Educational potential of volunteering activities in formation of international communication habits and ethno-cultural competence of students

This article reveals a potential of volunteering activities in formation of international interaction habits and ethno-cultural competence of students. The volunteering activity in the context of multicultural society is referred by the authors to the educational means of higher school, since it is focused on activation of students' independent work with representatives of various nationalities and identification of oneself as a part of an ethnos. The ethno-cultural competence of the volunteer is considered as a part of one's general culture. It is a complex system including such components as: ethno-cultural knowledge, skills of international interaction, emotional and psychological characteristics of the volunteer.