Areas of growth [in the Far East – ed.] have been a lively topic of discussion throughout the entire Forum. However, we should probably proceed from our session, because the setup and motivation that exist are what determine the development strategy for the region. That is because if there is no human capital, it is useless to discuss investment – to consider how to do something, why it should be done, and the point of investing in it. <...> Indeed, the way Russian people look at the Far East has changed considerably in the last few years. Six years ago or so, we asked ‘The Far East? What’s that?’ [And the typical answer was – ed.] first of all, it’s associated exclusively with natural resources – fish and what nature provides. <...> People did not even know what regions make up the Far East. <...> Today, however, there is much more interest, and there’s a great deal of potential in terms of tourism — Yelena Mikhailova, Adviser to the General Director, Russian Public Opinion Research Centre.

Each country’s potential is largely determined by overall life satisfaction, and of course, this includes young people first of all. The potential of the Far East directly depends on how the macroregion is viewed by young people there, and whether they can fulfil their ambitions locally. Today there is a need for direct dialogue between young people and the government, and also for new ways to work together and build trust. Probably no-one would even dispute this. The desire among people in Russia to involve young people in the country’s sociopolitical life has been a stable trend over the past 2–3 years — Anastasia Belonogova, Producer, Pro Business TV channel.

I think that new ideas <...> form a very timely initiative, which we are discussing today. It is not only linked to opportunities in the Far East, <...> it concerns, I believe, the entire world, and also the opportunities that are emerging <...> [against the backdrop – ed.] of a wealth of natural resources or a stabilization of the situation in the region. Perhaps, it is indeed an opportunity to unlock the potential of young people. <...> I would like to share my experience. <...> We, and I in particular, came to Vladivostok from Southeast Asia. The development of infrastructure is an important issue to me. We want <...> young people to experience no problems, <...> we want them to develop more actively. <...> We have also made great progress. <...> Young people are not only relying on our state or on the government – innovations are emerging, best practices are emerging, <...> success stories are emerging — Anish Shrestha, Executive Director, Youth For Environment Education And Development Foundation (YFEED Foundation).

Yes, this is a huge problem, which we have been unable to resolve for several years now. We have already taken unprecedented steps to support young people. These are unique initiatives. <...> However, we find that every time, the information is not reaching its target audience. It’s just not getting to them, objectively speaking. And objectively, I understand that we – by which I mean government bodies and young people – inhabit completely different information realms. And in fact, there’s still no answer as to how to bring them together — Elena Tomchuk, Director, Youth Affairs Department, Primorye Territory.

For us, [the level of involvement – ed.] is one of the main issues. When we develop content, we’re not doing it for the sake of content itself, but for people. There are some regions which never have issues with their audience. <...> And there are other regions who claim to do everything, but still no one comes. What is our take on the problem? Sometimes the label of officialdom creates a feeling of mistrust. No matter how much information is available on an official, public plane, a group of people will immediately react by saying, ‘We’re not going there, it’s got to be some sort of rubbish exercise. Sure, they’re trying to make people go somewhere to do something. No thanks! We’re happy living our lives’ — Alexander Samoylov, Director, Regional Development Department, Delovaya Sreda (Sberbank).

In order to support young specialists who trained in sectors offering high potential for Primorye Territory, we launched a project last year which does not exist as such anywhere else in Russia. <...> First, we collect vacancies for young specialists from enterprises and organizations based in Primorye Territory. <...> What do we mean by high-potential [sectors – ed.]? Well, first of all, a requirement is placed on employers to ensure that no experience is required for the vacancy in question. <...> [Another requirement – ed.] is for the vacancy to offer a completely clear path in terms of salary progression, career growth, and professional growth — Elena Tomchuk, Director, Youth Affairs Department, Primorye Territory.

The idea of moving to the Far East <...> came to me after participating in a Moscow-based initiative entitled ‘The Big Arctic Expedition’. At that time, it was a project existing under the Ministry for the Development of the Far East and Arctic, and led by the famous polar explorer Matvey Shparo. Despite the fact that the trip was not completed in 2019 due to a number of political reasons, I had the chance to speak to people – to real romantics and travellers. And I realized that there was a region that was no less interesting – one which offered no less potential for personal or any kind of growth. It was the Far East. <...> Once I finished school, I actually found it very difficult to choose which university to go to, starting from the subject, and ending with the location. But at some point, I understood that if one wants to be a romantic, you absolutely have to get into the most exciting adventures — Nikolay Kovtun, Student, Far Eastern Federal University.