Salekhard Hosts Russian North Indigenous Youth Forum

Participants in the Russian North Indigenous Youth Forum, which was held in Salekhard, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, on 22–25 November, discussed the development of leadership and entrepreneurial initiatives, Arctic tourism, and the creation of joint projects to preserve the cultural and linguistic traditions of ethnic groups. The forum was held as part of the plan of events of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023, which are being organized by the Roscongress Foundation.

“The Forum events provided an opportunity for a wide range of young people from among Indigenous peoples to discuss the current agenda, network, and outline further plans for joint projects. We believe holding such events is the most effective way to accumulate new ideas and initiatives for the sustainable development of northern ethnic groups. Russia has already initiated a number of projects in the Arctic Council that are directly related to Indigenous peoples. I firmly believe that the work carried out by the Forum participants will form the foundation of our country’s new proposals for the development of ethnic groups living in the northern latitudes,” said Nikolay Korchunov, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Arctic Senior Officials.

The goal of the Russian North Youth Forum of the Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East is to bring together the public initiatives of young people and promote the development of new projects that aim to preserve the culture, language, and traditions of Indigenous peoples. The event programme includes panel discussions that will be attended by experts and honoured guests, training sessions, master classes, and various platforms to exchange experience. The forum participants will be divided into three groups in which they will discuss issues concerning youth entrepreneurship, the preservation and promotion of language heritage, the development of ethno-tourism, and sustainable development practices.

The Arctic track included five unique tours: learning about the life of reindeer herders in Yamal, the top five tourism destinations in Chukotka, immersion in the life of the Komi-Izhma people in the Komi Republic, diving as part of ethno-tourism in the Nenets Autonomous District, and an introduction to the Veps culture through the legends and myths of the Veps people in Karelia. The language track focused on the development of the educational programme of the ‘Nomad Children’ ethno-camp, a range of measures to promote native languages through one’s favourite pastime, as well as a trilingual phrase book in the Nenets, Khanty, and Selkup languages. Participants in the entrepreneurial track held a presentation in which they collected the main limiting beliefs about entrepreneurship and how they debunked them. In another focus area – ‘Leaders of the Russian North’– the participants analysed approaches to creating an image, as well as the mechanisms and psychology of forming a community.

The Forum was attended by roughly 100 representatives of Indigenous peoples from 23 regions of Russia, including students, young scientists, politicians, entrepreneurs, and public figures involved in socially significant issues concerning the development of the territories of the North, Siberia, and the Far East. As part of the cultural programme, the Forum participants visited the Khanty reindeer herders’ camp and attended master classes on arts and crafts, and also held a bowling and e-sports tournament.

“It is a great honour for us that Yamal has become the home of the Russian North Forum, and we are confident that the initiatives you have been working on will be put into practice in the near future,” Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District Governor Dmitry Artyukhov said.

The Russian North Forum has been held since 2015 in an effort to create an interethnic communication platform for young people to interact and get active young people involved in solving problems that are consistent with the current needs of the government and society. The forum is organized by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs and the Government of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District.

Russia is the chair of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023. One of Russia’s main priorities is to develop human capital in the region, including the Indigenous peoples of the North. Russia devotes special attention to maintaining the sustainability and viability of the peoples of the North, promoting measures to adapt them to climate change, improving people’s well-being, health, education, and quality of life, and ensuring sustainable socioeconomic development throughout the region. The Russian side has initiated projects to digitalize the cultural and linguistic heritage of the Indigenous peoples of the North, develop renewable energy sources, create an international Arctic research station that runs on carbon-free energy, and ensure biosecurity in the Arctic. In addition, Russia is preparing draft proposals on the traditional medicine of Indigenous peoples and the development of creative industries in the Arctic, and is working on an initiative to create Digital Museums of the Arctic.