On December 5, international volunteer day, the #GivingTuesday initiative reached another venue: the Russian International Olympic University in Sochi. The Vladimir Potanin Foundation fellows, studying under the Master of Sports Administration (МSА), delivered a master class on the basics of body mechanics. Schoolchildren from Sochi, trainees of the City Center for Children’s and Youth Tourism, elderly volunteers from the Sochi Center for Volunteer Movement Development and staff of local companies participated in a practice-oriented workshop hosted by the University. They learned about basics of muscles biomechanics, body stabilizing system, correct posture while working at the computer, techniques of the body burden optimization in the process of weight-lifting and other ways for health protection.

The master class was designed and presented to the Sochi audience by an international team of students, prospective sports managers from 16 countries, including Russia.

– RIOU staff members, local hotels representatives, local schoolchildren and elderly people attended our master-class. There was a great contribution from the audience. It was exciting and memorable. The RIOU visiting professor Tracy Taylor, who was present at the meeting, sent me email to congratulate me. People are now conscious of their sleeping posture, sitting posture and lifting methods, – said Frank Appiah Kusi, Member of the Department Health Committee, Republic of Ghana, now student of the RIOU MSA program.

– For us students it was a brilliant opportunity to give back to the community and share our knowledge. It was great to see that the participants found the presentation useful and participated in our showcases. The atmosphere was relaxed and liberated which made the event more casual and not strict. At the same time when we were giving back we were also gaining important experience in performing and interacting with locals, - said Ignacio Jose Sabate Lobo, National team racquetball player, Spain, and the current student of the MSA program at the RIOU.

Students of the Master of Sports Administration program receive the Vladimir Potanin Foundation scholarships to study for one year at the MSA Program of the Russian International Olympic University. For the second year the Vladimir Potanin Foundation partners and supports promotion and development of #GivingTuesday Initiative in Russia.

– We tell students, professors and staff of the University about this global initiative and invite them to join it with their ideas, thus contributing to the development of charity giving in Russia, – says Yulia Sukhenko, project manager of the Vladimir Potanin Foundation. – Charity provides opportunities for creativity, everyone may do something good for the others. Many students have volunteer experience at the Olympics and Paralympics games and took part in charity initiatives in their home countries, but most of them had never heard about the #GivingTuesday initiative. This year students were eager to join it. Similar reaction was last year, when within the framework of the #GivingTuesday at the Sochi Ice Cube Arena a curling game was conducted by the students to raise funds for an artificial limb for a little girl. This year the students suggested a few ideas and finally chose an open master class on healthy lifestyle.

The event at the Russian International Olympic University enabled students and guests to join a charity marathon, to meet like-minded people, finding the ways of making the world a better and kinder place.