READINESS FOR VOLUNTEERING IN STUDENT YOUTH DISCOURSE IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Introduction. This article is devoted to the analysis of the discourse of student youth in order to identify assessments and judgments on the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteering and willingness to participate in volunteering in a pandemic situation. This analysis allows us to identify the degree of awareness of students in relation to these phenomena, which, in turn, shows the need to intensify pedagogical activity, in particular, educational work with students in order to increase the level of social activity of students in universities. Methodology. From August to September 2020, a survey was conducted among student youth. 250 male (69 percent) and female (31 percent) respondents attended the survey from 19 to 22 years old of higher educational institutions of Kemerovo, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Barnaul, Moscow. The next stage of the research is a discourse analysis of detailed answers to open-ended questions of student questionnaires. The central concept is discourse, which is understood as an orderly and systematic use of socially and ideologically determined language. Results. An analysis of the discourse of student youth showed the presence of radically different judgments, opinions and assessments regarding COVID-19 and volunteering in a pandemic situation. The main reason for the lack of potential and real volunteer activity (among 49 percent of the respondents) is seen in the lack of awareness of volunteer activity and its types on the ground among university students. Conclusion. To increase the activity and involve students in volunteer activities, it is necessary to activate information centers in the university environment, the presence of a systematic approach to providing assistance to those in need from the side of students, the development of student associations that break down and implement the format of assistance needed for specific groups of the population in a particular region. Taking into account the important social function of volunteer activity for modern society, it seems necessary to develop a university course devoted to this issue, and to include it in the curriculum of different majors.