On September 6, at the EXPOFORUM Convention and Exhibition Centre, the Committee for Interethnic Relations and Migration Policy Implementation in St. Petersburg, with the support of the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs (FADN) of Russia, held the 12th Youth Forum «St. Petersburg as the Territory of National Consensus» in the Northern Capital.

The event united representatives of youth aged 18 to 35 years: activists of national cultural and public youth organizations, fellow countrymen and Cossack societies of St. Petersburg, students of St. Petersburg universities.

As part of the opening ceremony, the welcome address of Aleksander Beglov, Governor of St. Petersburg, was read out by Aleksey Korabelnikov, Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg. He also stressed that the Forum became the important platform for discussing issues of interethnic and intercultural relations.

In the welcome block, the Forum guests and participants were addressed by Andrey Malkov, Deputy of the 7th Convocation Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, Vladimir Savinov, Vice-Rector for Educational Work at St. Petersburg State University, Denis Galtsov, mixed martial arts fighter, Master of Sports in boxing and sambo, Honored Master of Sports of Russia in sambo.

The business agenda was opened by the conference in the panel discussion format. Oleg Kapitanov, Chairman of the Committee for Interethnic Relations and Migration Policy Implementation in St. Petersburg, noted that one of core topics of the event was popularization of family values.

«The Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin has declared 2024 the Year of the Family. We must work with young people and show them that a large family is the key to the successful future of the strong country. At the Forum, participants will be addressed, inter alia, by military personnel to have taken part in the Special Military Operation (SVO). In the zone of the Special Military Operation (SVO), Russian soldiers defend traditions and culture of our Homeland and, of course, our people», said Oleg Kapitanov.

The expert speakers were:

Victoria Smirnova, Chairperson of the Youth Council under St. Petersburg State Government Institution «St. Petersburg House of Nationalities», Warrant Officer Yaroslav Ivin, a combatant of the SVO, and Ruslan Ryabov, Head of the Charitable Foundation «Thank you Mom for Life».

The Forum Business Program was continued by trainings in relevant areas, among which, in the context of the event, the following sections were of particular importance:

• Presentation of the St. Petersburg Ethnic Park Project;
• «History Falsification Counteraction»;
• «Countering Extremism and Terrorism»;
• the master class dedicated to the ethics of using national symbols.

For the Forum guests, applied workshops — from Russian folk dances and cooking to calligraphy and playing national instruments — were held. Participants were trained in creating tactical survival bracelets, camouflage nets and helmets, dry showers, trench candles. All products manufactured at the Forum venue are planned to be sent to the fighters in the SVO zone.

The Forum Program included not only the business agenda: in the evening, the concert of national creative teams from St. Petersburg was held. After the concert, the Public Talk with famous actor and blogger Stanislav Yarushin took place on the main stage.

One of outstanding events of the day was a common flash-mob. The guests and participants assembled the flag of the Russian Federation from colored sheets of paper.

It should be noted that the Forum is mainly aimed at uniting young representatives of various peoples living in St. Petersburg, for strengthening creative, cultural and business ties, forming respectful attitude among young people towards all nationalities, ethnicities and religions, demonstrating traditional values focused on respect, understanding and acceptance of the diversity of cultures concentrated in St. Petersburg.