How young people see Russia's future: experts discuss the question at Youth Day during "Peoples of Russia" Week

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The round table "Young People and the Vision of Russia's Future" was held on 7 November at the National Centre RUSSIA as part of Youth Day at International Week "Peoples of Russia". It brought together more than 150 participants, including representatives of youth associations and political parties, young civil servants and professionals working in public and political affairs. During the discussion, government representatives and sector experts outlined a vision of Russia's future that would appeal to young people today and discussed current ways of involving new generations in shaping that future and making it a reality. The round table was organised by the Digoria Platform.

The discussion explored how to establish lasting guiding principles to strengthen the country amid geopolitical turbulence. Social architects, members of a new profession, are now helping to give substance to this vision of the future. The Deputy Head of the Presidential Directorate for Monitoring and Analysis of Social Processes, Alexei Semyonov, discussed the foundations of social architecture, what the work of these new specialists involves and the projects they have carried out

"The central premise of social architecture is that the future does not simply happen. It can be designed. We can help shape it ourselves and decide where and how we will live. A great deal depends on how actively we take part in that process. A social architect is a responsible dreamer, and young people today have a unique opportunity to dream, put forward bold ideas and bring them to life," noted Alexei Semyonov.

The Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Olga Petrova, described the measures already helping young people contribute to the country's development. She said that Russia is implementing national projects and programmes to support student activity, running youth education centres and carrying out projects to develop human capital and foster civic responsibility among young people.

"As state policy is put into practice, universities are increasingly taking an active role in their own right. They create opportunities for students and teaching staff to fulfil their potential, carry out their social mission, drive local development and provide a place for initiatives that matter to society to take shape and be put into practice. In this model, university leaders become social architects, building an environment that supports personal development in every aspect of university life," noted Olga Petrova.

In times of great uncertainty, the priorities of younger generations are particularly liable to change. The Director General of the VCIOM Analytical Centre, Valery Fedorov, discussed how closely the vision being developed for the future reflects young people's needs.

"Some 43% of our fellow citizens agree that the country's future is fairly predictable. But the younger people are, the less clear they are about the direction the country will take, and the harder it is for them to plan their own lives — where to study, where to look for work and when to start a family."

The Head of the Digoria Platform, Zaurbek Khugayev, noted that understanding long-term goals can help address challenges that are already beginning to emerge.

"What concerns our young people most is how to fulfil their potential. We can see that 75% of Russians understand how important it is to get a good education, but only 11–13% take part in supplementary education. That tells us education needs to continue throughout life, and Russia's leadership is responding to this challenge in part through the national project 'Personnel', which offers citizens free retraining programmes. Only a handful of countries in the world offer such opportunities," said Zaurbek Khugayev.

The experts also discussed the challenges facing youth policy today, including which gaps still need to be addressed and how to pass on values effectively to new generations. The Vice Rector of the National Research University Higher School of Economics, Dmitry Zemtsov, addressed these issues.

"Some things take time. An oak takes a hundred and fifty years to grow, a vineyard takes decades, and a university takes more than a lifetime. If a social architecture project is not designed to be carried forward for the next 20 to 100 years, it risks ending up like a fairytale where the frog is kissed but never becomes a princess," emphasised Dmitry Zemtsov.

Participants identified the main challenge as the gap between developing a vision of the future and making it take root in the minds of people in the regions and municipalities. Young state and municipal civil servants have a particularly important role in closing that gap, noted Ivan Kalmykov, Rector of the Autonomous Non-Profit Organisation for Continuing Professional Education "KUPNO" and Head of the Year-Round Youth Education Centre "GosStart".

"The main barrier to further study is a lack of time. That is why we are developing joint programmes across institutions. When someone with a specialist qualification, for example in agricultural engineering or construction, adds a master's degree in state and municipal administration, they become more valuable on the labour market and improve their chances of career advancement," said Ivan Kalmykov.

International Week is held annually in accordance with Presidential Executive Order No. 382 of 1 June 2026, which declared 2026 the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia. Its central theme is "Solidarity Among States Through the Unity of Peoples and Traditional Values". The Security Council Staff of the Russian Federation coordinates the events of International Week. The Roscongress Foundation is the operator. Youth Day at International Week "Peoples of Russia" is organised by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodyozh).