Trends and remarks about the Rhodes Youth Forum 2010

For the last two days I was in Rodos, attending the Rhodes Youth forum 2010, a pre-event of the main event. I had the chance to meet people from Guatemala to Vietnam, actually my first time that I had a real "global" -and not european- discussion in my life. We were about 130 participants from maybe 20 countries- that's a lot.
The aim of the conference was what every conference with many international participants is, that is to promote mutual understanding, create international networks via offline meetings and dialogue.
I have to admit that in the beginning I really didnt have high expectations.. I had already attended similar events, so, I thought it would just be another one, with boring discussions and meaningless panels.

But I was wrong.

First of all, the event was funded, planned and organized by Russians. I realized soon that BRIC is not near, but there, actually here. And as a proud (?) European, a represenative of the old status quo, I now have felt the shift of global power and that the world has indeed - and soon- become one. So, what's new for me?

1. Russia's new power and relation with the old USSR states. These guys speak Russian, and they may not have one huge state any more, but they are influencing evolution in their region. Russians do not make the errors of near past so, the question is, is Russia here to stay? From what I noticed- probably for long.
2. The strengths or natural resources that countries like Kazakhstan and former USSR states do have... We may have an image eg of Borat when we listen the word Kazakhstan, but believe me, its wrong. Totally wrong. 
3. States like Kazakhstan and their people are NOW developing and I believe they do have a strategy. Europe has been developing, now its not, its more or less declining, and is decling faster that we can see. For the moment, they have leaders, Europe has not. 
4. During the sessions, I was introduced to the word "poverty". wow. I learned that you can be poor and you can have money. Or that there are people that have NO money and I mean NO money, something that in Greece- in general- had never actually thought before.
5. Europe will soon face demographical problems. Russia every year has 700.000 people LESS (population). Why? People dont have children any more, and families structure is being destroyed by modern societies. There is a youth workers gap and it is filled by immigrants. So, gradually European population synthesis will totally change. And that will be the end of "Europe", at least as we know it from history. 
6. The role of the states. It is accepted everywhere- except from Greece- that states have no longer any money, and they only try to raise and gather taxes. What happened in occupied territories from empires, centuries ago. Companies and states are somehow the new people enemies, while long time ago people enemies where the King and its landowners and nobles. Are we entering a new medieval period in Europe, or what? 
7. All participants have realised -and it was mainly discussed- the role of control and privacy. But noone knew how to face and confront it, the definite was that noone really liked it..
8. I had a short discussion with Vladimir Yakunin, and I understood that Russians have educated, intelligent and really HONEST + DOERS politicians, something that I dont see any longer in Europe.Where are our politicians guys?
9. Attending the session of internet, I learned about web 3.0, the internet of things, that could be a new post. But I was really happy to realize that there are people that think and create in the internet. Also related to control and privacy. A post will be devoted to that, I hope soon.
10. and a question: what's the old and what's the new situation will be? what's the role of youth in this world? Where is the change we all need? where is vision, the balance and anyway, what's our destination?