Dvizhenie Pervykh held a gathering of school diplomacy clubs in Kazan.

      From November 23 to 25, 2025, a gathering of the School Diplomacy Clubs of the Movement of the Firsts took place in Kazan. The event brought together schoolchildren aged 14 to 17 and their mentors. The main goal of the gathering was to form systematic multilateral contacts between pupils from different regions of the country, strengthen mutual understanding, foster interest in the cultures of the peoples of the world, and create shared values aimed at reinforcing friendship and cooperation.

      School Diplomacy Clubs are a network of school clubs around the world that unite common values and joint socially significant projects and actions. The new season of the project was launched in September 2025. Participating countries that joined it included: Abkhazia, Azerbaijan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Venezuela, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, Transnistria, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, South Africa and others.

      “We can see how quickly the School Diplomacy Clubs project of the Movement of the Firsts has grown: today 206 clubs from 61 Russian regions and more than 150 clubs from 30 countries around the world have joined it. Within the framework of the project we held a gathering in Kazan that brought together about 200 participants from 40 regions of the country. I am confident that the atmosphere of unity that was present at this year’s gathering will become the foundation for new bright projects from our youth,” emphasized Hero of Russia, participant in the presidential personnel program “Time of Heroes,” Chairman of the Board of the Movement of the Firsts Artur Orlov.

      The qualifying stage of the gathering took place on November 13–14, 2025. An expert commission evaluated video presentations from the clubs, in which participants described the activities of their associations, successful examples of inter-club interaction, the significance of the School Diplomacy Clubs project and their personal motivation for participating in the gathering. The results were then summed up and a list of teams invited to the in-person stage in the Republic of Tatarstan was formed.

      “This is my first time at a School Diplomacy Clubs gathering, and I really like how everything is organized here. We learned public speaking and communication skills, participated in discussions with speakers — they shared really important knowledge about negotiations, ethics in diplomacy and much more. It was especially valuable for me to meet kids from different regions. I could not even imagine that we would work together on projects. What I remember most was the ‘Global Village’ event, where we presented national attributes, treats and souvenirs, and participants talked about their regions. I can say that this was an incredible experience for me,” said Darya Yefremova, a participant of the gathering from Kazan.

      Over three days, participants completed educational and cultural programmes. On November 23 there was a networking welcome and regional presentations at the House of Friendship of the Peoples of Tatarstan. On November 24 participants attended a workshop on conducting negotiations and the basics of communication, visited Kazan Federal University and met foreign students studying at the university. On November 25 schoolchildren took part in a workshop on diplomatic etiquette and the basics of international relations, as well as in a panel session “Diplomats of the Future: How Friendship and Discoveries Change the World.”

      In addition, participants worked on projects in three directions. The first group worked out an events plan for the “School to School” programme, describing formats for the periods January–June and June–December 2026. The second group developed the concept for a key new event of the School Diplomacy Clubs, similar to the “Pen Pal” and “Secret Santa” initiatives. The third group formed a general educational programme, determined what participants want to learn, which speakers to invite and which skills to develop. Meanwhile, mentors worked on tools to engage participants in the project.

      “My impressions of the gathering are extremely positive. I met amazing people from different regions of Russia: everyone is very friendly, open, kind and, most importantly, incredibly smart. During the gathering I learned a lot: I improved my skills, tried myself on stage, became more confident in communicating and meeting new people. The preparatory stage was also an important part of the journey. First we assembled a team of active and initiative-taking youths, then together we devised the idea of our presentation: what we would present, how we would deliver the material, which elements we would prepare in advance. This process united us greatly and helped us approach the gathering confidently and consciously,” shared Aleksey Volkov, a participant of the gathering from the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

      The School Diplomacy Clubs gathering helped pupils master new knowledge and skills and also strengthened their sense of belonging to a large international community. Young participants returned to their regions with new ideas and projects that will contribute to strengthening intercultural dialogue, expanding international cooperation and developing the movement of school diplomacy in Russia and beyond.

      The All-Russian social and state movement of children and youth “Movement of the Firsts” is the largest community in the Russian Federation, uniting children and adults, state and public institutions to develop a unified educational environment within and beyond the formal education system.

      The Movement of the Firsts has more than 13 million participants. On a regular basis, more than 51 thousand primary branches operate in 89 regions of Russia. The Movement’s activities are implemented through voluntary engagement of children and youth in extracurricular time within educational institutions, cultural organizations, physical culture and sports organizations, youth policy, social protection bodies and enterprises.

      The Movement of the Firsts implements an educational work programme with children and youth based on traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, national cultural and historical heritage and the principle of an unbroken link between generations, with the purpose of developing a unified educational environment of equal opportunities for the comprehensive development and self-realization of children and youth, and of forming among participants skills useful for practical application and career guidance.

      The Movement of the Firsts’ projects are implemented under the national project “Youth and Children” and the federal projects “We Are Together (Fostering a Harmoniously Developed Personality)” and “Russia — the Land of Opportunities.” Among them are the nationwide project “Big Change,” the nationwide project “First Aid,” the nationwide military-patriotic game “Zarnitsa 2.0,” the nationwide project “Young Naturalists of the Firsts,” the nationwide project “Keepers of History,” the nationwide theatrical project “School Classics,” the nationwide project “Media Attraction,” the nationwide programme “We Are Citizens of Russia!,” the nationwide project “The Firsts’ Challenge,” the nationwide project “Hikes of the Firsts. More Than a Journey,” the nationwide project “Do Good,” the nationwide project “Resonate,” the nationwide project “First in Science,” the nationwide project “Safety in the Movement,” the nationwide project “Literary Marathon,” the nationwide project “First Student,” the nationwide project “First in the Profession,” the nationwide festival project “Russian School Spring,” the nationwide project “KVN.Firsts,” the nationwide drone piloting championship “Pilots of the Future,” as well as the competition of the best projects for children and youth “Competition of Primary Branches of the Movement of the Firsts.”