FINA 2015 World Championships presented at Forum Mashuk 2014. Part 2

Young people of the North Caucasus Federal District found out about volunteering opportunities created for them to get involved in the excitement of the 16th FINA World Championships in Kazan. The experience that the capital of Tatarstan has accumulated in the field of sports volunteering and is currently putting to good use was presented at the Mashuk 2014 North Caucasus Youth Forum, which will run from August 4-17.

One of the experts who was invited to speak at the workshop session, titled ‘Russia Volunteer House’, was Lead Manager of the Volunteer Department at the Executive Directorate for Sports Projects, Yulia Sinizyna. The main purpose of the workshop session is to raise young people’s awareness of volunteer projects being implemented today in our country, ideas for promoting and developing these projects, methods and tools that are used in volunteer management, as well as to ensure a successful experience exchange between various agencies and organisations operating in the field of youth policy and volunteering.

At present Kazan is often justly called the ‘Sports Capital of Russia’ and Tatarstan is one of Russia’s leading regions in terms of sports volunteering development. That’s why it’s hardly surprising that the main topic of the Kazan 2015 OC’s presentation at the Russia Volunteer House workshop session was dedicated to the preparations for the 16th FINA World Championships, as well as Kazan’s experience of hosting the 27th Summer Universiade 2013.

The topics that were most popular among the audience concerned the volunteer programme of the upcoming FINA World Championships and services for volunteers who help stage various sporting events. In addition, the forum participants were shown a film about the Kazan 2013 volunteer programme: after watching it the audience opened a discussion where a list of basic steps towards a successful implementation of the volunteer programme for an event of any nature and scope was worked out. Yulia Sinizyna briefed on the key aspects that the organisers and volunteer managers should keep in mind when planning volunteer-supported programmes and projects and implementing them at all times - from calculating the anticipated number of volunteers and defining the area of responsibility for each volunteer position to supervising their activity during the event.