BRICS Youth Alliance opens diplomatic clubs in 12 schools across India

The BRICS Youth Alliance has opened diplomatic clubs in 12 schools across India to promote international cooperation among children. The programme brings together 120 school students, who will spend the next year working with mentors and exchanging experience with their peers from other countries. This was announced by Madhish Parikh, Founder of the BRICS Youth Alliance, during the TV BRICS programme "BRICSdialogue".

According to him, the organisation was established to extend cooperation beyond intergovernmental structures to the level of civil society and youth institutions. Among its most successful initiatives, he highlighted the BRICS Educational Expedition in India, which took place during Russia's BRICS Chairship.

"It was the first international programme of its kind. Young people from more than 17 states across my country took part in it. One hundred young men and women were introduced to such fields as international relations, international cooperation, the BRICS economy, and other important topics. This gave rise to numerous projects and led to significant progress in understanding the fundamental principles of BRICS. Today, these young people, together with our platform, are promoting various initiatives within the BRICS framework"

Madhish Parikh Founder of the BRICS Youth Alliance

Madhish Parikh stressed that working with children helps lay the foundations of trust between nations. He noted that school diplomatic clubs have already begun operating in India.

"We strive to work not only with young people but also with children to promote the ideas of international cooperation and mutual understanding. It is at an early age that the foundations of trust are established, which is essential for building strong humanitarian ties and, I would say, truly heartfelt connections between our peoples. [...] In India, we have opened school diplomatic clubs in 12 schools and selected 10 student leaders from each of them. As a result, around 120 school students are taking part in the project," Parikh added.

In addition to educational initiatives, the Alliance runs the BRIDGE programme. It brings together young people from the BRICS countries through volunteer projects, internships, educational programmes and international conferences. Participants also have the opportunity to travel to other countries.

In the field of environmental protection and sustainable development, Madhish Parikh also highlighted the active involvement of Indian youth in projects related to clean energy and carbon credit systems. The Government of India has launched a separate initiative dedicated to sustainable lifestyles and changing everyday habits. According to Parikh, these initiatives are attracting strong interest among young people, and a growing number of start-ups are emerging in this sector.