Students’ non-participation in volunteer activities, or how to effectively organize volunteering education in Russian universities

The authors’ purpose is to identify possible problematic grounds for students’ involvement in volunteer activities and to propose solutions for university management that contribute to overcoming non-participation among students. The article is based on theoretical ideas about the role of volunteering for young people, on theories describing the phenomenon of non-volunteering and its possible causes, as well as on the concepts of volunteering management in higher education. The empirical base of the research is 740 students’ poll data (all levels and years of study being included the sampling) and 12 focus group interviews taken in 2022. The results reflect the students’ volunteer activity dynamics during their studies at the university and show that the key factor determining the orientation to volunteer participation in the future is the self-identification of a student as a volunteer. We have identified three reasons for strategies to justify volunteer non-participation: utilitarian attitude to life; disappointment with the volunteer work organization that does not meet young people’s expectations; infantilism as a philosophy of being inactive. It is concluded that by increasing students’ awareness of opportunities to participate in volunteer activities and specific organizations implementing volunteer projects, the university can contribute to the growth of volunteerism among young people in the future. Using the example of educational course, the authors show how possible barriers can be overcome by teaching students the basics of volunteerism. The results of the study and the described educational experience will be interesting to researchers and can also be useful for all Russian universities in connection with the current tasks of youth policy.