuador expressed his enthusiasm: “Future Team Ecuador is excited to be part of the World Youth Festival 2024. We are tasked with coming up with innovative and transnational initiatives that add value to the activist experience. This festival gives us the opportunity to meet outstanding young people from all over Latin America and strengthen our collaborator networks – let’s take solidarity and progress to the next level!”.
The comment from the Workers’ Party Youth (JPT Brazil) highlights their pride and commitment: “At the Workers’ Party Youth, we are excited to be involved in the organisation of the World Youth Festival 2024. We are proud to establish an enabling space for the celebration of this global event. Our goal is to bring together young people from Latin America and create opportunities for collaboration. Through the formation of a national delegation, we are building a stage where we can generate value and promote social transformation – now is the time to come together and make a difference together!
Together with the teams of national organisers, they are coming up with amazing international initiatives and adding extra value for activists at every stage of the Festival’s preparation. For more information about the event and to apply for participation, please visit the official website https://reg.fest2024.com/en/main?utm_source=wyf_id.
The motto that Latin Americans have coined is: Together we will dream the future in order to build it!