Moscow, Russia—UPF-Russia held a webinar in honor of an annual volunteer project that is popular in Russia.
The online conference "Together We Create Our Future!" attracted 2,383 viewers.
UPF-Russia is a member of the National Coordinating Committee of the Spring Week of Kindness, which is held from April 16 to 25.
The main guest of the live broadcast, held on April 16, 2022, was Gennady Saraev, the commissioner for children's rights in the Russian Republic of Karelia. The host was Dmitry Samko, the leader of UPF-Moscow.
A main topic of discussion was the practical experience that environmental programs bring to the younger generation. The Green School project and the use of the Eco-Suitcase were mentioned as examples.
The Green School project helped to insulate Karelian schools and made the youth center energy-independent, but more importantly, it helped children to start thinking greener and even taught adults to do the same.
Dr. Alexander Shapiro Suliman, secretary general of the Alliance of the Peoples of the World, was another speaker. Konstantin Krylov, UPF secretary general for Eastern Europe, delivered a welcoming speech. And Elena Knyazeva of UPF-Moscow, director of the NGO "Mr. and Miss University," reported on environmental and educational work in the Moscow Region, where she has been leading volunteers in programs for separate waste collection and recycling.
It is possible that the large number of viewers, thanks to the broadcast on the Russian social networking service VKontakte, will lead to projects such as the Green School being implemented in other regions.
The Spring Week of Kindness 2022 shows the growing interest of Russian youth and volunteers in ecology, especially as digital channels of communication are popularizing the ideas of volunteering and helping others.