– «In 2022, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of sister city relations between the Sakhalin Region and the South Korean island of Jeju, – said Elvira Lim, Director of the Institute of Philology, History and Oriental Studies of Sakhalin State University. – And one of the major contributions to the development of our humanitarian relations is the participation of Sakhalin students and schoolchildren in the Jeju Youth Forum».
Since 2016, thanks to the initiative and support of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Sakhalin Region, schoolchildren and students of the island region have the opportunity to participate in the International Youth Forum, which takes place on Jeju Island. Here, the Sakhalin State University acts as a mentor, putting scientific, creative, linguistic and creative efforts into the preparation of the island team of forum participants.
It is especially important to note the work of teachers of the Department of Oriental Philology and the Department of Foreign Language and Country Studies of the Institute of Philology, History and Oriental Studies, as well as employees of the Department of Youth Policy of the university.
In 2021, the forum brought together more than 200 delegates from 43 cities in 12 countries of the world. The topic of the forum is “Youth Participation in Building a Resilient Recovery”. The main issues of the panel discussions were related to serious problems affecting security and stability in the world, food security, environmental protection, global warming and climate change, and the impact of the pandemic on the education system.
If earlier only students took part in the forum, then for two years now the organizers have also demanded the presence of schoolchildren. This year, the Sakhalin Region was represented at the forum by: Nika Baidrakova (Gymnasium No. 1 named after A.S. Pushkin in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Balabaeva Alina (Gymnasium No. 3 in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Kim Seung-hye (Gymnasium No. 3 in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Kozlov Lev (secondary school No. 4 in Korsakov) and Ulyanova Anfisa (Lyceum No. 2 in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk).
The starting point for the future delegates of the forum was their participation in a unique event called «Language Intelligence: No Limits to Enter the New World» as part of the social project «English words and meanings in the labyrinths of cultural traditions of the world» with the support of the international consortium «Sakhalin‑1».
The performance of schoolchildren with a report in English before the international jury became a kind of rehearsal for participation in the forum. The winners of the competition joined the Sakhalin team and adequately represented the region at the international level.
“I am glad that I was able to take part in such a large-scale event. The forum showed that working in a team, especially in such an international one, is always better than working alone, especially if there is mutual understanding and respect for each other. Of course, it’s sad that everything ended so quickly, but I have new friends and invaluable life experience!” – shared her impressions the participant of the forum Kim Seung-hye, a student of the 11th grade from Gymnasium No. 3.
Despite the fact that the forum was held remotely, it took a lot of effort from the guys: write an essay, prepare a presentation, a business card, shoot a video that would reflect the culture of Sakhalin. And then, in an online format, conduct a conversation with representatives of dozens of countries. And the Sakhalin people showed themselves very worthy.
“Of course, the coronavirus has greatly affected the sphere of international relations, and I really want us to return to the format of live communication as soon as possible,” said Alexei Butukhanov, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Sakhalin Region. – I myself studied English and Japanese and participated in all the activities, and it’s nice to see that young people are still interested in this. We are very close friends with Sakhalin State University, we hold many joint events where students act as volunteers, come to us for practice, and then to work. Therefore, I think that we will see many of you again».
All participants received certificates and souvenirs from the organizers of the forum, gifts from the Ministry of Economic Development of the Sakhalin Region, Exxon Neftegaz Limited and Sakhalin State University.
“This forum is a very good platform where guys can test their skills, opinions, show what they are capable of and, one might say, represent our country,” said Evgenia Kaibara, PR Advisor at Exxon Neftegas Limited. – It’s nice to hear that the opportunity to select the most deserving Sakhalin schoolchildren to participate in the forum appeared thanks to our joint project with Sakhalin State University».
