Youth from BRICS+ define future of volunteer movement at international conference

More than 250 participants from 65 countries took part in the IV International Youth Volunteer Conference “BRICS To You”, held online. The event became an important platform for dialogue between experts and activists on the development of the volunteer movement in BRICS+ countries.

Experts from Russia, Brazil, India, South Africa, Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt, Uzbekistan, Uganda, Indonesia, and Belarus participated in the conference. The participants discussed how young people can contribute to solving global challenges, create volunteer communities in universities and cities, and strengthen friendly ties between countries through joint projects.

The organiser of the conference, Acting Head of the Russia-BRICS Project Office Kira Ivanova, noted that creative industries and the volunteer movement can inspire the development of intercultural cooperation.

“Volunteers provide human resources, energy and organisational capacity for implementing creative projects. [...] At the intersection of these two spheres, the most sustainable and in-demand forms of cooperation are born. The task of the Russia-BRICS Project Office is to create the conditions for such cross-sectoral interaction,” she added.

A special part of the programme was the open discussion “Youth volunteer initiatives”, where participants from different countries presented their initiatives and explored opportunities for joint project implementation. This dynamic exchange of ideas among activists is complemented by systematic work at the official level.

In an exclusive comment to TV BRICS, Nilson Florentino Junior, representative of the Director of Transversal Public Youth Policies at the National Secretariat of Youth, spoke about the republic’s priorities in BRICS.

“Brazil’s youth agenda in the BRICS during its provisional presidency focuses on several thematic areas, as decided by the BRICS Youth Council. Its main deliverable was the update of the Memorandum of Understanding, 10 years after its initial version,” he added.

The representative of Indonesia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, Andi Rahman, shared his country’s experience in effectively engaging volunteers in youth policy in an interview with TV BRICS.

“Through our National Youth Development Index and National–Regional Action Plans, we ensure that every young person has access to education and health. Volunteerism in Indonesia is rooted in our cultural value of Gotong Royong (mutual cooperation), supported by strong collaboration between government, civil society, and youth-led organisations,” he emphasised.

The event was organised by the Russia-BRICS Project Office for International Youth Cooperation with the support of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, the Ulyanovsk Region Creative Industries Foundation, the BRICS Youth Alliance and others.

The Russia-BRICS Project Office for International Youth Cooperation was established in 2020 to coordinate youth exchanges and joint projects. In 2022, the TV BRICS network and the Project Office signed a cooperation agreement to jointly promote the youth agenda of the group’s member countries.

Photo: gorodenkoff / iStock