Volunteering, Farming, and Animal Care: Participant of International Friendship Club Volunteered at Agricultural Exhibition in Australia
Vera Anufriyeva, participant of the International Friendship Club of the Magadan Region, volunteered at the exhibition-show in Goulburn, Australia. The Friendship Club, that brought together youth of Russia and Australia, helped her prepare and make this trip possible.
The show is one of the biggest annual public events of the region. It displays best agricultural products, works by schoolchildren, and features local creative people as well as entertainment and educational activities. The event took place on March 1–2.
Vera Anufriyeva, representative from the International Friendship Club of the Magadan Region, arrived in Goulburn in February and got actively involved in the preparation of the exhibition-show.
“As we were approaching the festival, we set up exhibition stands, hung participants’ paintings, helped set up protection fence, created a space for animals by using wood shavings, covering the bird cages in the pavilion with cloth and making a pool for ducks. We also helped set up an area for vegetables, handcrafted items, and all sorts of gastronomic delights. Our volunteer group included representatives from Vietnam, Japan, and France. We worked and spent our downtime together as a team. It was a good experience in terms of international communication. We not only prepared for the exhibition but also introduced one another to our countries. For example, I shared our World Youth Festival experience and how we continue preserving its legacy these days”, said Vera Anufriyeva.
Vera mentiones that she decided to go to Australia to visit the exhibition after a video conference that brought together representatives of the Magadan Region and the Youth Council of Russian Compatriots in Australia, which is a partner organization of the International Friendship Club of the region. The young people from Australia shared the details of the upcoming event and confirmed their willingness to welcome Vera and show her around the country’s key landmarks.
Sergey Plichko, Leader of the International Friendship Club, emphasized that the agreement with the WYFD’s Australian partners was signed back in 2024 on the Sirius federal territory. Since then, the region’s youth have been engaged in positive interaction and cooperation with the like-minded people from abroad. “A little while ago we held an online meeting with the young people from Australia and introduced Vera to them. Our partners provided her with accommodation, picked her up her upon arrival and helped her get to the destination. Also, they gave her advice on what things to bring with her, how not to get lost, and many other details of life in Australia”, shared Sergey Plichko.
Overview:
The World Youth Festival took place on March 1–7, 2024 in Sirius, according to the Decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the development of international youth cooperation. The WYF-2024 brought together 20,000 young leaders from 190 countries.
On the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation, the WYF will be held in Russia on a regular basis – once in six years. Also, every six years 10,000 young people from all over the world will get together at the International Youth Festival, and in between, international themed gatherings and events will be held under the auspices of the WYF. Festival events of various formats will be held in Russia annually.
According to the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation on the preservation and development of the Festival legacy, the World Youth Festival Directorate continues the work aimed at strengthening international youth cooperation.