Press Centre

St. Petersburg State University Begins To Prepare the Russian Delegation For the 2009 J8 Summit

Teachers and students at St. Petersburg State University have started to prepare the Russian delegation for the J8 Summit.

On April 20, 2009, senior high school students from the Southern Federal District of the Russian Federation, who will represent Russia at the J8 Summit in Italy in June 2009, arrived in St. Petersburg to take part in an intensive week of training.  Members of previous Russian J8 delegations (2006, 2007, and 2008), who are currently students at St. Petersburg State University or at Moscow State University, will also play an active role in preparing the 2009 delegation.

At the end of the training activities, a committee of experts under the leadership of  representatives from the Russian Ministry of Education and Science and from St. Petersburg State University, will select the final delegation to the J8 Summit from the eight teens who were winners of the competition titled “Looking at the World through the Eyes of Youth-2009.”  The number of young participants from each of the G8 countries will be determined by the country hosting the J8 Summit.

The program to prepare the Russian delegation will include:  psychological training, lessons on the topics to be discussed by the G8 leaders, a master class on working with the mass media, a visit to the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly and a meeting with the General Secretary M. I. Krotov, a meeting with the Rector of St. Petersburg State University, N. M. Kropachev, excursions around St. Petersburg, and seminars with participants of previous J8 Summits.

On April 27, the teens will go to Moscow where they will visit the State Duma.  Additionally they will have meetings with A. V. Dvorkovich, Assistant to the Russian President, A. A. Fursenko, Minister of Education and Health in Russia, and with the head of the Moscow UNICEF office.

     The Russian delegation to the 2009 J8 Summit in Italy will be selected from the following:
1.    Chukov, Roman Sergevich, age 16, Public School Gymnasium No. 25, Stavropol, Stavropol Territory
2.    Isaeva, Angelika Michaelovna, age 17, Public School Gymnasium No.8, Sochi, Krasnodarsk Territory
3.    Kazharova, Lyana Albertovna, age 17, Public School Lycee No. 2, Nalchik, Karbardino-Balkarian Republic
4.    Shikametova, Dinara Shevketovna, age 16, Public School No. 9, Nalchik, Karbardino-Balkarian Republic
5.    Kozhina, Ksenia Urevna, age 17, Public School No. 1, Volskiy, Volgorad Oblast
6.    Golovanov, Lev Aleksandrovich, age 17, Public School Gymnasium No. 1, Volgorad, Volgorad Oblast
7.    Kylaeva, Uliya Eduardovna, age 17, Center for Gifted Children, Kalmikia Republic, Yelistinsk Lycee, Yelista, Kalmikia Republic
8.    Gaev, Zayrbek Taimyrazovich, age 17, Public School No. 44, Vladikavkas, Northern Osetia-Alania Republic

In June 2009, the selected delegates will discuss timely issues of the world community with their peers.  At a result of the J8 meeting, which will take place at the same time as that of the G8, the teens will have prepared a letter to the leaders of the G8 countries in which they will outline their collective view on how to solve the problems that they discussed.

The Russian participants of the previous J8 Summits have achieved great success both at the J8 Summits and in their further education at St. Petersburg State University and Moscow State University.

One example is Gleb Nikitin, who lives in Pskov and was chosen to represent the Russian delegation at the meeting with the G8 leaders in 2007.  Gleb graduated from the Pskov Humanitarian Lycee with a silver medal, won a prize in a regional program for gifted children, and received a regional grant from the Priority National Project in Education.  In 2008, Gleb entered the Higher School of Management at St. Petersburg State University.

Gleb Nikitin, “The first thing that I want to tell my potential successors is that nothing in this world is impossible, and that everyone in his own way can influence even what would seem to be unsolvable political problems.  In order to so, it’s necessary to be active, have initiative, believe in your own strength, and at the same time, remember that you aren’t alone.  You should always be searching for new knowledge and skills in trying to solve unsolvable problems.  I want all of us to understand that responsibility for what is going on around us doesn’t just rest with world leaders, but with all of us, whether or not we have the chance to participate in such large-scale world events such as a G8 Summit.”

Yan Naumkin, from Elizovo, Kamchata, was the Russian representative from the J8 Summit at the meeting with G8 leaders in 2008.  He entered the Department of International Relations at
St. Petersburg State University, was a participant in the department’s project titled “St. Petersburg International Student UN Model” and was designated as the best delegate in this project.

MaximYsinin, from Arkhangelisk participated in the 2007 J8 Summit.  Maxim entered the Law Department at St. Petersburg State University in 2008 and received a grant after winning first place in the Russian Children’s Press Festival titled “The Voice of the Sea” for the “Best Analytical Material.”  His article concerned the issue of youth in politics, an area in which Maxim has had personal experience.

Ksenia Nikiforova, from Veliky Novgorod, who is a student in the Law Department at St. Petersburg State University, took part in a contest celebrating the 15th year of the Russian constitution.  The President of the Russian Federation directed the Lawyers’ Association of Russia to conduct this competition.  Ksenia wrote a composition titled “The Constitution, International Law, and Foreign Affairs.”  A total of some 200 compositions were submitted, out of which, the best 17 were selected.  The winners were invited to Moscow to attend a scientific-practical conference on the topic of  law.

 All of the above students are working together, along with others, in preparing the new Russian delegation to actively participate in the J8 Summit and are also having an influence on the older diplomats involved.  As such, a paper prepared under the leadership of Tatiana Ushakova, who represented the 2006 J8 Russian delegation at the meeting with the G8 leaders, has received high praise from A. V. Dvorkovich, Assistant to the Russian President.  This paper concerned the relationship between Russia and Italy in different areas of culture, sports, the economy, and politics.

Information about the J8

Russia hosted the G8 Summit for the first time in 2006.  Through Russia’s initiative, a “Junior Summit” was organized as an official activity to accompany the G8 Summit.  Teens from the countries being represented by the G8 leaders, met in St. Petersburg and discussed the main topics of the G8 Summit.  Their conversations resulted in a document outlining their thoughts and suggestions for dealing with these issues, which was officially presented to the G8 leaders.

The success of this Russian J8 initiative encouraged young people to understand that each person in the world community has global responsibility for the destiny of our planet and for decreasing extremism and xenophobia.
It provided support for making people aware of the ideas and actions of the G8 and led to international collaboration between children and youth.  The J8 Summit has now become an official part of the G8 Summit.

In 2007 and 2008, the governments of Germany and Japan followed the tradition started by Russia, and held the J8 Summit in the cities of Vismar, Germany (June 2007) and in Chitose, Japan (July 2008).  Each year when the summit is held outside of Russia, a Russian delegation is formed from one of the Federal districts.  The Russian Ministry of Education and Science, along with St. Petersburg State University, held a competition titled “The World through the Eyes of Youth” to select the delegates.  In 2007 and 2008 these contests were carried out in the Northwest Region and the Far East Federal districts, respectively.  In 2009 this event took place in the Southern Federal District of Russia.

The delegates to the J8 Summit participate in discussions on topics identical to those of the G8 Summit.  The conclusions of the J8 Summit members are written in an official paper which is formally presented to the G8 Summit.  At this event an international J8 Summit group, composed of one member from each of the countries represented at the J8 Summit, officially delivers this document.

The J8 Summit includes cultural activities which provide the opportunity for young people from the world’s leading countries to directly communicate with each other.

To receive additional information and to schedule an interview with the participants in the training program, experts participating in the project, and program coordinators contact:

Information Center for the Russian J8 Program
Coordinator:  Evgeniya Sinepol
tel./fax:  + 7 (812) 635-95-69
mobile/cell phone: + 7 (911) 256-55-04
e-mail: info@juniorg8.ru
http://www.juniorg8.ru