The President of Ukraine signed Law No. 11159, which officially recognizes volunteering as part of the education system. This decision is intended to support the participation of young people in socially important initiatives and to enshrine the importance of volunteering in the educational process at the legislative level. This was reported by the Ukrainian Red Cross, which joined the development of the law together with the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science and Innovation, the Ukrainian Volunteer Service, the Solomiansky Kotyky initiative and other organizations.
The law provides for official recognition of volunteering in general secondary, vocational and higher education institutions. Now, volunteer experience can be taken into account when applying to higher education institutions, in particular, as part of a motivation letter. If a student is engaged in volunteering in their field of study, it can be counted as an internship.
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Each volunteer will also receive an official confirmation of their participation in the initiatives – a special document. In addition, educational institutions are obliged to create conditions to support and develop volunteer programs among students and pupils.
Maksym Dotsenko, Director General of the Ukrainian Red Cross, emphasized that this decision recognizes voluntary assistance as an important choice that is valuable not only for society but also for the state. “Now young people will know that their contribution is officially recognized. This is an important step towards making the culture of volunteering the norm from an early age,” he emphasized.
In the context of the full-scale war waged by Ukraine, the issue of developing a volunteer culture is of particular importance. Young people are increasingly involved in helping the army, communities and victims. Legislative recognition of this contribution is another step towards creating a strong, responsible and united state.
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