The Youth Council of the Seafarers' Union of Russia held its meeting via video conferencing

The Youth Council of the Seafarers' Union of Russia held an online meeting. The SUR representatives from the regions discussed current organizational issues, summarized work undertaken and approved a future plan.

One of the main themes of the meeting was the discussion of the outcomes of the sociological survey on the demand for social networks among young people. 

Let us recall that in November, the SUR Youth Council conducted a survey aiming to find ways to establish closer communication with cadets (students) of maritime educational institutions and seafarers aged up to and including 35 years. 214 people took part in the survey. 

The main focus was on identifying the social networks young people prefer and the news sources they follow. The results reveal that the vast majority of respondents (71.5%) spend time on Telegram, which is where they most often read the news. 

More than half of the respondents, namely 113 individuals (52.8%), indicated that in addition to the popular social network, they regularly monitor the news on the official website of the Seafarers' Union of Russia. This underscores the significance of informing young individuals about the SUR activities and other relevant information. 

Many respondents wished to be aware of the situation in the shipping industry in general (80.8%), of SUR activities (44.4%) and of maritime educational institutions (36.4%) in particular. Besides, they would like to have the opportunity to promptly find out about legislative changes (39.3%). 

As for the other expectations, young people are interested in reading about the outcome of labor disputes between employees and shipowners, as well as getting information about current maritime vacancies. 

When asked about the format of events that would be useful for cadets and young sailors, 77.1% of respondents considered meetings with experienced maritime workers and experts as very valuable. Round tables, seminars and online events are also in the interests of young people - they were voted for almost equally: 27.6%, 32.2% and 33.6% respectively. 

Finally, discussing the issue of membership in the trade union, some participants expressed their intention to join the SUR. One of the planned events the SUR Youth Council is going to arrange is a literary competition "From the shore to the horizon". 

Also, the SUR Youth Council is set to finalize the draft Regulation on SUR scholarships for cadets of higher and secondary professional education for the scholarship program of specialized educational institutions with established trade union shop organizations.