The international summits for SCO and BRICS will be held in Chelyabinsk in 2020. South Ural State University will become the main location for volunteer training.
Deputy Head of the Extracurricular Activities Department Veronika Livonchik speaks to us about volunteer training and what benefits people can receive by working at the summits.
“Right now, we are preparing a number of international events in which students are actively participating. There are many who wish to join. I think that in the future, they will become volunteers in 2020.”
What will volunteer work at the summits include?
“Volunteers have a lot of tasks, from meeting delegations at the airport to working at the summit venues. We are also planning on bringing in volunteers from other regions.”
What is difficult about volunteering at such large events as the SCO and BRICS summits? What do people need to know and be able to do?
“The first difficulty is language skills, the second – knowing cultures of different countries and the ability to correctly approach interactions. There is a serious “international dialogue” ahead of us. Thanks to the training for such events – studying cultures and histories of various countries, as well as the history of their relationships, the students will broaden their worldview.”
What benefits do students receive from this work? How is it helpful?
“These are political events of a very high level. Here, they will discuss global issues. When the students dive into this atmosphere, they will better understand the processes of political cooperation between various countries. I think it’s crucial to understand the importance of external politics for the government.”
The SCO is a permanent regional international association, the foundation of which was announced on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai. Currently, SCO members include Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. BRICS is an informal association of five emerging countries founded in June 2006: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.