President of Tatarstan has awarded winners of the Republican Youth Forum 2012

President of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, on Saturday visited an exhibition and presentation of Republican Youth Forum 2012’s best projects, and attended the award ceremony. Invitees at the event, held in the IT college, were winners of federal competitions, winners of the Tatarstan’s special state scholarship, officials from Tatarstan State Council, President of Tatarstan Office, and others.

Republican Youth Forum is an innovative platform where any young person or team can present and defend a project, find like-minded people, to implement it, as well as find government support. People aged 16 to 30, young scientists under 35, students at Tatarstan-based universities and vocational schools, and junior public association activists, are eligible candidates.

The forum had begun on 1 June and included three stages. The final took place in December.

Forum’s executive director, Timur Bakhtiyarov, said the competition had been held for the third time, 1,044 applications having the year before been filed, of which 632 had been examined by a panel of experts.

“The forum had 9 platforms, three of them new, Architecture and Housing and Utilities, Young People Against Corruption and Student Self-governance,” Timur Bakhtiyarov said, adding that every platform had been built based on the young people’s needs.

“Each time we find ourselves near you, we have many positive emotions, we see the republic and country changing for the better,” President of Tatarstan said before awarding the winners.

“Our universities need to work with the school, with talented youth. We advise our universities to go to high schools, find outstanding personalities and promote them,” he added.

The republic had large companies but they would not work if there were no advanced young people, who needed to be found and trained before they went to school or university, R. Minnikhanov said.

“Leaders, innovators are needed, but they have to be nurtured, they will not emerge on their own,” Tatarstan President is convinced.