Economy

Druzhba 2012 forum to gather almost 2,500 young people

GOMEL, 22 June (BelTA) - About 2,500 young people from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine will take part in the international youth tent camp Druzhba 2012 at the border of the three Slavic nations at the Monument of Friendship from 27 to 30 June, BelTA learnt from the First Secretary of the Gomel Oblast Committee of the BRSM Youth Union Andrei Belyakov. This year the forum is hosted by Gomel Oblast. Belarus will be represented by young people from Mogilev, Vitebsk and Brest Oblasts and the city of Minsk. Participating in the camp will be the youth from Moscow, Vologda, St. Petersburg, Kursk, Smolensk, Bryansk, and also Kyiv, Chernigiv and Sumy Oblasts. Young people from Gomel, Bryansk and Chernigiv traditionally participate in the camp but thanks to the three counties’ cooperation the number of participating regions is increasing. The program of the event includes various cultural and entertainment activities. A circus art festival of Belarusian, Russian and Ukrainian art groups will be held for the first time. A city of artisans will be divided into several sections, each catering for specific area of youth activities (body art, modeling, hand-made). The festival will also feature a powerlifting extreme competition, a hip-hop festival South East, a beauty contest Slavic Beauty and a agricultural contest in which families will participate. The highlight of the event will be the Slavic Unity traditional festival of Slavic peoples which will be held at the Monument of Friendship on 30 June. The event is organized by the Department for Youth Affairs of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee and the Gomel Oblast BRSM Youth Union Committee. The international youth campground project is held annually at the border of the three Slavonic countries in the run-up to the Youth Day celebrated on the last weekend of June. The project is aimed at developing friendly relations between young people of the Slavonic countries, popularizing healthy lifestyles, leadership and organizational skills of young people, promoting national cultures and improving the work of youth associations.