A 15-year-old volunteer from Bashkortostan became the winner in the "Generation of Kindness" category of the #WEARETOGETHER Prize

---

Semyon Bordenyuk from the Republic of Bashkortostan became the first-degree laureate in the "Generation of Kindness" category of the International Prize #WEARETOGETHER. His project, "I Will Help, and You Will Succeed!", brought together 96 young volunteer mentors who help peers with special needs develop everyday life skills. The children take part in classes, workshops, contests and community challenges. In addition, more than 200 parents received psychological support through the project, while the children gained essential skills that strengthened their independence and confidence.

The laureates in this category were awarded by the Chairman of the Russian public-and-state movement of children and youth Movement of the First, Hero of the Russian Federation Artur Orlov, and the Chief Executive Officer of Alfa-Bank, Vladimir Verkhoshinskiy. The ceremony took place at the National Centre RUSSIA during the International Forum of Civil Participation #WEARETOGETHER-2025.

"As part of the anniversary season of the #WEARETOGETHER Prize, the Movement of the First, with the support of the Dobro.rf Association, introduced a separate category — ‘Generation of Kindness’ — for teenagers aged 14 to 17. We received more than 3,000 applications and reviewed 681 projects at the regional stage. In the final, the participants presented initiatives aimed at supporting those involved in the special military operation, preserving the cultural and historical legacy of the regions, promoting patriotic education for children and young people, and protecting Internet users. We have an incredibly responsive younger generation — truly proactive young people who are always ready to help those in need. While Russia has such a youth, we are unbeatable," said the Chairman of the Movement of the First, Hero of the Russian Federation Artur Orlov.

Since its launch, the project "I Will Help, and You Will Succeed!" has brought together more than 330 participants. Thanks to the support of school volunteers — the youngest of whom is only seven years old — around 130 children with developmental features have received support and learnt to take care of themselves. As part of the project, volunteer mentors held 126 classes, seven workshops, three cooking marathons and organised the "Discovery Week" camp, helping children master 35 essential everyday skills — from cooking and cleaning to navigating the city safely.

"I want to thank my fellow volunteers who help bring all these initiatives to life. I want to thank my mum, who is my mentor — without her, these projects would not exist; she introduced me to volunteering. I also want to thank the parents of children with special needs, who trust us with their kids. I believe that if we help children with special needs today, tomorrow they will be able to achieve anything," said the winner of the category, Semyon Bordenyuk.

The "Generation of Kindness" category includes social projects implemented by young people aged 14 to 17. The category also offers the younger generation an inspiring example of their peers, showing that their civic engagement is a real force capable of making the world a better place. This year, the category received more than 3,000 applications.

"It is a great honour for us to present the award in the ‘Generation of Kindness’ category. We are recognising not just projects — we are recognising your choice. The choice to be compassionate, proactive, professional; the choice to be people whose hearts truly burn with commitment. I believe this is exactly what our future generation should be — a generation of kindness. The future of our country is in your hands," said Alfa-Bank’s Chief Executive Officer, Vladimir Verkhoshinskiy.

The second-degree laureate in the category was Alexander Kravchenko from the Moscow region, who created the educational project "White Hacker". Through a bright and modern blog presented in an accessible, game-like format, he explains how fraud schemes work and teaches how to protect oneself from them. Over the past year, the project has gained more than 2,000 subscribers, 1.8 million video views and 1 million community visitors — and received recognition at the All-Russian contest "TopBLOG".

The third-degree laureate was Yelizaveta Zhukova from the Belgorod region. Her project "Marks#Belgorod" uses augmented reality technology to preserve the memory of the 20-month occupation of the city. Using a smartphone, users can view archival photographs from the wartime period, hear eyewitness accounts and explore documents about the genocide of civilians at key locations around the city. Based on materials from state archives, the project transforms historical facts into an emotional and immersive experience.

The International Prize #WEARETOGETHER is established by Rosmolodezh. The organiser is Dobro.rf. The general partner of the Prize is Alfa-Bank, and the strategic partner is Rosatom State Corporation.