Ivanovo struggles for European Youth Capital 2015 title

On October 17^th, the delegation of Russia's Ivanovo region will present in Brussels the city's bid for the title of European Youth Capital 2015. The Belgian capital will also hold the presentation of international partnerships in the implementation of youth policy between the cities of Ivanovo and Hanover.

According to the results of the first stage, the list of finalists, among 12 European cities participating in the contest, include Ivanovo (Russia), Varna (Bulgaria), Cluj-Napoca (Romania) and Vilnius (Lithuania). The winner will be announced in November during the official ceremony in Slovenia's Maribor. The Ivanovo delegation will present a video about the city and describe the activities within the competition.

The head of the program committee for the promotion of the bid Dmitry Maslov, deputy chairman of the regional government Maxim Polyakov and Mayor of Ivanovo Vyacheslav Sverchkov present Ivanovo's bid in Brussels. Governor Mikhail Men wished the Ivanovo delegation luck and noted that the city of Ivanovo had great chances to win.

"I hope that the efforts of our young people, the work that they have done in this direction and its desire to win will be appreciated by the European jury," he stressed out.

When selecting the finalists of the contest, the judges with representatives of European colleges, public organizations, the Committee on Culture and Education of the European Parliament among them, pay attention to the  employment of youth, as well as to cultural and sports activities held in cities. The event is organized with the support of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the European Union, the Government of the Ivanovo region and the administration of Ivanovo.

The campaign "Ivanovo - European Youth Capital - 2015" is held under the motto "Pulse Of Youth." The status of the European Youth Capital is awarded to a European city for one year. Getting the status, the city brings to life new ideas, innovative projects with the participation of young people, and becomes a role model for the future development of other European cities. In 2011, the city of Ivanovo participated in the European Youth Capital - 2014 contest, became a finalist, but lost to Thessaloniki, Greece, by a margin of one vote.