More than 500 participants of the volunteer forum, dedicated to the International Volunteer Day, which is celebrated annually on December 5, gathered at the site of the S. Sapiev Boxing Center in Karaganda. It was organized by the Youth Resource Center of the region.
The winners of the grant competition were awarded at the forum, there were speeches by speakers and live communication of participants.
– The purpose of our event is to unite volunteers, discuss the tasks that we face, and emphasize the importance of working together. We noted the value and influence of volunteers, especially in the Karaganda region, and organized a small celebration for them to express recognition for their contribution to the common cause," says Akizhan Kutvarov, Deputy Director of the Youth Resource Center of the Karaganda region.
This year, 29 applications were submitted for the competition in six areas: social sphere, zoo and ethnic volunteering, ecology, culture and intelligence. A special commission approved 10 mini-grants of 500 thousand tenge each. The certificates were presented to the winners by Deputy akim of Karaganda region Alibek Aldeney. He congratulated the volunteers on the holiday and thanked them for their invaluable contribution to the development of the region.
One of the grant holders was Elena Velichko with the project "Teen Club for creating tabletop role-playing games". She aims to help teenagers put aside gadgets and spend time in live communication.
– This project is already two years old. It exists with the support of the M. Auezov Library. Since the end of 2023, the members of the club began to create plots for games themselves. We are currently working on two new games – "Independent Kazakhstan" and "Mystical Karaganda". Thanks to the grant I received, I will be able to purchase printers – color and 3D – to create game materials, miniatures and figures of characters. This will help make my project even more lively and exciting," says Elena Velichko.
Active volunteers were also noted at the forum, presenting them with letters of thanks from the regional akimat.
Ardana Myrzanova, head of the front office of volunteers of the Karaganda region, told about the work done and plans for 2025. Next year, they will expand projects in remote areas of the region, strengthen cooperation with educational institutions and create an information platform for coordinating volunteer organizations. It is also planned to hold a series of educational events for young people about volunteering.
The forum participants were introduced to successful volunteer projects. Experienced speakers performed in the TEDx format.
They touched upon the topics of volunteerism as a tool for social change, its contribution to medicine and the health of the nation, as well as its impact on career and personal development.
The headliner of the forum was the famous Kazakhstani performer Aydin Zhumakhan.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/karaganda/press/news/details/896846