Thousands in Latvia volunteer to help with NATO Summit
 

With public support in Latvia for NATO reaching a record 78%, Latvian authorities assumed that local interest in the NATO Summit would be high. What they never expected was such a huge outpouring of volunteers eager to make the Riga Summit a success.

When the NATO Task Force announced that 600 volunteers would be needed to help with Summit-related activities, the public response was instant and enthusiastic - 2,361 people from across the country applied.

The reasons for signing up are both patriotic and practical. Many are students who want to supplement their foreign affairs and public relations studies with a firsthand
experience of such a unique event. Some cited the historical importance of the event for Latvia, while others emphasized the international significance of the 27-nation Summit.

Since Latvia joined NATO and the EU in 2004, interest in international relations, business and foreign languages has skyrocketed among the young. Non-governmental organisations such as the Latvian Transatlantic Organisation (LATO) and the European Movement are bristling with new ideas and activities generated by their growing membership rolls.

Latvia’s capital of Riga has become a magnet for large international events such as the NATO Summit, the 2006 World Hockey Championships and the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest. The success of these events has prompted the business community, especially the tourism sector, to invest in new facilities and services, including hotels, restaurants and shops.

The NATO Summit volunteers will participate in a full range of activities and their hospitality will be evident throughout the city of Riga. They will assist at the huge Summit Media Center, help with the international policy experts’ conference and be on hand at many of the cultural events.

With four candidates competing for each position, the NATO Summit Task Force will choose applicants through a series of interviews, testing their language and communication skills, as well as ability to respond to different situations. The results of the competition are expected to be announced in mid-October.