Conference Helps Place Volunteerism on Russian Agenda
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| Galina Bodrenkova of the Russian Center for Volunteerism Development(center) and Yelena Topoleva-Soldunova of the Agency for Social Information (right) announce the winners of the 2008 National Volunteer Award. |
On May 19-21, 2009, 300 volunteer leaders and experts from 60 regions of Russia gathered at a “Volunteerism in Russia and Worldwide” conference to discuss the future of volunteerism and its contribution to building a cohesive and inclusive civil society. The USAID-funded Agency for Social Information organized the event in collaboration with the Russian Center for Volunteerism Development, which received a grant for the conference from the Russian Public Chamber. Workshops focused on corporate volunteerism, community youth initiatives, and the creation of an enabling legal environment.
During the opening plenary, Artem Shadrin of the Ministry of Economic Development spoke about the government’s new “Concept for the Promotion of Charity and Volunteerism in Russia,” which proposes legal and fiscal changes such as reduced taxes and subsidized office space for volunteer groups. The concept paper also recommends the establishment of government-sponsored regional and local volunteer centers. It was noted that the committee for the Sochi Olympics plans to train about 75,000 youth volunteers by 2014
Leaders of the International Association for Volunteer Effort and the European Volunteer Center also spoke at the conference, and the winners of the 2008 National Volunteer Award were announced.
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