OBSTRUCTING FACTORS FOR THE PARTICIPATION OF RUSSIAN YOUTH IN INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS (ON THE EXAMPLE OF EUROPEAN SOLIDARITY CORPS)
Introduction. The article describes the relevance of international youth volunteering in Russia and in the world. The issues of the youth meta-skills development through participation in international volunteer programs are discussed. Volunteering is considered in the context of non-formal education on the example of the European Solidarity Corps program. The analysis of statistics on the participation of Russian youth in the international volunteer program based on data from the organization “Sfera” (Nizhny Novgorod) is given. Despite of the high interest of Russian youth in international volunteer programs, a low proportion of participants in international projects from Russia remains. Methodology. The study of obstructing factors for the participation of Russian youth in international volunteer programs was carried out on the basis of statistic obtained by online survey among 342 people aged 14 to 30 years. Results. The results of the survey are given, indicating that young people have a fear of leaving the comfort zone, insecurity in a sufficient level of foreign language skills, insecurity in the ability to perform volunteer tasks and other limiting factors. The data obtained can be used by international volunteer projects coordinators working with Russian volunteers. Conclusion. 3 groups of obstructing factors for youth participation in international volunteer programs are analysed and identified.