World Peoples Assembly Hosts Happiness Events in Murmansk Region

On June 22 - 28, 2026, Marina Volkova, Head of the Department for Happiness of the World Peoples Assembly, had working trip to cities in the Murmansk Region. As part of the visit, a series of events under the International program “Happiness Exists” aimed at promoting the values of happiness and unity, were organized in Kovdor, Zelenoborsk, Kandalaksha, and Yonsky.

Marina Volkova gave presentations on the International festival "World Paints Happiness," spoke about the activities of the Happiness Department and the World Peoples Assembly, the significance of happiness in every person's life, and the importance of love for one's homeland.

- Conversations on the theme "Happiness is Loving Your Homeland" brought children and their parents together. What is especially valuable is that teenagers joined the discussion and shared why each of them loves their native region. During the conversation, we also managed to discuss how exactly they can contribute to creating happiness in their immediate surroundings," - the organizers said.

In Kovdor and Zelenoborsk there were held photo sessions in national costumes under the motto "Values Unite". In Kovdor, 49 members of a women’s community took part in the photo session, all dressed in the national costumes of different peoples. Men also came to support their wives and became involved in the process, and received positive emotions.

The photo session at the Zelenoborsk Sanatorium Boarding School involved 80 children and teenagers living there. Initially, the students were extremely skeptical about the proposal to participate in the session, but after discussing the theme of happiness, the values of different peoples of the world, and love for the Motherland, they began to get into the process and agreed to try on national attire. As a result, the fitting turned into a vibrant event featuring discussions about national traditions, the history of peoples, and the importance of respect for the culture and traditions of other nationalities. Among those present were representatives of the small indigenous peoples of the Murmansk Region, such as the Abazins, Izhorians, and Koryaks.

Kovdor hosted an all-Russian Women's Forum supported by the Happiness Department of the Assembly. It brought together participants from various cities and towns of the Murmansk Region, as well as representatives from Uzbekistan and Belarus. They discussed issues of family, large families, experience exchange, and career guidance. An important part of the program was a presentation of the activities of the World Peoples Assembly and a discussion of the Declaration on Happiness.

Also, during the trip, Marina Volkova met with participants of the 2nd International Creative Festival "The World Paints Happiness" who took part in the Festival events in Moscow organized in 2023. The children shared how their lives had changed after that event: they noted that they had become more active, started implementing their own projects independently, and joined the volunteer movement.

The leitmotif of all the events was the theme of the significance of each person's role in building their own personal happiness, the happiness of those around them, and society as a whole.

Throughout the trip, the participants of the meetings, especially the children, showed great interest in the project of the World Peoples Assembly "Ambassadors of Happiness". The "Letters of Happiness" postcards were also very successful. The children were interested in the opportunity to communicate, including by correspondence, with foreign peers, as well as participate in international shifts in children’s centers. Currently, the World Peoples Assembly has established contact with the All-Russian “Smena” Children's Center (Sukko, Krasnodar Territory, Russia), the “Okean” All-Russian Children's Center (Vladivostok, Russia), as well as the “Artek” International Children's Center (Republic of Crimea, Russia).

The women's community, in turn, approached the Happiness Department with an initiative to conduct extensive training and workshops on the theme of happiness, as well as a series of "Happiness Workshops" and a large festival "The World Paints Happiness" in the Murmansk Region. Local residents were very grateful for all the organized events and for the attention from the World Peoples Assembly.

- These responses and proposals underscore the importance of continuing work in this direction and the need for active engagement with local communities for the further development of initiatives related to happiness and well-being," - the trip organizers noted.

For additional information, please visit the official website of the World Peoples Assembly or contact via email at media@world-assembly.org.