OREANDA-NEWS. October 27, 2010. This is the fourth time the program to involve students in non-profit organizations (NGOs) has been run. Its goal is to support NGOs by actively involving students in their activities. Students receive special training and work on distance learning courses before going on to work in NGOs and developing social projects. The best projects are then chosen to receive financial support and the most promising students are given awards, reported the press-centre of Citibank.  

The program has been run previously in Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod and St. Petersburg, where it has had a positive influence on over 50 local NGOs. The organizations had the chance to involve young leaders in their activities, drawing on their talent and creativity. Over three years more than 300 students have received training, while 64 projects have been developed, 30 of which were selected for financing.

"Citi is now supporting this initiative to get students involved in the work of NGOs in Russia for the fourth time", noted Tatyana Avramenko, Corporate Responsibility Manager at Citi Russia. “We see this project as solving a number of important issues in Russian society; not only does it allow young people to actively demonstrate their social responsibility but it also gives them the opportunity to learn more about non-profit organizations through practical experience."

"We are very glad that our initiative to involve students in the non-commercial sector has again received support from Citi. We are sure that this project makes a significant contribution to the development of our society and inspires people to play an active role in both their local communities and the country as a whole," added Oksana Barkalova, Project Manager from the Focus-Media Foundation.