BRICS Plus Youth Outline the Future of the Volunteer Movement
The fourth international Volunteer Youth conference, “BRICS for You,” brought together more than 250 participants from 65 countries in an online format.Serving as an effective platform for dialogue among experts, social activists, and youth association representatives, the event focused on exploring the future of the volunteer movement within BRICS Plus member states, according to webangah News Agency.
delegates from Russia, Brazil, india, South Africa, Ethiopia, iran, Egypt, Uzbekistan, uganda, Indonesia and belarus took part. They discussed youth roles in addressing global challenges, establishing volunteer networks in universities and cities, and strengthening friendly ties between countries through joint projects.
Kra Ivanova*, head of the BRICS Russia Project Office,* emphasized that creative industries and volunteering can inspire expanded intercultural cooperation.
She added that volunteers provide human resources, energy and organizational capacity essential to implementing creative projects. At the intersection of these fields lies the most sustainable and sought-after forms of collaboration. The mission of BRICS Russia Project Office is to create conditions that foster such cross-sectoral interactions.
A special session featured a roundtable titled “Youth Volunteer Initiatives,” where representatives presented their national projects and explored opportunities for joint cooperation. This dynamic exchange at community level alongside formal collaborations lays groundwork for expanding youth diplomacy within BRICS Plus.
Nelson Florentino Junior*, representative of Brazil’s Ministry of Youth Policy,* told TV BRICS that Brazil’s youth program during its BRICS presidency focuses on several key areas. A major achievement is updating the cooperation memorandum among member countries after ten years since its initial version.
Andy Rahman*, from Indonesia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports,* spoke about volunteers’ role in national youth policies: ”Through our National Youth Progress Index along with national and regional action plans we ensure all young people have access to education and health care.Volunteering culture is rooted in our indigenous value ‘Gotong Royong’ (mutual assistance) strengthened by close cooperation among government bodies civil society organizations focused on youth.”
The conference was organized by the BRICS Russia International Youth Cooperation Project Office with support from Russia’s Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh), Ulyanovsk Region Creative Industries Foundation,and the BRICS Youth Coalition.
The BRICS Russia Project Office was established in 2020 to coordinate youth exchanges and implement joint projects.In 2022 it signed a memorandum with TV BRICS aimed at promoting youth agendas across member states.
