RUSSIAN AND BELARUSIAN STUDENT INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION: STATE SUPPORT AND DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

Introduction. Taking into account the evolving global landscape and the strategic imperative of advancing integration processes within the framework of the Union State, youth interaction emerges as a crucial resource for strengthening cooperation between Russia and Belarus. The study aims at unlocking the potential for international collaboration among Russian and Belarusian students by examining the relevant regulatory framework, the institutional context governing its implementation, and the developmental prospects as perceived by the student youth of the Union State.

Materials and methods. The article is based on a comparative analysis of legal documents regulating international youth cooperation in Russia and Belarus. The research is supplemented by the data of the survey of third-year students bachelors in the Sverdlovsk region (Russia) and Grodno Oblast (Belarus). The sample is based on quotas by gender, training profile and universities (n=3000, valid interval 0.95 sampling error < 3%).

Results and conclusions. The assessment of legal regulation and the institutional structure of Russian-Belarusian youth co-operation revealed the declarative and framework conditions of international co-operation in the absence of a unified approach to the definition of this concept in relation to youth policy. The official documents of Russia and Belarus do not specify the ways and instruments for implementing such partnership, nor do they take into account the subjectivity of young people themselves. The essence of the practices of interaction between Russian and Belarus youth is reduced to joint leisure activities on the basis of public associations and educational institutions.

The emphasis on formality in international higher education inhibits the cultivation of personal connections between Russian and Belarusian students, thus curtailing the scope of their potential collaborative endeavors. Students’ current experiences in international collaboration are predominantly linked to participation in academic and educational activities involving youth from other nations. There is a high level of interest among students in the Grodno and Sverdlovsk regions in international youth cooperation, with the most attractive options from the perspective of third-year students being joint work in the socio-cultural sphere and youth interaction on environmental issues.

Discussion. The research identified a certain gap in the development of mechanisms of state and international support of student youth projects, and key areas where youth initiatives can be developed under the conditions created for this purpose. Researchers from various countries have documented the emergence of socio-cultural and environmental issues in youth activities. Prospects for further scientific study of the topic outlined in the article are related to the search for opportunities to integrate the tasks of higher education and the implementation of the third mission of universities within the Union State with the support and stimulation of youth initiatives at all levels of public administration.