Chairman of the Social Fund of Russia Sergey Chirkov, and Head of Rosmolodezh Grigory Gurov sign a cooperation agreement. The document aims to increase the financial and social literacy of young Russians, combine efforts in the fight against fraud, and make public service more attractive for young professionals.
The parties agreed to hold joint awareness campaigns and share experience in key areas of their operations. Plans include launching a series of educational and creative projects dedicated to pensions, welfare payments and basic financial literacy at the venues owned by both organizations.
"By developing young people's awareness of social issues, we are turning this area into a space of opportunities: from informed career choices to anti-scam measures. Today, government-owned organizations are increasingly becoming a vigorous environment for growth where every young professional can fulfill their potential. The agreement we signed with Rosmolodezh is an important step in strengthening our partnership," said Sergey Chirkov.
Head of the Social Fund also emphasized that joining forces will truly enhance the awareness efforts: "Young people should not only be aware of their social rights, but also understand how the system for their implementation is structured. Together, using modern formats, forums and educational programs, we will be able to make this information accessible, interesting and useful for every young person."
Head of Rosmolodezh, Grigory Gurov, pointed out the importance of interagency cooperation and long-term partnership, "You cannot implement youth policy on your own. We are strengthening interagency interaction with other government bodies, within and beyond the Youth and Children national project launched by the President of Russia, so that young people can learn about the opportunities they now have thanks to the decisions made by the head of state. As part of our partnership with the Social Fund of Russia, we expect to involve young professionals in educational projects, programs and Rosmolodezh forums, as well as engage youth NGOs and share the capacities of our regional youth policy infrastructure."
The new agreement will jumpstart the development of joint initiatives by young people themselves.
A new Sotsprosvet project, supported by Rosmolodezh, for instance, provides that the Fund's ambassadors are going to not only speak at regional forums but more actively engage young people in the information exchange pertaining to social welfare and the services offered by the Social Fund.
The Work Pretty project will be shaping an informed approach to choosing legal employment; there are also plans to set up joint career paths and internships for students to introduce them to real work in public service and the benefits of legal employment.
The Protected Area education project is going to be a point of special focus. The agreement will make it possible to set up and host educational events across the country, for young employees of the Social Fund and activists from various public associations to tell their peers and the elderly generation about scam methods and ways to protect themselves against them.
Cross-point awareness work at the venues of the Social Fund's Communication Centers for Seniors and youth centers will also become a promising cooperation area. Activists will help the Fund explain complex issues regarding the assignment of pensions and welfare payments. That is the way for young people to convey this knowledge to people of various ages and expand their own understanding of the welfare industry to actively apply it in real life.
The agreement between the Social Fund and Rosmolodezh lays the foundation for a systemic partnership: all the initiatives it covers will get additional resources and be scaled up using the infrastructure and expertise of both organizations.
It is worth noting that youth work is also underway within the Social Fund itself. The Social Fund Youth Council brings together more than 2,500 activists who have already hosted over 14,000 events involving more than 2 million participants in total. The Council implements education projects, improves pension and welfare literacy, does charity drives and supports special military operation servicemen. They collected and sent more than 165 tons of humanitarian aid, including 64 tons of clothing and medicines.