I. Metshin: “There is no development without youth, and we all should be aware of this”

(KZN.RU, April 18, Alena Miroshnichenko). In Kazan, where about half a million people under the age of 30 live, all conditions should be created for the development of the moral and human capital of young people. Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, expressed this opinion today at the XXXIII session of the Kazan City Duma. “These are not just numbers, this is the forward detachment on which the present and future of the city depend”, noted the Mayor.

The issue of implementing the state youth policy in Kazan became discussion at the session. According to Airat Faizov, the chairman of the Committee on Children and Youth Affairs, today there are 30 universities, 35 colleges, in which more than 168 thousand students are studying, 88 thousand of whom are foreign. They represent more than 30 regions of Russia and almost 100 countries of the world. “For the second year in a row, Tatarstan is in the top of the regions in terms of the quality of systematic work with young people among all regions of Russia. This is by 95% due to Kazan specialists and young people”, he noted. Thus, representatives of the capital of the republic regularly win at such major festivals as the Russian Student Spring, the Leader of the Year, the Student of the Year All-Russian competition, and also win various grants for social youth projects. In 2018, Kazan volunteers took the first place in the “Victory Volunteers” of the All-Russian Public Movement and the third place in the Russian Volunteer Competition.

A. Faizov also reminded that last year Kazan hosted more than 20 youth events. the competition “Student of the Year of Russia”, the All-Russian Forum of Student Clubs “Vmeste Vpered!” with the participation of the President of the country and many others are among them. In addition, the final seminar of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs was held in Kazan in December 2018. “Traditional events that attract young people not only to cities, but also to the republic are the festivals “Student Spring”, “Constellation – Yoldyzlyk”, “Freshman Day”, “Big Break”, “Immortal Regiment” and others”, said the speaker.

Deputy Lyaila Garifullina noted that for many years the Committee was the only one who was involved in youth policy in Kazan. Now the Ministry of Youth Affairs is created in the republic. She asked how the Kazan and Tatarstan structures interact. “The Ministry is our main partner in the implementation of youth policy. Of course, they are both methodologists and ideologists in conducting various events for us, and we also have many joint projects. From recent examples, Kazan participates in the struggle for the title of the European youth capital of 2022”, noted A.Faizov. At present, two stages have already been completed, Kazan has now entered the top-5.

“The work has been built to involve young people in various aspects of the city’s life in Kazan, from the implementation of social projects to major international events”, said I. Metshin and cited the Universiade, FINA and FIFA Championships as an example. “There is no development without youth, and we all need to be aware of this. The city has a municipal program that should unite our common efforts to create conditions for the development of moral and human capital, and to discover its potential”, he said.