International Volunteer Day

In 1985, the UN General Assembly declared December 5th as International Volunteer Day to highlight the power and potential of this movement, talk about its importance and tell the world about the activities of volunteers or, as they are also called, volunteers There are more than a billion people in the ranks of volunteers, and every day they help in hospitals, nursing homes and orphanages, participate in the elimination of accidents and the consequences of natural disasters, solve environmental issues and fight social problems Various reasons motivate people to join the ranks of volunteers, but they are united by the fact that money or career growth are not the main motivation for work Volunteering has no religious, racial, age or political boundaries, and its core values ​​are justice, equality and freedom, as expressed in the UN Charter On the occasion of Volunteer Day, in his annual messages, the UN Secretary-General notes the invaluable role of volunteers, regardless of their activities All over the world, on December 5, conferences, seminars, rallies, parades, fairs, exhibitions, visits to donor centers, fundraising, etc are held This is an additional opportunity for volunteer groups to talk about themselves, their work and the contribution they make to the benefit of society at local and international levels In modern Russia, the volunteer movement originated in the 80s of the last century Although history shows that volunteerism in Rus' has existed for a long time - this is the restoration of churches and the guardianship of orphanages, zemstvo doctors and nurses, literacy campaigns and donation collections, later Timur’s teams, all kinds of nature conservation communities and partnerships for the protection of monuments Now that the growth of social problems has increased, the volunteer movement in Russia is gaining strength and developing There are more and more caring people who are ready to voluntarily give up their strength, skills and time for good deeds, for the good of the whole country or to help some individual person Volunteers in Russia help abandoned children, large families, people with disabilities, and solve social issues for families in difficult life situations But due to some stereotypes, volunteer practice in Russia is difficult to take root and does not enjoy the trust of the majority of the population, therefore the necessary task of today's public organizations and charitable foundations is to promote the volunteer movement, popularize ideas, form its positive image and revive the best traditions of Russian volunteerism All this should happen with the assistance of government agencies, because a society that supports various forms of volunteerism is a society that cares about increasing the well-being of its citizens