Moscow, Russia—UPF participated in a roundtable to commemorate the United Nations’ International Volunteer Day 2020.
The roundtable-webinar with the theme "Goodness in Action!" was held on December 3, 2020, in the Moscow government’s NGOs Center.
Representatives of a number of public organizations reported on their experiences of volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The chairman of UPF-Moscow, Dmitry Samko, was the moderator of the event. He spoke about the significance of International Volunteer Day, which is celebrated every year on December 5, and stated that this day is closely connected with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Since 2017, he said, by the decree of the president, December 5 has been celebrated in Russia as the Day of the Volunteer.
Elena Knyazeva, the director of the Mister and Miss University 2020 competition of beauty and character, spoke about the new partners of the competition and the volunteer projects that they have carried out together.
Representing the organization ECOfriends, Diana Minikhanova reported on an environmental project implemented in the city of Saratov.
Ekaterina Minsafina of the public organization Joy spoke about her organization, which employs adults with mental and intellectual disabilities.
Sarah Ochs, a singer and an Ambassador of Peace, came to the roundtable immediately after collecting gifts for children with special needs, as it was also the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Video messages were sent to the roundtable by Deacon Roman, a cleric of the Vysoko-Petrovsky monastery, and by Peter Belov, assistant to the chairman of the department for prison ministry of the St. Petersburg diocese. Although they were not able to directly participate in this meeting, they gave their blessing to the good deeds done by all the volunteers.
The roundtable was very productive. The participants exchanged ideas and experiences and outlined plans for further cooperation. Interaction and mutual support are especially important these days.