Focus Group was founded to accumulate unclaimed academic potentials of its members, who are professional in social pedagogy and psychology.

In 1997, the educational initiative was formed within the framework of the Department of Social Pedagogy and Practical Psychology, Byelorussian State Pedagogical University.
A group of third-year students was inspired by the idea to widen their academic level and experience in social work as well as in the field of practical psychology.
The students met in their spare time to explore advanced and innovative issues, which had not been covered within the limits of curriculum. We held discussions on the topics concerning various aspects of pedagogy and psychology. Moreover, we invited experts to give advice; we made efforts to put into practice the newly gained knowledge and skills, and filled out leisure-time with constructive activities.

While being socially active, the majority of the initiative group became involved in the work of non-governmental sector as volunteers or social project managers. The experience improved the quality of the initiative group's work to lead to the understanding of its mission.

Though most of the founders of the initiative group graduated university in 2000, they continued to meet. They saw the necessity to modify the manner of their work. The decision was taken to register the union to create a non-governmental organization.

We paid particular attention to the idea of off-institutional education for students specializing in social pedagogy. At the beginning of 2000, the members of Social and Education Non-Governmental Initiative "Focus Group" founded "Student Volunteer Club" on a basis of the Department of Social Pedagogy and Practical Psychology, Byelorussian State Pedagogical University. The students enjoyed the possibility to take pedagogical practice on volunteer principle at the orphanage #7.

Suffering from some notorious bureaucratic barriers, "Focus Group" continued to function as the initiative group to implement one-time actions and internal programs for a long period of time.