Youth policy (hereinafter – YP) of university is focused on creating conditions for successful socialization and effective professional self-realization of young people from school to career start in order to maximize their involvement in solving strategic problems of innovative development of the region and country. The most important challenges and risks for the regional YP are the lack of identification by young people of their personal goals and needs with the interests of society and the state, skeptical attitude in assessing the reality of achieving national development goals of the country, the outflow of talented young people to more developed regions. YP priority tasks at the university: the formation of a holistic worldview based on the values of patriotism, family, morality, legal consciousness, healthy lifestyle and the development of in-demand supraprofessional competencies[1].
The university created a multilevel organizational and material-technical base for full coverage of the target groups of the program[2]. A pool of key partners of ASU[3] has been formed, with the participation of which at least 1,500 extracurricular events are held annually (coverage of more than 80% of students). There are 20 student clubs in various areas[4], a unique project “Socialization of students”[5] is being implemented (twice a year). ASU annually becomes the winner of the All-Russian competition of youth projects through Rosmolodezh. The Boiling Point[6] is operating at the university, the supervision of study groups and mentoring of foreign students have been introduced, a student volunteer corps is operating, projects of the “third mission”[7] are being implemented, faculty schools for young researchers are functioning, a youth employment system has been created (including an electronic labor exchange), the ASU Alumni Club is functioning.
Priority 1: My University, my Сity, my Сountry – Goals and objectives: to become a center for identifying, attracting and supporting talented youth of the region, countries of the near (including the Caspian region) and far abroad, who are motivated to research, entrepreneurial, creative, volunteer and other activities. The priority will be implemented through: strengthening the production and technological infrastructure, searching for new financial instruments to support innovative projects, developing expert consulting and information infrastructure[8], developing communities of proactive young people, creating an interuniversity student center of Friendship of the peoples of the Caspian countries, developing a digital product “Navigator for foreign student ”, the creation of an interuniversity center for creative creativity of youth to scale the project“ Socialization of students ”.
Priority 2. My Achievement Profile – Goals and objectives: building an IET for schoolchildren, students and young university staff, aimed at developing soft-, self-, hard-skills necessary for shaping the personality of a young leader, creating individual digital profiles. Activities: opening of a Competence Center (together with ANO “RСO”) for conducting specialized research, making recommendations for personal and professional development, implementing additional vocational education programs (SkillsLAB Laboratory project), creating digital competency profiles in the student’s personal account, creating an IFC for students “Unified dean’s office”, the introduction of a flexible change of work trajectories (reducing the load and taking into account incentive payments for participation in design and innovation activities), creating new jobs at the university for graduates, opening a unified youth recruiting center, improving the system of student teams.
Priority 3. My Focus and Support – Goals and objectives: involvement of young people in the practice of a healthy lifestyle, the introduction of methods of civic education and patriotic education, the development of a mentoring system. Activities: creation of a digital platform for supporting youth science and a system of student scientific recruiting, an exchange of innovative youth projects, a program of financial support for youth scientific projects, expanding the practice of mentoring, developing search teams, archaeological and military-historical clubs, associations of Cossack youth, expanding the activities of student associations, development of volunteering and popularization of volunteering, regional volunteer Internet space, a comprehensive program for the environmentally friendly entry of Astrakhan State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering students into the ASU ecosystem, implementation of intensive courses “Technologies and practices of family education of youth”, creation of an inclusive education service, expanding the trajectory of projects on social inclusion of deprived groups of the population of the region , training courses on health preservation and psychological overcoming of life difficulties, development of cooperation with international regional organizations in the field of work with the youth.
Planned Outcomes: 80% is the share of students involved in the activities of student associations, student teams, discussion platforms, forums to develop the intellectual, scientific, methodological, creative potential of students , 70% is the share of students involved in volunteer activities, creating a competency profile of a graduate as a separate annex to the diploma, increasing the number of students being defended in “Startup as Diploma” format to 50%, launching the “professional elevator: rotation map”, increasing the number of teachers – to 50%. The creation of a real mechanism of “social elevator” for young people and coordination of all stakeholders in the field of YP will maximize the potential of the university, the business community and civil society organizations.
[1] innovativeness, creativity, entrepreneurship, communication, solidarity, efficiency
[2] schoolchildren – 4000 people, students – 10868 people. (including foreign-2000 people), graduate students and scientists under the age of 35 -200 people, student activists (including volunteers-3500 people.
[3] Rosmolodezh, ANO “Russia – a country of opportunities” (ANO “RSV”), Agency for Strategic Initiatives, University 20.35, NTI Platform, Russian Youth Union, National League of Student Clubs
[4] the student club “Victory Volunteers of ASU” became a member of the All-Russian Association of student patriotic clubs “I am proud” in 2021.
[5] Aimed at the development of social-role mobility and creative thinking of students. According to the results of 18 seasons of the project, the coverage is more than 14,000 students and 40,000 spectators.
[6] in 2020, 240 events were held, involving more than 15,000 participants, together with ANO RSV, a study was conducted to assess the competencies of 600 students, the Academy of Mentors, together with the Skolkovo Foundation, trained 50 mentors, a pilot project “Startup as a Diploma” is being implemented (coverage of 31 people).
[7] Including a large project on post-boarding support for orphans in cooperation with the community of graduates of orphanages “Children of the whole country”.
[8] solving problems of intellectual property, for example, the project “My patent”, certification, entering international markets, etc.