Involvement in the Volunteer Movement (on the Example of Students of the NWIM RANEPA)

Abstract

This paper deals with volunteering as a type of civic activity that affects the development of civil society. The research focuses on the youth as a special social and age group, its specificity being accounted for by the dynamics of the young people’s social status. The authors suggest variables and indicators to measure the level and degree of the young people’s involvement in volunteering. Based on the data obtained within the framework of the empirical study of the students of the North-Western Institute of Management, Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation), conclusions have been made concerning the extent of their awareness of the essence of volunteering, the main channels of information, about the motives, barriers and popular practices of participating in volunteering. Some recommendations have been presented for involving young people in volunteering.