The Youth Expedition "Towards Inspiring Discoveries!" along the Route of the "Golden Ring of Russia" ended with a Solemn Ceremony in Moscow
On July 15, 2026, the headquarters of the World Peoples Assembly in Moscow hosted the solemn ceremony of the completion of the youth expedition "Towards inspiring discoveries!" which passed through the cities of the "Golden Ring of Russia". The event was the final stage of the Golden Volunteers project, which brought together youth leaders from five regions of the country.
Delegates from Tomsk and Leningrad regions, Stavropol and Perm Territories and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) had a rich program during the expedition, which resulted in the protection of the expedition's methodological product, the "Golden Base". The participants presented five practical developments: a roadmap for a series of events "Russia: Inspiration" for the period from August to December 2026, "The Gold standard of my ideal event", the scenario of the ideal event, the adaptation of creative formats to the realities of their regions and the project "Connecting Threads: The Golden Ring ↔ My Region." All teams have successfully presented their work; the materials will be finalized under the guidance of mentors, methodological advice and experts before launching in the regions.
Svetlana Smirnova, Chairperson of the General Council, First Deputy Secretary General of the World Peoples Assembly opened the event with a welcoming speech:
— For the World Peoples Assembly, the volunteer mission is not just assistance and participation in projects, but a real contribution to the preservation of Russia's cultural heritage. Today, it is the youth who are a vehicle for the values of intercultural dialogue and the creative unity of the peoples of our country. Our mission as an Assembly is to promote the formation of a new contour of international partnership based on respect, preservation of spiritual and moral values and shared responsibility for the future of humanity.
Marina Volkova, Head of the Department of Happiness of the World Peoples Assembly, also participated in the dialogue with representatives of the expedition from the World Peoples Assembly. She spoke about projects aimed at creating a positive perception of life, harmonizing relationships and developing cooperation between people and countries, noting the consonance of the department's mission with the goals of the Golden Volunteers expedition.
At the end of her speech, Svetlana Smirnova invited the Volunteers of Hospitality Association and the delegates of the Golden Volunteers expedition to become active participants in the Second World Public Assembly "New World: Values that Unite", which will be held on September 18-19, 2026 in Moscow, at the World Trade Center.
The delegates' special attention was attracted by the information about the launch of the special nomination of the contest "The Heritage of My Small Homeland — the heritage of Russia". The nomination echoes the marathon "Hospitable places of Russia", implemented by the Association "Volunteers of Hospitality" with the support of the "Movement of the First". During the dialogue, the program director of the project, Candidate of Sociological Sciences, member of the Russian Society of Sociologists of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Juna Gedugova, summed up the results of the eight-day trip.:
— The delegates started from being observers and became co-authors of the methodological product, and each of the participants brought a unique view of his region to the project, enriching the common "Golden Base".
The scientific director of the project, Professor Sergey Tetersky, conducted training sessions on goal setting and motivation for the delegates, and then presented memorable gifts: traditional kokoshniks for the girls, and ties for the boys, symbolizing the connection with the cultural codes of the Golden Ring.
The ceremonial start of the expedition took place at the Atom Museum at VDNH. The organizers emphasize that the choice of this site was a meaningful gesture: the Golden Volunteers project grew out of the status of a local initiative and became an all-Russian event, and the combination of the spiritual and historical heritage of the Golden Ring with the achievements of the nuclear industry forms a holistic image of Russia and conscious patriotism among young people.
The educational block of the expedition consisted of lectures and seminars, practical workshops, trainings, laboratories, facilitation and foresight sessions, cultural and educational programs and independent project work of the delegates. The expedition program was developed and supervised by Juna Gedugova. Her author's technique, "The Designer of the Ideal Event," allowed participants to practice goal-setting, activity programming, and audience engagement skills.
The key educational modules were conducted by federal and regional experts:
Anna Chernomorets — strategic branding of hospitality and gastronomic symbols of the Golden Ring;
Andrey Danilov — The Golden Ring as a national tourist product";
Natalia Bulakh — "Brand promotion of the territory: from strategy to practice";
Daria Logunova — inclusion in tourism;
Olga Ermishkina and Lyudmila Sokolova — creative forms of excursions;
Valentina Osokina — media and promotional projects for cultural heritage sites;
Sergey Tetersky — Volunteer motivation management.
Expert support was also provided by Anna Zelentsova, Chaiperson of the Association of Volunteers of Hospitality, and members of the methodological Council.
Over the course of eight days, the delegates traveled a busy route from Yaroslavl to Vladimir, getting acquainted with the historical and cultural heritage of the Golden Ring through modern, engaging formats and collecting a "Golden Database" - an array of photos, videos and authentic information for further use in the regions, at the Golden Volunteers School and in teaching materials. In Yaroslavl, the participants visited UNESCO World Heritage sites, the Tolga Monastery, the Artel in Cowsheds art space, St. John Chrysostom Church, the SAVA inclusive space, the Museum Without Words and the Golden Ring History Gallery Museum, and also held a volunteer clean-up day. In Tver, delegates had an immersive tour of the city center, a visit to the Tver Imperial Palace, an art gallery and a workshop on the development of exhibition projects. In Vyksa, participants had a master class on Gorodetsky painting in the Exlibris art space, completed an inclusive quest "Accessible Museum", an excursion "Symbols and Meanings of Vyksa" and an exhibition "What moves water" as part of the "Vyksa Festival 2026". In Suzdal and Vladimir, delegates appreciated the Suzdal Kremlin, the Museum of Wooden Architecture, the Assumption Cathedral and the Golden Gate, studied the white stone carvings of the Dmitrievsky Cathedral and launched the Gold Rush media challenge. The final was an evening interactive quest on Vladimir. At the final meeting, the participants systematized their knowledge and insights, formulated key practices for replication in their regions, and developed individual roadmaps for the implementation of the "Russia" series of events: Inspiration."
During the meeting, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Vladimir Youth Club of the Russian Geographical Society and the Volunteers of Hospitality Association. Also, the Golden Volunteer School and the Golden Base educational and methodological kit were presented, a replicated product that includes methodological recommendations, event scenarios and materials for regional exhibitions.
At the end of the expedition, the delegates officially became Hospitality Ambassadors and Ambassadors of the Golden Ring of Russia, ready to introduce best practices in their regions and inspire young people to make new discoveries.
Within the framework of the project, from July 8 to November 4, 2026, the All-Russian Internet campaign "Across Russia with love: roll, roll, ring!.." is also being held. The returning delegates will hold the Golden Volunteers School, train at least 200 volunteer ambassadors and organize a series of events "Russia: Inspiration" — interactive lectures, exhibitions, quizzes, immersive excursions, theatrical performances and master classes. In total, it is planned to involve more than 1,700 young people and children from 10 regions of Russia in the events.
The project partners were the “Dobro. Russian Federation” Resource Center, the Russian Geographical Society, the Institute of Discoveries, the Association of Small Towns Tourism, as well as numerous educational and youth organizations of the participating regions. The organizers would like to express their special gratitude to the World Peoples Assembly and personally to Svetlana Smirnova for the warm welcome and the provision of a landmark site that has become a symbolic space for completing the expedition and launching long-term cooperation between the regions.
Additional information is available on the official website of the World Peoples Assembly, as well as at media@world-assembly.org.