The We Are Citizens of Belarus! campaign is held countrywide, concluding on March 15th: Constitution Day

A tour of the historical Council of the Republic building (once home to the National Library), congratulations from the Speaker of the Upper House of Parliament, Mikhail Myasnikovich, flowers and gifts: in this manner will members of the We Are Citizens of Belarus! BRSM Youth Union campaign recall their first steps into adult life

Young girls touch their braids and curls while the boys adjust their ties: all appear a little anxious. It’s understandable, since it’s not an every day occurrence to join senators, telling them about yourself — especially when you’re just 14 years old. Of course, they too are likely to remember receiving their first passport.

The meeting at the Council of the Republic was a gift to the Youth Union for Constitution Day: a custom launched in 2004, as the First Secretary of the BRSM Youth Union’s Central Committee, Andrey Belyakov, explains. He tells us, “We like to focus on this important event in a teenager’s life, giving it due status and solemnity, so that youngsters feel their shift to becoming ‘legitimate’ citizens and understand that, on receiving this ‘ticket’ into adult life, they bear responsibility for their own destiny and that of their country.”

The We Are Citizens of Belarus! campaign is held countrywide, concluding on March 15th: Constitution Day.