Opinions & Interviews

Call for more support for youth in Belarus-Russia Union State

ST PETERSBURG, 18 July (BelTA) – It is necessary to build up support for the youth in the Union State, Belarus’ Deputy Prime Minister Igor Petrishenko said at the plenary session of the 6th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia and laid out a number of proposals to develop the area, BelTA has learned.

“Our countries apply an efficient system to support the youth, from education to employment of graduates, and assistance to young families. We need to move further. We can suggest a number of ways to step up work in this area,” Igor Petrishenko said.

The youth integration strategy is being developed in the Union State, the vice premier said. In his opinion, the document needs to reflect the youth (parliamentary and public) activity, labor and business issues, training of new managerial personnel.

“We need to involve as many young people in the development of the strategy as possible. Despite the fact that youth-related themes are widely presented in the media space, it is important to increase its flow, with the focus on its main targeted audience. We need to use the internet more widely. For example, we can develop a youth network resource to provide our youth with information on the life and capabilities of the Union State,” Igor Petrishenko said.

Support for young talents should become one of the priorities of the youth policy in Belarus and Russia, the deputy prime minister stressed. According to him, the Union State regularly hosts numerous festivals and competitions, and the two countries need more.

“We suggest considering the possibility of instituting the Union State scholarship to support talented youth,” Igor Petrishenko said. He also believes that it is necessary to develop a joint databank of young people receiving education in both the countries.

“The theme of youth business initiatives is also of high importance. We need to develop youth business incubators, technology transfer centers, applied research laboratories, and resource centers,” the vice premier said. In his words, the Belarusian-Russian youth business incubator is expected to open in Kazan in 2020.

It is also necessary to intensify work on a youth technopark at the Belarusian-Russian University, Igor Petrishenko added. The initiative was supported by the presidents of the two countries.

“An important step in the development of longstanding youth traditions is the organization of student working brigades in the Union State,” the vice premier said. Last year, a total of 18 student brigades (430 people) worked outside Belarus. Several Russian student brigades worked in Belarus.

“This is not enough,” he stressed. According to him, it is necessary to increase the number of student working brigades in Belarus and Russia.

Belarus has recently stepped up efforts to involve young people in volunteering, the deputy prime minister said. Over 60,000 young people have already joined the movement in the country.

“Fifty Belarusian volunteers worked at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Some 100 young volunteers from Russia helped the 2nd European Games happen in Belarus. We believe that the volunteer movement within the Union State requires the consolidation of efforts,” Igor Petrishenko said. We can develop a unified databank of volunteers, he suggested.

According to the vice premier, Belarus and Russia have been working to boost youth tourism. He believes that it is important to speak more about the history of the two countries, the common victory in the Great Patriotic War.

“As many school students as possible should visit Brest Fortress and Rzhev, Buinichi Field,” Igor Petrishenko stressed. This will help cultivate healthy patriotism in young people, better counteract informational threats that discredit the deed of the Soviet people and belittle the contribution of the peoples of Belarus and Russia to the victory in World War Two.

print version

make home page

add to bookmarks