A team of 100 young journalists has begun covering key activities at the 2026 International Festival of Youth in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

The journalists, drawn from different countries, were selected through a competitive process to work with the Children’s Newsroom established by the Movement of the First.

They will host live broadcasts, produce news reports and short videos, record podcasts and interview guests and participants throughout the week-long festival.

The young correspondents come from countries including Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Their work is being coordinated through two practical media laboratories—“News of the First” and “Cool Radio”.

Chairman of the Board of the Movement of the First Artur Orlov said the initiative was offering the young participants an opportunity to acquire journalism skills and apply them immediately.

“The young people are gaining knowledge and skills that they immediately put into practice—recording podcasts and interviews with honoured guests, and running live broadcasts,” he said.

Mr Orlov said the enthusiasm and eagerness displayed by the young journalists demonstrated the value of providing practical learning opportunities at the festival.

“I have no doubt the Festival will be a memorable experience for every participant, and that the media content they create will be a meaningful addition to their other creative projects,” he added.

The international newsroom includes participants selected through the festival’s media track, contestants from the “Media Attraction” competition and existing correspondents for the News of the First programme.

Other accredited festival participants interested in creating content can also access the newsroom’s interactive production areas.

A media stand established at the festival serves as a production and broadcasting centre for both professional and user-generated content.

Its digital screens carry live broadcasts and videos produced by the young journalists, as well as selected content from other festival participants.

A participant from Kyrgyzstan, Aiperi Tashtanbekova, said working with the newsroom was helping her identify her strengths and develop skills that could support her future career.

“Being part of the Children’s Newsroom is helping me better understand my strengths, discover abilities I might never have thought about before, and gain experience that will be useful in the future,” she said.

She said sessions on audio and radio production had introduced her to creative media formats beyond social media and video.

Another participant, Kaarvi Amit Desai from India, said the programme offered an opportunity to acquire practical knowledge and exchange ideas with young people from other countries.

“What matters most to me is leaving with concrete knowledge and ideas I can put to use in my future projects,” she said.

Practical sessions for the two media laboratories are being held at Pioneer House, where participants work with mentors and develop their own media projects.

Members of the Cool Radio laboratory are broadcasting daily and producing pilot episodes of programmes expected to reach international audiences during and after the festival.

The content produced by the newsroom will also be featured in 10 special episodes of the “News of the First Diaries” dedicated to the festival.

The International Festival of Youth is taking place in Ekaterinburg from September 11 to 17, 2026, under the motto “Follow Your Dream”.

It has brought together 10,000 young leaders from 191 countries, comprising 5,000 Russians and 5,000 international participants.