Young Peacemaker of the Year
an article by Valery Guerguel
Museum of Peacekeeping Operations
Moscow

The 3-day meeting of participants of the "Young Peacemaker of the Year" interregional contest took place from 12 to 14 December in "Spasatel" Camp in the suburbs of Moscow. More than 100 representatives of the Movement of Young Peacemakers who won the regional contests came there from 10 districts of Moscow , the republics of Karelia, Khakasiya, North Osetia -[Alaniya], as well as from Murmansk, Volgograd, Nizhniy-Novgorod and Stavropol regions of Russia.

The interregional contest of Young Peacemakers was organized in 2008 by the Organizing Committee of the National Contest “UN Peacekeeper of the Year” and involved a few thousands of children and youth interested in study of UN peacekeeping practice.

The first regional stage of the competition which took place in September and October 2008 identified 17 winners, children who proved that they are the most prepared supporters of peace. They then took part in the interregional stage of competition, which was completed on December 12, by the specialists of the UN Information Center in Moscow who checked their essays named “Human Rights and Our Responsibility toward Future Generations”.

As the result four laureates were determined, and together with the winners of the regional stage, they composed the active membership of the meeting of young peacemakers in “Spasatel” Camp. The meeting was supported by the Committee of Social Relations of the City Government of Moscow and the House of Children's Social Organizations.

At the meeting there was a ceremony to award diplomas and gifts to the winners of both stages of the contest “Young Peacemaker of the Year”. The program also provided for exchange of experience of peacemaking work, and also conducting an educational game “World trip to UN peacekeeping Missions” aimed to obtain habits and skills, necessary for the solution of peacemaking problems both in the missions of United Nations, and in the daily life.

As a follow-up to the program, both children and their teachers are taking part in an interdisciplinary program, the "Network of Schools of Peace" in the different regions of the country, establishing direct contacts and outlining plans for the future.

The winners of the interregional stage of the "Young Peacemaker of 2008" contest were:

First Place:
Valentin Rabotenko, Stavropol city, School No. 4
Ksenya Volodchenkova, Kostomuksha city, School No. 2 named after Alexander Pushkin

Second Place:
Roman Rakhimov, Nizhny Novgorod, Gymnasium No. 67
Oleg Reshchikov, Moscow city, Gymnasium No. 1529

Third Place:
Yana Kabirova, Moscow city, School No. 1289

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