SCALING UP SOCIAL INITIATIVES OF YOUTH AS A PROMISING DIRECTION OF DEVELOPMENT OF INTERACTIVE TRAINING OF THE SPECIALITY IN THE VOLUNTEERING CENTER OF THE INSTITUTE OF DENTISTRY OF THE USMU

The article is dedicated to the level of engagement and awareness of students in the Institute of Dentistry at the Ural State Medical University regarding volunteer activities. It presents the results of a study conducted through online surveys among students from all years of the institute. The findings reveal that the majority of students express interest in participating in in-person events, particularly in the format of seminars on oral disease prevention for both children and adults. Students explain their choice by stating that involvement in volunteer activities allows them to develop communication skills with future patients and feel more confident in their presence. Furthermore, volunteer work contributes to enhancing the professional portfolios of students, which can have a positive impact on their future employment opportunities. Objectives. To determine the level of students' involvement in volunteer activities and their awareness of it, and to determine their preferences in doing the work. Methodology. An online questionnaire about volunteering on the Google Forms platform was conducted. The answers of students of 1-5 courses of the Faculty of Dentistry were analysed. The total number of those participating in the questionnaire was 267 people. Results. There are 68.9% of students who are aware of volunteering at the Faculty of Dentistry. More than half of the students receive information from their fellow students. 73% of the respondents do not attend due to lack of information. 87.6% of the students participating in the faculty’s volunteer events have up to 50 volunteer hours. In demand volunteer activities according to 51.7% of students are preventive health lessons in general education institutions. Interaction with schoolchildren and preschoolers is considered the most interesting (68.2%). Conclusion. The survey involved students of the Institute of Dentistry of the Ural State Medical University. According to the survey, good involvement of students in the speciality training area 31.05.03 Dentistry, specialist degree in volunteer activities of the volunteer center was revealed. By participating in volunteer activities, a student becomes an active participant in various professional projects and events, which contributes to the development of trans-professional competencies and improvement of students’ communications skills.