CURRENT CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF VOLUNTEER WORK WITH CHILDREN OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED FAMILIES IN WARTIME

Abstract

The article deals with the peculiarities of organizing volunteer work of student youth in wartime, in particular, the essence of the activity of a structural unit of a higher education institution as a public association – the Center for Social Initiatives and Volunteering of Oles Honchar DniproNational University.The purpose of the article is to provide theoretical and practical coverage of current challenges and opportunities for the development of volunteer work with children of internally displaced persons under martial law. The issue of providing assistance to persons affected by Russian aggression is currently relevant.The scientific novelty is a detailed study of the concept of the essence of volunteer work under martial law, an analysis of the challenges and opportunities for the development of volunteering in a higher education institution, and tools that can contribute to the development of volunteering now and in the future. Research findings. In the context of the war launched by the Russian Federation against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the importance of volunteering as a socially useful phenomenon has increased significantly: the number of Ukrainian citizens involved in charitable and volunteer activities has increased significantly and continues to grow. The article analyzes the phenomenon of volunteering in Ukraine, which is related to the outbreak of hostilities and the intolerance of citizens to other people's grief and the cynicism of the authorities of the aggressor country that unleashed the brutal war. The forms and methods of volunteers' activities with children of internally displaced persons in the social and psychological center (Rehab-Center) established in Dnipro are considered, charitable events and charitable deeds of student volunteers are highlighted. The article considersthe possibilities of involving higher education students with special educational needs in volunteer activities with IDP children, using the capabilities of the laboratory of inclusive education ofthe Faculty of Psychology and Special Education, ensuring barrier-free, tolerant and full-fledged higher education for participants in the process.