Awards Ceremony for the Winners of the 15th My Country – My Russia National Contest
This national contest celebrates its fifteenth anniversary in 2018. It is a positive and open civil initiative aiming to create an environment where young people can develop their civil identity and engage active as well as responsibly in addressing local socio-economic challenges, thus contributing to the strengthening of Russia’s national unity and integrity. Since its inception 14 years ago, the contest has attracted over 47,000 people, who all have contributed ideas for the development of their towns and villages. 2017 drew over 7,000 participants, while in 2018 the contest was held in 70 regional organizational committees and the year before an alumni association had been established. The project is built around three main components: youth policy, education, and civil participation in the socio-economic development of Russia’s regions. Over the years the contest has become a useful tool to scout practice-oriented projects for various educational organizations. Once the initial internal competition stage is completed, the best initiatives receive funding from federal and regional authorities, non-commercial partner organizations, as well as businesses. The contest is organized by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science together with the Youth Social and Economic Initiatives organization, and it is supported by the Russian Academy of Education, the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Utilities, Znanie, and the National Training Foundation. In 2012, the competition was included in the list of leadership projects compiled by the Agency for Strategic Initiatives to Promote New Projects.