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Is “Hyperborea” an alternative to “Seliger”?

The Fifth International Youth Forum “Hyperborea” has taken place on August 2013 on a shore of the lake Onega in Kareliaю The forum was visited by representatives of the International Non-Profit Youth Organisation “New Youth Policy” from the Leningrad region and Transnistria. The organizers of the forum were Ministry of youth, physical education, sport and tourism of the Karelia Republic and the Karelian regional Centre of Youth. The scale of the project was huge, especially for a regional event, it has gathered 500 young and active leaders of Karelia and other regions of Russian Federation and foreign countries.

“Hyperborea” is kind of an analogue to “Seliger”. They are similar in many ways, but “Hyperborea”also has unique features. With much more modest funding it was organised more competently: no overcrowding like at the “Seliger”; quality of food was ensured to be high, no participant was left hungry after a meal or without a portion at all; there was a hot shower, which was absent at the “Seliger”. Many participants of “Hyperborea” has expressed their opinion, that they prefer the “Hyperborea” to the “Seliger” in terms of living conditions. Some could ask — why have we emphasized on such trifles? The answer is simple — quality of living conditions show caring of organisers to people.

Thus, without being constrained by everyday circumstances participants could express themselves in various educational platforms. One of the most interesting was the “Young politicians” platform. Participants of which have shared many interesting thoughts on many topics, including perspectives of socially-economical development of the region and on domestic and foreign policy of Russia and the world.

The topic of economical problems of majority of the population and, as a counterpart to it, narrow interests of the minority have sprung an intense discussion. In particular, young people have discussed values of human rights and how they could be used as means of political speculation.

Ekaterina Alexeyeva, chair of the Youth Parliament of Karelia Republic has shared with participants of the forum her experience of participating in a large international event in 2012, whereby representatives of 38 countries-members of the European Council have gathered in Saint Petersburg to develop new innovative ways of youth policy development on European territory. Such conferences of Ministers are held once in ten years and aim at development of new emphases in youth policy on territory of the Wider Europe together with youth itself. During the conference some European politicians have unexpectedly addressed with presentations about the infringement of sexual minorities in Russian Federation. For the majority of the conference participants the reason, why everybody’s attention was concentrated on this topic, although the youth obviously has other, more relevant problems, which concern many more people, such as unemployment, bad quality of education and immigration of youth in conditions of economic crisis, was not clear. Unfortunately, no final document was produced in conclusion of the conference, which will negatively impact the youth policy development on European territory.

In practice, we see the following: some European politicians are interested in using the largest international forum, including G8 and G20 only for discussion of the topic, alleged egregious infringement of rights of LGBT-community in Russian Federation instead of improving of mangerian literacy of youth. A result of this is attention switch from complex paramount and priority, because of their importance, economical and political questions of european and world agenda towards discussion of far from vital problems, which do not assist the exit from the global crisis common to all mankind.

Touching on this topic, participants of the platform have supposed that an active lobbying of the LGBT-community interests and usage of this topic as an instrument of political pressure from the side of some forces, have to have economical interests as well. That is interests of business, based on porn industry and sex-production, including services, as well as products. Services for same-sex couples is a promising untapped market. However, satisfaction of these societal needs must not prevail over satisfaction of natural needs. From economic point of view, advertising of “same-sex” products is reasonable and justified with certain restriction in age and place of access, but with the reservation from above. Protection of children from information flow of adult content in Russia does not violate any LGBT-community rights.

Representative of the “New Youth Policy”, Alexey Severikov has given a master class on the topic of “Alternative principles of globalization”. The discussion was about the future of the world and the role of Russia in it. In particular, what ideas does the world have for unification of the civilization of the whole humanity. It was noted, that in the end of globalization only one project will become the basis of the new culture, in which the humanity will unite. A key factor of dominance of the one project of globalization control over the others will be informational-algorithmic supremacy, which is gained by proximity of algorithms (values, principles, worldviews) to realization of the self-actualization process of humanity.

During the master class the participants have discussed instruments, with the aid of which some political forces of the world could perform intersocial control as part of one of the globalization projects — either exploiting the society in own interests, or ensuring its security and development. Such mechanisms of intersocial control could be of two types: so-called “hard power”, which includes warfare, and “soft power”, which consists of:

• means of influence on populations genetics — suppressing: first of all, smoking, alcohol and other drugs, as well as improving: mass fitness activities, healthy nourishment and other ways of supporting of healthy lifestyle;
• means of influence on economy — negative: for example, high interest rate crediting, as well as positive: just tax and dotation policy;
• means of influence on society by support and creation of various ideologies and political forces: for example support of religious confessions, control over mass media;
• means of influence on algorithms of understanding of all complex past scenarios in the society, for example, forming of historical identity:
• means of influence on individual’s worldview, social representation.

Thus participants of the master class concluded, that to ensuring of secure societal development without crisis, mastering of managerial literacy is necessary.

Also the participants have discussed principles of Eurasian Youth Parliament forming together with guests from youth consulting and discussion structures of Leningrad region. Marina Grigorieva, assistant of the member of Russian Federation State Duma S.E. Naryshkin and chairperson of the Leningrad region Youth Parliament in 2011-2013, proposed representative of Karelia to join the group working on creation of the Eurasian Youth Parliament.

After teambuilding the participants have attended master class “Youth Leader”, which given by Ilyana Demushkina, member of Youth Government of Karelian Republic. Alexey Veseliy, chairman of the Active Youth Federation of Riga (Latvia), has presented discussion and analysis of leader types as part of his master class.
After analyzing the essence of youth participation in social and political life, Ekaterina Alexeyeva has given a training on the “Ladder of youth participation” and introduced the European charter of youth participation on local and regional level for youth politicians . Also participants were introduced with activity of such youth consulting-discussional structures as Karelian Youth Parliament, Youth Government, Russian Federation State Duma Youth Parliament.

Alexey Gavrilov has given a lecture and spoken with participants about “PR in politics”. As part of lecture participants have discussed possibilities of usage of various PR technologies and have analysed methods of information presentation in mass media.

Vladimir Voinov, vice-chairman of the State Committee of Karelia Republic for interaction with local governments, was a guest of the educational platform “Young politicians”. He has discussed working ways of interaction between youth and government in Karelian Republic with participants.

One of the Forum days young politicians have devoted to geopolitics. Daniel Marcenyuk, director of the Center of youth initiatives “Res Juventus” , has introduced the “Conception of the New North”. The participants have tried to determine the role and the place of Karelian Republic in border cooperation and to designate development vectors of international youth cooperation.

In conclusion, the forum has shown why politicians must be discussing and developing ways of problem solving instead of getting stuck on political provocations.