Volunteer activity and its role in personal and professional development of future social educators

The formation of modern youth takes place in very difficult conditions of old values destruction and of new social relation forming. Being the most promising part of any society, young people are extremely sensitive and experience many social changes and their consequences. The article discusses the possibility of volunteer activity for the students of Social Pedagogy in the education process. The essence of volunteering is revealed, the current state of volunteerism in Russia is characterized. The main subject of the research is the role of volunteer activity in personal and professional development of future social educators. Based on the literature ana-lysis, the characteristics of volunteering as a social and pedagogical phenomenon that has beneficial effects on social and professional formation of the student’s personality are identified. The author presents the main areas and professionally significant results of cooperation between the Centre of Young People’s Social Initiatives called “Voluntary choice!” and its main social partners. The validity and reliability of the results are ensured by the optimal choice of methodological basis, by relying on the main propositions and achievements of Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy, Sociology, and by integral approach to the studied problem. The results can be used in the academic staff activities as well as for public organizations and associations.