Ukraine: Supporting youth-led participation in Ukraine
Youth from western Ukraine sign up to the UPSHIFT innovation scheme
In autumn 2023, young people from six regions in western Ukraine joined the global youth innovation programme UPSHIFT for the first time. Sixty teams received training to develop their own initiatives as part of the programme run by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Over the next three months they implemented the ideas with help from mentors.
The project ideas included spaces for youth development, a career guidance camp, environmental projects, an anti-bullying initiative, a platform for the development of non-formal education and training on mental health.
“The problem of the lack of opportunities to take care of mental health resonates with every member of our team, based on our experience.”
UPSHIFT participant
One team wants to improve mental health resources for young people. They wanted to organize a two-month training on mental health for local youth. Among those who complete the training, they will select ambassadors who will promote a culture of mental health among their peers.
Another project hopes to improve intergenerational interaction. As part of the project, they wish to minimize misunderstanding between youngsters and elderly people through group activities.
“We chose this problem because it’s urgent. Due to the lack of communication between young people and the older generation, their perceptions of each other differ from reality, which causes conflicts and affects the lives of both generations. While doing research, we realized that one of the biggest obstacles to this communication is the fear of being misunderstood.”
UPSHIFT participant
School-community projects for democracy and human rights in newly liberated areas in Ukraine
Within the frame of the UActive and Schools for Democracy programmes, the European Wergeland Centre (EWC), supports youth-led projects in newly liberated areas. One of the projects resulted in a gym which can be used by both the local school and the local community.
After completing a civic education programme offered within the programme and winning 5,000 dollars to implement a project, the students started turning an old cultural centre into a modern gym. The project turned into a joint social project for the entire community where children, parents, teachers, and the school principal joined forces to create a space that can now be used by the whole community.
“We want to change the perception about a village as something obsolete. Now we have a modern gym for boys and girls to train in.”
Project participant
The gym is a great place for local teenagers to spend their leisure time, and also a necessity for Ukrainian soldiers at the rehabilitation centre just a few blocks away.
UActive is implemented by EWC’s partner organisation SavED, as part of the the Schools for Democracy programme.
The results stories on the webpage of the Nansen Support Programme for Ukraine are based on texts produced and shared by the partners of the programme. The stories represent a snapshot of the results achieved to showcase the difference the Norwegian support is making. You can access the original text from UNICEF here.