Youth Connect for Ukraine aims to support young Ukrainians to lead fulfilling and purposeful lives now, wherever they are living. It aspires to support young people, including women, girls and those from disadvantaged groups affected by the war in Ukraine to have the skills and motivation to build connections in their local context and influence their own future and their communities.
We are designing training and activities to build leadership attributes that are needed in times of disruption and to support the personal and social development of young people.
The programme’s ambition is to meet the needs of young leaders (aged 16–30) from Ukraine and Europe and equip them with the skills, resources and networks that they need to provide leadership in their current communities and in a reconstructed Ukraine as part of a European network.
In its first year of implementation, the programme will take place in Ukraine, Poland and Romania, where it will present Pop-Up Youth Centres in different locations offering skills development and learning opportunities, access to information, support from experts and opportunities for networking and exchanging.
The programme is open to young leaders from Ukraine who might be internally displaced or who are currently living in Poland and Romania, and to young participants from the local communities who are interested in leadership and creating positive relationships within their communities.
Objectives
- Support young Ukrainians in strengthening their skills, personal capacities and opportunities.
- Build positive relationships between young Ukrainians and their host communities.
How are we going to do it?
Activities will primarily be delivered through Pop-up Youth Centres in each location. These Pop-ups will bring young people from Ukraine and Europe together for five days to engage in creative activities, including:
- ‘Leadership in times of disruption’ training: Building young people’s skills and capacities for personal development, collaboration and social leadership
- A networking fair, to access information and services from partners and stakeholders, including career support and mentoring
- Round table discussions: for young people to engage in dialogue with local authorities and civil society