Press Centre

The New Russian J8 Team is Prepared to Participate in the Summit

Representatives from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, St. Petersburg State University, and the Young People’s Movement  Junior 8 conducted a training session for the J8 Russian delegation to the J8 Summit which will take place in June 2010 in Canada in parallel with the G8 Summit.

Each year when Russia isn’t hosting the G8 Summit, a group of teens, selected from one of the Russian federal districts, represent the country at this event.  This year the Russian teen delegation was formed from the best high school students from the Siberian Federal District.  To earn a place on the Russian youth delegation, the youngsters went through a three-stage competition and then ten days of intensive training.

The members of the 2010 Russian J8 delegation are:

Baizarov, Alexander (Public School #9, Nazarovo, Krasnoyarsk Territory)
Buyantueva, Dolgor (Linguistic Gymnasium No. 3, Ulan-Ude, the Republic of Buryatia)
Kovaleva, Natalia (Gymnasium No. 1, Novosibirsk, Novosibirsk Oblast)
Mastov, Alexey (Public School Gymnasium No. 2, Novosibirsk, Novosibirsk Oblast)
Panin, Konstantin (Public School Gymnasium No. 164, Zelenogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory)
Prokaorova, Sofia (Public School Gymnasium No. 21, Kemerovo, Kemerovo Oblast)
Takaveev, Vakil (Public Space Science School, Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory)
Yarchenko, Oksana (Republic-wide Classical Lycee, Gorno-Altaisk, the Republic of Altai)

The will discuss the following topics with teens from the G8 countries, as well as with youth from developing countries:

1.    Global climate change and ecological safety
2.    Poverty and development
3.    Children’s survival, infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS
4.    The world economic crisis

Teachers from St. Petersburg State University, staff from the non-governmental organization Architecture of the Future and invited experts held a training session for the above teens.  This included team-building activities, lessons related to the topics to be discussed at the J8 Summit
(including English language practice), a master class on how to work with the mass media, as well as pointers on professional behavior and public speaking.  These young diplomats also met the General Secretary of the International Assembly of CIS Countries, M. I. Krotov and the rector of St. Petersburg State University, N. M. Kropachev.  They also toured St. Petersburg, visited the Hermitage, and attended a performance at the Mariinsky Theater. Veteran J8 members from 2006-2009, who recently became members of the Young People’s Movement  Junior 8, also helped with training activities by conducting seminars and sharing their experience as former J8 delegation members.  The last few days of the training session was held in Moscow where the teens met with the Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation, A. V. Dvorkovich, the Russian Minister of Education and Science, A. A. Fyrsenko, officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and members of the Russian State Duma.

Both the organizers and the participants in the training session were of the opinion that this year’s preparatory workshop was significantly more intensive than those of  previous years.  There were significantly more lessons and meetings with different significant leaders, and a wider variety of topics were discussed.  Additionally more stress was given to practical skills such as communication, behavior, public speaking, and working with the mass media.  But everyone agreed that Russia now has formed team of young delegates who can work well together.

Konstantin Panin (Zelenogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory) noted, “The training session gave us a huge amount of information and knowledge. During the meetings with key officials we had the opportunity to meet new people and share our opinions, and we thoroughly enjoyed the cultural activities.  And the main thing is that all of us in the group became friends and we found solidarity and support from everyone we met during our 10 days together.  Our J8 team turned into a very united, goal-oriented group where everyone has a significant role.  We complement each other and will try to represent Russia in the best way possible.”

The J8 Summit will take place in June 2010 in parallel with the G8 Summit.  The end product of the discussion among the J8 members will be a letter to the G8 leaders in which they will express their opinions on given topics.

If you would like to schedule an interview with J8 Summit team members and others participating in this project please contact:

Evegenia Sinepol
Tel: +7(911)256-55-04
e-mail:  info@junior8.ru