More than 500 participants come together for the Dobrino Forum at the National Centre RUSSIA in Yugra

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The All-Russian Civil Society Development Forum "Dobrino" has concluded at the National Centre RUSSIA in Yugra. It was held from 1 to 14 July as part of the Rosmolodezh.Forums platform. The National Centre hosted three educational sessions dedicated to volunteering, social projects and civic initiatives. The forum brought together more than 500 participants, volunteers, moderators and experts from 72 regions of Russia and six countries — Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Abkhazia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. In total, more than 3,800 applications were submitted from 82 countries worldwide.

"At Dobrino, we brought together people who are already passionate about making a difference and ready to take action. Over the course of two weeks, we saw individual ideas grow into sustainable projects, while regional teams learned from one another and developed systemic solutions. It is important to us that the forum is not an end point but a beginning. These 500 participants are returning home with new tools, methodologies and, most importantly, a clear understanding that volunteering is a profession, a way of life and a powerful resource for the development of society," said Alexander Medkov, Director General of the Academy for Civil Society Development "Dobrino" and Director of the forum.

During the event, participants presented social projects, developed 35 regional roadmaps for the development of volunteering through to 2030, prepared proposals for advancing the #WEARETOGETHER movement, and designed models for cooperation between community leaders, the Dobrino Academy and public authorities.

Yugra was also selected as one of nine pilot regions where the updated model for the #WEARETOGETHER movement will be tested. Participants in the strategic session proposed initiatives to strengthen cooperation between volunteer communities, non-profit organisations, public authorities and businesses, expand targeted assistance for residents, and provide training for volunteer team leaders. The region has also been invited to contribute to the development of methodological guidance that will help spread successful practices across the country.

"Yugra is a region where social innovation is born and flourishes. We have seen forum participants transform their ideas into real projects, find like-minded partners and receive support at the federal level. I am confident that the solutions developed here will form the basis of a long-term strategy for the development of the non-profit sector and volunteering across the country," said Yakov Samokhvalov, Director of the Department of Youth Policy, Civic Initiatives and External Relations of Yugra.

Each of the forum's three sessions focused on a different area of activity. The first brought together young leaders of non-profit organisations and coordinators of volunteer projects; the second was dedicated to representatives of regional Dobro.rf teams; and the third created a community of public opinion leaders who will promote the culture of volunteering in their home regions.

The forum also announced the winners of the Rosmolodezh.Grants competition, launched the nationwide "Dobro.rf Pride: Employee and Team of the Year" competition, and presented new tools for the non-profit sector, including an AI-powered service for evaluating social projects and digital solutions for automating the work of non-profit organisations.

A separate strand of the programme was "Doing Good in the CIS: An Internship for Leaders of the Non-profit Sector and Social Projects", organised with the support of the Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation of the CIS Member States. The programme brought together 29 young professionals from six

The forum also presented the findings of two major studies. According to the Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM), 37% of Russians aged 14 and over already participate in volunteering, while a further 32% would like to become involved. Research conducted by the Dobrino Academy and the Dobro.rf Association found that 84% of non-profit organisation leaders regard their projects as an important educational tool, while volunteering helps young people develop responsibility, initiative and teamwork skills.

The forum was held as part of the national project "Youth and Children". It was organised by the Government of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area – Yugra, the Academy for Civil Society Development "Dobrino", the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh), the Dobro.rf Association and the Yugra Youth Centre.

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