VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY IN THE CONTEXT OF FORMATION OF SOCIAL INTELLECT OF FUTURE SPECIALISTS IN SOCIAL WORK

The article describes such concepts as ”social intellect” and ”volunteer activity”; presents approaches to the definition of the phenomenon of volunteering. The author proves the possibilities of volunteer activity in the context of formation of social intellect of future specialists in social work, reveals the features of organization of students’ practical volunteer activity to form their social intellect.


INTRODUCTION
The importance of socio-pedagogical education increases in contemporary socio-cultural situation.This is due to the fact that society feels the need for mobile professionals who are ready to provide professional assistance to various categories of citizens, including vulnerable groups.In this regard, the question of formation of social intellect of the future specialists in social work remains entirely relevant.

RESULTS
The specificity of future professional activity of students of this profile is the ability to provide professional socio-psychosocial and educational assistance to children from disadvantaged families, orphans, children with disabilities, young people with behavioural problems, the disabled, single elderly people; the ability to use an interdisciplinary approach in solving problems; the ability to take extraordinary decisions and take responsibility for their actions and deeds; the ability for social interaction, focused on humanistic values.Formation of the ability to understand human behaviour (their motives, goals) and effectively build interpersonal relationships with different groups of the population, manage it correctly (that is the basis of the concept of "social intellect") contributes to effective professional activity of future specialists of social work.
Modern scholars (M.V. Aminova, Y.N.Yemelyanova, V.N.Kunitsyna) emphasize the impact of formed social intellect on the success in professional work, because this phenomenon: -is directly involved in the regulation of social behaviour of future specialists in social work; -is a means of learning social reality; Volunteer Activity in the Context of Formation of Social Intellect … 59 -regulates cognitive processes associated with the reflection of social objects (the person as a communication partner, a group of people); -provides the interpretation of information, understanding people's behaviour and actions, involvement in social relationships; -shows how a person interacts with the outside world, solves and overcomes everyday problems, including those which arise when communicating with others.
Having developed social intellect allows future specialists in social work to extract maximum of information about people's behaviour in different situations; understand the language of non-verbal communication; successfully predict customers' reactions in the given circumstances, which helps to maintain optimal psychological climate during the implementation of professional tasks.The productivity of the future professional activity of future specialists in social work also depends on whether they are motivated to act for the benefit of others, on their interest in acquiring professional knowledge and skills, on the possibility of using the experience, obtained during the course of theoretical training.
In terms of lack of stated in educational standards training time for practice, the solution of educational task of the formation of social intellect of future specialists in social work, in our opinion, can be provided by involving students in volunteer activity aimed at solving socio-cultural, socioeducational and socio-psychological problems in society.At the same time, volunteer activity is a continuous process of students' practical training, a link between the theoretical training of future specialists in social work and their practical training.
The analysis of sociological, psychological, socio-pedagogical literature, government documents in the field of youth policy and education, scientific research results has shown the interest of modern scientists to organization of volunteer activity (M.N.Akhmetgaleev, E.V. Bogdanova, S.G.Ekimova, N.N.Ershova, R.V. Kornyushina, O.V. Mitrokhina, N.A. Potapova, N.Y.Slabzhanin).In the works of Belarusian and Russian scientists the possibilities of voluntary work, especially in the context of sociopedagogical and psychological activities, are examined.However, the essence of the concept of "volunteer activity" is interpreted ambiguously, studies on this issue are multidirectional.This gave us an opportunity to highlight and systematize existing approaches to understanding the phenomenon of volunteering: 1. Socially oriented approach, in which volunteer activity is seen as a means of solving social problems.Scientists (G.V. Olenina, L.P. Konvisareva, L.A. Kudrytskaya, N.Y.Slabzhanin) pay particular attention to the study of volunteer activity as a means of optimizing and intensification of social processes in society.
2. Philanthropic approach, in which volunteer activity is treated as a form of charitable grant aid to people.In psycho-pedagogical studies (I.N.Grigor'ev, N.N.Ershova, L.V. Bolotova, N.V. Makovei) volunteering is described primarily as a conscious voluntary activity for the benefit of others, grant assistance to any person, regardless of his position in society, cultural and ethnic origin, religion, age, gender; way of strengthening and preservation of such value orientations as kindness, compassion, empathy.
3. Professionally oriented approach, in which volunteer activity is a condition for professional and personal, spiritual and moral development of the individual.In the studies of volunteer activity a number of scientists (E.S. Azarova, I.P. Gavrilova, T.G.Emelyanova) focuses primarily on the fact that the phenomenon of volunteering has psychological and pedagogical potential for the formation and development of the processes of personal and professional self-determination of modern youth, which lifestyle involves great opportunities for socially important activities, providing development of future specialists' moral values and professionally significant personal qualities.
The relevance of pedagogical and psychological knowledge in solving social problems and the need for professionals in social work demand to prepare them for future careers in the process of volunteering, where the personal traits of future specialists, their aspirations, interests, aptitudes, values, motivation come out more brightly.Participation in volunteer movement provides the interiorization of youth spiritual and moral humanistic values, contributes to the development of social experience, forms the social intellect.
The development of the content that allows young people to acquire new personal experience in the implementation of volunteer programs is particularly important in the organization of practical activity of future specialists.This kind of activity helps students realize the importance of voluntary work and its value to society and their own professional development.For this purpose, we have organized continuous training volunteer practice for students, which helps them to accumulate a certain social professional experience of interaction with various categories of the population.The practice is organized in various social institutions of the city (hospitals, schools, local centres of social services, and others.),where students-volunteers study the organizations activities, the technologies of helping people, organize free time of target groups with the help of art technologies, light this activity in city mass media, according to the acquired specialty.In this case, the mention of the psychological theory of learning activity (J.Bruner, P.Y.Galperin, V.V. Davydov, L.V. Zankov, A.N. Leontiev, D.B. Elkonin, and others), based on the findings of L.S. Vygotsky about the areas of nearest and actual development, revealing the relationship between development and learning, is especially important is.According to this theory only students' active learning activities lead to their personal development, acquisition of knowledge; the experience can be gained only during work, and the awareness comes only when students are immersed in it.
For example, students-volunteers, receiving the specialty "Social work (socio-pedagogical activity)", are permanently incorporated into the activities of the Institute of the Third Age (the Institute), organized by the educational establishment "Brest State University named after A.S. Pushkin" and state institution "The Regional Centre of Social Services of Leninsky district of Brest".The Institute activity is aimed at optimizing the process of social adaptation of people of advanced age, the integration of the life experience of the older generation in the life of society.Students-volunteers appear here in the role of specialists in social work, social educators.They hold practical and discussion seminars in interest groups, self-help and mutual help groups, cultural and recreational activities, cover the activities of the Institute in mass media.In addition, while learning social service functions, students help lonely elderly people at home (cleaning the apartments, purchasing of medicines, food).In the Institute the platforms for permanent dialogue of generations, for using the life experience of older people for the education of youth, are created.
Students-volunteer, whose specialty is "Social work (socio-psychological activity)", carry out voluntary work systematically in the state educational establishment "Kindergarten № 10 in Brest" in specialized groups for children with disorders of the musculoskeletal system.Within the framework of the social project "Your hand is in my hand", aimed at the insurance of effective integration of children with disorders of the musculoskeletal system, attending "Kindergarten № 10 in Brest" by creating a barrier-free environment (psycho-social, residential and urban), future specialists provide sociopsychosocial support to children and their parents ("Bureau of good services" -social respite for parents on weekends, working as a volunteer-assistant in the "Volunteer on duty" group -assistance in the implementation of regime moments and carrying out educational games, leisure activities with kids).The introduction of clown therapy technology in the work with children with disabilities, contributes to the humanization of the processes of healing and rehabilitation, improvement of life quality, introduction of positive emotions in the social context of health.While volunteering in this educational institution, future specialists in social work acquire experience of interaction with children with special needs and their parents; learn methods and techniques of social and psychological support of this category of children and their parents.

CONCLUSIONS
Thus, structuring the content of students' training volunteer practice, the intensification of students' social activity, allows to detect the interest of future specialists in social work in social issues, their intention to participate in volunteer activity, to expand their horizons in the field of technologies of interaction with different categories of the population, to attach them to value and personal-semantic aspects of the educational and professional activities.Students' professionally significant qualities focus on the future professional activity are updated.This allows them to establish the causal links between the surrounding reality objects and phenomena more accurately, develop social planning and forecasting skills, engage in social relations, which contributes to the formation of social intellect in the course of their volunteer activity.