The perspectives of international youth volunteering in Russian universities

The article falls under research category and is devoted to the analysis of two sociological researches. The article presents the results of Russian national representative online questionnaire of young volunteers and activities (2015, N930, random selection). The research covers students of all federal universities as well as students of 14 leading regional universities. In depth interviews with students with experience in international volunteering are analyzed (2015, N 12). The aim of the research is to look into the perspectives of international youth volunteering in Russian universities by evaluating Russian students' potential. The research is devoted to finding opportunities for supporting the balance of interests of Russian universities in international cooperation and peculiar features of those students for whom volunteering plays an important role alongside with study, professional and leisure activities. In order to solve the stated tasks the authors provide evaluation of international volunteering as of research concept and social problem, analyzing documents and statistical data that describe the real state of international volunteering as a relevant resource for management at the Russian universities. The research shows data demonstrating international volunteering orientation towards forming professional and social competencies of young people and studies aspirations of different student groups, their plans, needs and opportunities in relation to international volunteering projects that can be designed and offered to students in university sphere. Practical importance of the research is defined by the fact that university administrators get a managerial tool for improving educational process as well as designing and altering development strategy for programs aimed at education internationalization, attracting international students to the Russian universities, training and recruiting future students from abroad. The novelty of the article is in the following aspects: international student volunteering is seen as research and social problem as well as a practical problem for university management. The article provides evaluation of the potential of socially active Russian students, their aspirations and plans in terms of foreign volunteering projects initiated by the Russian universities.