Volunteers of the Clean Arctic public project at the Murmansk Arctic Emergency and Rescue Center of the Russian Emergencies Ministry

Volunteers of the Clean Arctic public project visited the Murmansk Arctic Emergency and Rescue Center of the Russian Emergencies Ministry to learn about the basic skills required for rescuing people in different emergencies. Two hundred volunteers toured eight training stations and participated in rock climbing masterclasses, workshops on first aid in road accidents and on open water, scuba diving and survival in the wild.

“Trainees from all Russian regions, including the new constituent entities, came to the Arctic capital for a four-day course. They were selected through a very competitive process. For some of them, it is their second year with us,” said Ruslan Gubaidullin, board chairman of the autonomous non-profit organization Clean Arctic.

He added that it is important for volunteers to have first aid skills for any extreme situation.

“Our mission is to educate an eco sapiens. Each of these young people is a public opinion leader in their respective region. They will return to their cities with knowledge about the environment. I am confident that a person who has participated in a voluntary cleanup day or collected any sort of garbage in public places has a different attitude to nature conservation,” Gubaidullin added.

Volunteers and Emergencies Ministry workers met at the second national volunteer festival and forum The Arctic: The Ice Has Broken, held as part of Russia’s Arctic Council chairmanship in 2021–2023. The events on the chairmanship program are operated by the Roscongress Foundation.