The article reveals the role of volunteering in shaping the life plans of students in Russia and Belarus. Modern youth policy is aimed at actively and massively involving youth in various volunteer projects. Young people often get their first volunteer experience while studying at a university and it is important to understand how volunteering is included in the life plans of the most active youth groups – students. The purpose of this article is to determine the conditions of state support for youth volunteerism in Russia and the Republic of Belarus, as well as the importance of student volunteer experience in shaping the life plans of young people. Authors analyze the results of a sociological survey of third-year university students in the Sverdlovsk region (Russia) and Grodno region (Belarus) conducted in 2024 (N=3000, the sample is quoted by gender and educational profile of respondents). The life plans of Russian and Belarusian youth are studied, the characteristics and motivation of their volunteer activity are revealed. It is proved that the state policy of supporting youth volunteerism in the Union State is built in the same direction, measures to support youth initiatives and organizational decisions are implemented in the same logic. In Russia measures to stimulate volunteerism among students using a special digital platform allow young people to determine the place of volunteer activity in their life scenarios, its role in career development prospects. According to the survey, Russian students prefer medium-term planning and practically do not use long-term prospects in their life strategies, while Belarusian youth are characterized by short-term planning mainly for the next year. The results of the study prove that the experience of students' volunteer activities has a direct impact on the horizon of their life planning.
The article reveals the role of volunteering in shaping the life plans of students in Russia and Belarus. Modern youth policy is aimed at actively and massively involving youth in various volunteer projects. Young people often get their first volunteer experience while studying at a university and it is important to understand how volunteering is included in the life plans of the most active youth groups – students. The purpose of this article is to determine the conditions of state support for youth volunteerism in Russia and the Republic of Belarus, as well as the importance of student volunteer experience in shaping the life plans of young people. Authors analyze the results of a sociological survey of third-year university students in the Sverdlovsk region (Russia) and Grodno region (Belarus) conducted in 2024 (N=3000, the sample is quoted by gender and educational profile of respondents). The life plans of Russian and Belarusian youth are studied, the characteristics and motivation of their volunteer activity are revealed. It is proved that the state policy of supporting youth volunteerism in the Union State is built in the same direction, measures to support youth initiatives and organizational decisions are implemented in the same logic. In Russia measures to stimulate volunteerism among students using a special digital platform allow young people to determine the place of volunteer activity in their life scenarios, its role in career development prospects. According to the survey, Russian students prefer medium-term planning and practically do not use long-term prospects in their life strategies, while Belarusian youth are characterized by short-term planning mainly for the next year. The results of the study prove that the experience of students' volunteer activities has a direct impact on the horizon of their life planning.
The study was carried out with the support of the Russian Science Foundation № 24-48-10012, https://rscf.ru/project/24-48-10012/.