Leaders of the volunteer movement in the South Ural Region will begin preparations for working with guests of the SCO and BRICS summits at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
In May, young Chelyabinsk activists, as part of a volunteer body formed mainly from students from the leading Russian universities, will help the organizers of “Russian Davos”. Among the representatives of our region are student of the second year of studies of the SUSU Faculty of Psychology Ilya Smolyankov. He has a lot of experience in organizing university and city events. One of the key events was volunteer work in the forum for interregional cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan, which was held in Chelyabinsk in autumn. Ilya worked at the Konar space where he met with the heads of two governments, Vladimir Putin and Nursultan Nazarbayev.
“It’s a huge responsibility. But I gained experience as a group leader,” says Ilya. “I had a great team: 20 people – we chose the best from the best from a huge group of people.”
Behind the Scenes of the Forum
To become one of the volunteers of the largest economic forums, volunteers had to complete training and study methodological materials – 53 pages with the full information on the event from participants’ paths of movement, the location of conference rooms and stands that are agreed upon before the program, and key events. At the end of April, representatives from Roskongress came to Chelyabinsk. The fund pays serious attention to work with volunteers – they answered all the questions that the volunteers had. At the end, the participants took an exam, including on their knowledge of English. Those who survived this test got a chance to look behind the scenes of the international economy. As Ilya Smolyaninov explained, each volunteer has his/her area of responsibility: some will meet guests at the airport, some will help people find their way around events, and so on. The highest level is accompanying representatives of the business and political elite. These volunteers should be erudite and fluent in a foreign language to support discussion, and charm.
“Why is it important for us to send a team of volunteers to large international events? To gain experience and begin forming the group of volunteers that will work at the SCO and BRICS summits in 2020,” comments the Director of the Office of Press and Mass Communications of the Agency of International Partnership, Irina Chirkova. “We are planning on offering training to prepare leaders and managers of volunteer work over the next two years. In recent years in Chelyabinsk, there have been quite a few exciting international events. There are experienced volunteers in this city, kind-hearted helpers for organizers of various projects.” Our people have shown their worth by working at large sport and cultural events. Now, as Irina Chirkova notes, most attention is being paid to rules and business etiquette.”
Are You Ready to Become a Volunteer?
This mass selection process for the SCO and BRICS is not yet open. It is not yet known how many volunteers they will need. When the map of the summit’s areas will gain final verification, it will also become known exactly how many of the main areas there will be, how many hotels for participants and guests, and so on, and they will begin to invite volunteers. But those who are already dreaming of being a part of the volunteer team and be in the thick of the upcoming events can prepare independently to the contest. For example, they can work on their English. Even better – they can learn Chinese or perfect other languages of countries participating in the SCO and BRICS summits, for example, Hindi. This will significantly increase their chances at success.
“Knowledge of English and Chinese will be one of the main requirements for volunteers,” explains Irina Chirkova. “Representatives of Roskongress noted that we have people with excellent levels of English. With Chinese it is more difficult. So those who wish to work at the SCO and BRICS summits have time to brush up on their skills. The second criteria for volunteers is knowledge of business etiquette and rules. And of course, the most important thing is a desire to want to work and spend a few days of the summer of 2020 with maximum efficiency and activity.”
Intelligent speaking skills, responsibility, punctuality, friendliness, and, of course, kindness are all irreplaceable qualities for volunteers. After all, it is they who will create the atmosphere of hospitality in the city.
“In my opinion, volunteers should be ‘multifunctional’. There are many areas of work: if an unexpected situation occurs in one area, volunteers should be able to ‘switch’ quickly and help solve the issue,” believes Ilya Smolyaninov. “Summits are high-level events, so I will recommend volunteers I have worked with previously in at least three or four events; those whom I totally trust.”
“We never deny the help of volunteers,” says Irina Chirkova. “They help us execute various projects. For example, not too long ago our volunteers examined the paths that guests will take and took photos of the buildings they’d pass. Thanks to their work we gained a full image of the situation and added 138 apartment buildings to the list of buildings to receive repairs. There will be many such efforts in the two years leading up to the summits.”
The experience and knowledge of veteran volunteers is needed, including museum workers and tour guides.