This fall, 100 teenagers implemented 20 ambitious projects in their communities. How did they manage?
In fall 2023, 100 young Ukrainians aged 14-17 implemented various public projects in their towns and villages: from youth spaces and development projects to sports grounds and recreation areas. Teenagers implemented 20 projects in Cherkasy, Lviv, Kyiv, and Vinnytsia regions. They were granted UAH 40,000 each for the execution of their ideas.
What was the purpose? What was the challenge?
“Changes in the regions never just happen. They are implemented by people: enthusiasts, civil servants, teachers, youth, etc. Given that Ukraine is currently undergoing the stage of society maturing, it is important to educate youth yet today. This means teaching the skill of assuming responsibility, being aware of demands and outcomes from any activity, realizing the opportunities and tools for ideas implementation, and not living up to the principle of “better worse, but stable life”, – explains Tetiana Volochai, Director of the MHP-Gromadi Charitable Foundation.
Today’s teenagers – those aged 14-17 – will rebuild Ukraine in just a few years. Therefore, it is important to highlight the way they could develop themselves, their native settlements, their businesses, and the state as a whole.
What was the decision?
The project “Youth for the Community” appeared as the result of donors’ cooperation. It is implemented by the MHP-Gromadi Charitable Foundation supported by the “Civil Society and Youth Support” UNDP Project and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.
“Young people aged 14-35 play an all-important role in the reconstruction of Ukraine, the rise of national identity, and the development of civil society. So, the UN Development Program in Ukraine sees young people as agents of modern change. Since the MHP-Gromadi Charitable Foundation supports youth initiatives and promotes the development of volunteer activities in towns and villages, we believe that we share a common focus and priorities in our activities. We know that strengthening the youth proactive community in the regions may inspire young people so that each of them can change the country even now by generating ideas and uniting their community around them,” claims Sofiia Pyshnieva, analyst on youth development, UNDP Ukraine:
The project objective was first to teach project management, communication, and pitching of project applications to 20 teams of teenagers. So in the summer, 100 project participants had several days of training with leading experts who explained ways to develop an idea, write an application, create a team, involve local authorities, do reporting, etc.
Also, during training, the youth surveyed 2,411 residents of their towns and villages as well as interviewed 69 community heads and persons responsible for the implementation of youth policy.
The said findings helped the boys and girls to identify the main problems within their community and propose ways to solve these through their projects. 20 of them were supported by the MHP-Gromadi Charitable Foundation and the “Civil Society and Youth Support” UNDP Project, which allocated UAH 40,000 for each project.
Outcomes
As a result, small communities now have modern youth hubs, where youth organize film screenings, creative events, and book discussions; creative sports fields and chess clubs, recreation areas, mobile cinema halls and trainings on youth sexual education.
Ivanna Kryvenko, project participant (15 years old, Lypovets, Vinnytsia region): “I’ve had an idea of a youth hub establishment for a long time as I realize there is not enough infrastructure for the youth comprehensive development. I am a member of the Vinnytsia student council and wish to initiate the youth hub establishment featuring free activities in Lypovka”.
Andrii Voronov, project participant (15 years old, Myronivka, Kyiv region): “I learned the principle of how to solve the community issues by attracting funds and partners. After all, it makes no sense to sit and wail about a hard life. I want to rebuild the town stadium and believe this would motivate my peers to do sports”.
20 teams from different parts of Ukraine presented their project outcomes at the final Youth Forum held in Cherkasy on November 10. There, teenagers had the opportunity to exchange experiences of implementing ambitious projects in communities and to communicate with representatives of the government, charitable organizations, and the head of the Ukrainian Youth Fund, which started its activities in September 2023.
The “Youth for the Community” project is implemented by the MHP-Gromadi Charitable Foundation supported by the “Civil Society and Youth Support” UNDP Project and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.
MHP-Gromadi is a Ukrainian charitable foundation that was founded in 2015. Its main mission is the restoration and development of communities. Its operational geography includes 15 regions of Ukraine: more than 700 towns and villages. The Foundation has been providing systemic assistance to the people affected by the war since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, such as Ukrainian defenders and rescuers, communities, hospitals, and maternity homes, charitable institutions that care for orphans and the elderly, and people who have lost their homes and livelihoods due to the war.
UNDP is the global development agency of the United Nations, which supports strategic capacity-building initiatives aimed at sustainable human development and growth to benefit everyone. By establishing partnerships with national, regional, and local authorities, civil society, and the private sector, UNDP supports Ukraine in its efforts to eradicate poverty, increase the population potential, ensure equal access to development outcomes, protect the environment, and promote democratic governance.