{"id":7274,"date":"2024-12-30T15:13:07","date_gmt":"2024-12-30T13:13:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/almenda.org\/?p=7274"},"modified":"2025-01-17T17:21:36","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T15:21:36","slug":"molod-i-diti-yaki-zmini-rf-gotuye-v-molodizhnij-politici","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/almenda.org\/en\/molod-i-diti-yaki-zmini-rf-gotuye-v-molodizhnij-politici\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cYouth and Children\u201d: changes in Russian youth policy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Youth policy has always played a key role in shaping social values, mindset and national identity. It acquires special significance in situations of armed conflict, when the control over the minds of young people becomes a tool of influence. The Russian Federation (hereinafter \u2014 RF) uses this mechanism for its strategic purposes, as testified by the decision<\/a> of the Russian President in the year of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine to make youth policy one of the state top priorities. Since 2022, special attention has been paid to this line of policy, with projects scaled up, funding increased and new personnel involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The legal basis for Russian youth policy was established within the national project \u201cEducation\u201d, carried out since 2019. Its activities extend to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine (hereinafter \u2013 the TOT): since 2019 \u2013 to the TOT of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and since September 2022 \u2013 to the TOT of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, in agreement with extending normative legal acts to the so-called \u201cnew territories\u201d. One of the project\u2019s components was the launch of the federal project \u201cPatriotic Education of the Russian citizens\u201d, intended for militarizing young people and training the mobilisation reserve. This line clearly demonstrates the goals which Russian authorities are trying to achieve through youth policy. The implementation period of the national project \u201cEducation\u201d ends on December 31, 2024. What awaits Russian youth policy afterwards?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New project \u00abYouth and Children\u00bb<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The creation of a national project which would unite all the lines of Russian youth policy has been discussed<\/a> since 2022. Most likely, the need for its development arose when Russian authorities realized the impossibility of rapid conquest of Ukrainian territory through armed aggression. Therefore, they felt the need for shaping a loyal young generation which could be used as a mobilisation reserve in long-lasting wars. Already in 2023, the project \u201cStrategies of Russian Youth Policy up to 2030\u201d referred<\/a> to the development of a national project \u201cRussian Youth\u201d. The objectives of the latter included cultivating volunteerism (volunteering), providing the functioning of the patriotic education system, as well as supporting youth and children civil organizations. On February 29, 2024 Vladimir Putin announced<\/a> the start of the national project \u201cRussian Youth\u201d (later renamed \u201cYouth and Children\u201d), which should be launched in short order and will have been realized until 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe country\u2019s tomorrow will define the aspirations of the current young generation. […] I suggest consolidating the positive experience in the domain of youth policy and launching the new national project \u201cRussian Youth\u201d this year. It should be a project about the future and for the sake of the future of Russia\u201d,<\/em><\/p>\n(note. \u2013 editorial translation) \u2013 Vladimir Putin pointed out<\/a>.<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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What is known about the project?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
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The project \u201cYouth and Children\u201d is aimed at reaching nearly one third of the Russian population \u2013 about 50 million people aged from 3 to 35 years. Its organizers include both Russian citizens and young residents of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine in this group. Thus the project implementation provides for full extension of its activities to the TOT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The basic lines of the project are the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n