All-Russian Civil Society Development Forum "Dobrino" opens in Yugra

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The All-Russian Civil Society Development Forum "Dobrino" of the Rosmolodyozh.Forums platform is being held from 1 to 14 July at the National Centre RUSSIA in Khanty-Mansiysk. The forum is being held in Yugra for the third time. This year, it has brought together 500 participants from all Russian regions and nine foreign countries: authors of social projects, volunteer coordinators, representatives of non-profit organisations, federal movements, universities and government bodies. The event is being held as part of the national project "Youth and Children".

Interest in the forum has reached a record high this year: the organisers received more than 3,800 applications from 82 countries, including Russia. The leaders in terms of the number of selected participants were Yugra, Moscow, the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Sverdlovsk Region. Foreign guests include representatives of Abkhazia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and South Ossetia.

The participants received a greeting from First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of Russia Sergei Kiriyenko. In his address, he wished them fruitful work and emphasised: "You are always there where things are difficult: during the pandemic, in emergencies, during the special military operation. You work in hospitals, collect and deliver humanitarian aid, and support our servicemen, their families, residents of Donbass, Novorossiya and border regions. Your sincere conviction and willingness to help others are the best example for the younger generation. I thank you for your invaluable work, mercy and belief in kindness. I am confident that the proposals you develop will be in demand and will help strengthen the unity of our society."

This year’s forum theme is "Sustainable Development": from the development of one’s own project or organisation to the development of a region and local community. Participants will discuss current challenges facing the non-profit sector and volunteering and become co-authors of strategic initiatives that will help achieve the national goal of involving at least 45% of young people in volunteer and public activities by 2030. These include the project "Kindness Is a Way of Life", aimed at developing volunteering and civic engagement in municipalities, solutions for developing the federal programme "Learning Through Service" and other initiatives. The forum will also present the development concept for the #WEARETOGETHER Movement, which today brings together hundreds of thousands of people to support participants in the special military operation and their loved ones, as well as to provide assistance in emergencies.

"Our northern land is a land of pioneers, where the traditions of voluntary service and volunteering have a rich history. In 2024, the Dobrino Academy for Civil Society Development opened in Khanty-Mansiysk and became a point of attraction for representatives of the non-profit sector. Today, it confirms our commitment to developing civil society and supporting youth initiatives. This year, 500 participants from Russia and neighbouring countries will work on their social initiatives, exchange experience and receive specific tools for implementing projects that will make a qualitative difference to people’s lives in their regions. I am confident that your work at the forum venues will be in demand both in Yugra and across our vast country," said Pavel Tarakanov, First Deputy Governor of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area — Yugra.

He also emphasised that the forum is being held in a special year: the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia and the Year of the Young Family in Yugra. According to him, volunteers, as the most active part of civil society, will be able to propose projects that resonate with these themes and find interesting solutions.

The forum is being held to create a sustainable ecosystem for the development of civil society and volunteering in Russia. To this end, the organisers are placing a key emphasis on creating and introducing specific practical solutions, involving participants in the full cycle: from identifying problems and developing competencies to designing, testing and scaling socially significant initiatives. Special attention will be paid to forming sustainable communities and teams capable of ensuring a long-term effect and integrating the forum’s results in the territories.

"The main thing we are building into this year’s programme is practical benefit. Participants come to exchange experience, receive tools that can be introduced, and work together on initiatives that will have a qualitative impact on people’s lives and the development of territories. We talk about sustainable development as everyday work: how to strengthen your organisation, how to influence a region, how to create a community that will work effectively. The result will be concrete steps that will help involve more young people in volunteering across the country," said Alexander Medkov, Director General of the autonomous non-profit organisation Dobrino Academy for Civil Society Development.

For the first time in its history, the forum will be held in the format of three consecutive thematic sessions, each devoted to a corresponding level of sustainable development.

The first session, "Young Non-Profit Organisations and Project Coordinators", will take place from 1 to 5 July and bring together 150 emerging and active leaders of the non-profit sector. These are coordinators of volunteer initiatives, representatives of youth associations and resource centres. Participants will work on the sustainability of their organisations, refine non-profit products and develop a training standard for newcomers.

The second session, "Dobro.Conference", from 6 to 10 July, will be the largest: 250 heads of resource centres, Dobro.Centres, #WEARETOGETHER headquarters and regional authorities will gather to exchange experience and replicate best volunteering practices. The main task is to introduce the strategic initiative "Kindness Is a Way of Life" in the regions.

The third session, "Guides of Meaning", is scheduled for 11–14 July and will bring together 100 opinion leaders, bloggers and activists from federal movements — those who shape the civil society agenda. Here, participants will develop public influence competencies and create a community of guides of meaning for the Dobrino Academy.

"Civil society is what makes it possible to quickly find solutions to every challenge, test them, introduce them and pass them on to the state. It is like the country’s immune system. And we are building it now. We ourselves are this immune system. And that is what makes it possible to ensure the sustainable sovereign development of the entire country," emphasised Vladimir Vayner, Deputy Chair of the Council of the Dobro.rf Association and Master of the first and third sessions of the Dobrino forum.

The forum programme is structured as a full-fledged laboratory for the development of civil society. Participants will attend lectures, workshops, discussions and meetings with experts, and will have the opportunity to discuss their projects. Many of the initiatives they bring to Yugra have grown out of personal experience and a desire to help others.

For Vladimir Ptashko, a participant from Moscow, blood donation became that area: "I came to volunteering through donation. It was influenced by a personal story: my grandmother died of leukaemia, and after the tragedy at Crocus I finally realised that I wanted to become a donor. Later, I became an honorary donor of Moscow, learned about Dobro.rf and began bringing people together for donor campaigns. This is my first time at Dobrino, but the incredible atmosphere could already be felt on the first day. I came to develop the project 'Blood Is Boiling', a non-profit initiative that helps involve young people in donation through language they understand, bloggers and a living community."

The Rosmolodyozh.Grants contest will be held as part of the forum, with winners receiving up to 1.5 million roubles to launch and scale their initiatives. An agreement will also be signed on opening a Dobro.Centre in Baikonur, and the results of a study on the role of civil society in raising children and young people will be presented at the venue. Events dedicated to the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia will have a special place in the programme, including themed lectures and film screenings followed by discussions.

The "Basket of Kindness" campaign will run at the forum every day, collecting humanitarian aid for fighters taking part in the special military operation. A photo exposition of heroes of the special military operation will also be organised, and anyone who wishes will be able to write a letter with good wishes for servicemen. As part of the business programme, the workshop "How to Make the Right Decisions in Extreme Situations" will be held by Ivan Bondyukov, a veteran of the special military operation, participant in the Time of Heroes programme and Director of the Vershina Centre for Military and Patriotic Education.

The forum is being held as part of the national project "Youth and Children". It is organised by the Government of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area — Yugra, the autonomous non-profit organisation Dobrino Academy for Civil Society Development, the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, Rosmolodyozh, the Dobro.rf Association and the autonomous non-profit organisation Youth Centre of Yugra.

Read news about the National Centre RUSSIA in Yugra on its official accounts on VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, MAX and Telegram.