LocationsEngaging young men and women in recovery processes in Ukraine through youth exchanges
August 10, 2023
Youth exchange coordinators undergoing training.
International Youth Day is marked every year on 12 August to bring issues affecting young people to the attention of the international community, celebrating the younger generation’s potential as partners in today’s global society, and emphasizing the importance of youth participation – a key factor in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs.
In Ukraine and around the world, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) supports the capacity development of young people and youth-led organizations, as well as the formation of youth caucuses in government, parliament and other official bodies. UNDP also supports the mainstreaming of youth issues in development planning and in inter-ministerial and inter-sectorial coordination, and engages with relevant stakeholders through outreach, advocacy, thought leadership, global networks and policy debates – particularly in the context of the post-2015 development agenda and the SDGs.
UNDP Ukraine has since 1993 engaged with the country’s young people, encouraging, empowering and equipping them to actively participate in the development of their country. But since February 2022, the ongoing war has had an unprecedented impact on young people in Ukraine, causing them to be internally displaced or forced to seek safety abroad. Young people continue to face multiple challenges due to disrupted education, psychological trauma, high unemployment and destroyed youth infrastructure.
Despite these challenges, young people in Ukraine have been tremendously active in the emergency response, engaging as volunteers in their communities. A UNDP-UNFPA commissioned study titled The impact of the war on Youth in Ukraine, conducted at the end of 2022, shows that the number of young people who have started to volunteer since the beginning of the war has increased substantially: 30 percent of the respondents stated that they volunteered for the first time in 2022, in comparison to the 2021 study, in which only 6 percent stated that they had taken up volunteerism for the first time. Similar results are echoed in other recent surveys, which shows that the sense of civic duty among young people – which measures the degree to which one feels responsible for the future and well-being of their society and country and to which one feels that ordinary people can change things in their community – is significantly higher than actual engagement among young people, demonstrating the vital need to invest more in actions that bring young women and men to the centre of planning and realizing the recovery process.
Participants of the exchange during the youth hub rennovation in Manevichy, Volyn oblast. Photo: Anastasiia Vizhanska / UNDP in Ukraine
A young woman painting a wall at the youth hub in Manevichy, Volyn Oblast. Photo: Anastasiia Vizhanska / UNDP in Ukraine
Vidnova:UA Programme
Recognizing the need to boost the inclusion of young people in Ukraine’s recovery process, while at the same time supporting the reconstruction of destroyed youth spaces, UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, supported in 2022 the piloting of the Vidnova:UA programme. The programme (Vidnova means “recovery” in Ukrainian) aims to promote volunteering and the engagement of young people in the recovery of Ukraine, while at the same time introducing young people to their peers in other regions to Ukraine, through organizing youth exchanges.
While the full-scale war is far from over, and assessing its long-term impact remains challenging, programmes like Vidnova:UA play a vital role in reinstilling a sense of agency within young people. They come to believe that they can and should actively participate in the life of their communities, which is a key strength of all democratic societies. Most importantly, these programmes provide hope to both young people and all those involved, fostering the belief that one day society will be able to come together and build a modern and prosperous Ukraine.
Consequently, UNDP is scaling up the Vidnova:UA programme in 2023, in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, "All-Ukrainian Youth Centre" and the CSO “Eidos”. Between June-September, 24 exchanges have been planned, engaging more than 600 young people. The exchange programme is coordinated by CSO "Eidos", which is helping local youth councils and civil society organizations to host exchanges in their respective locality, welcoming young people from across the country, as well as local youths.
The five-day exchanges include a range of educational activities aimed at promoting civic engagement, intercultural dialogue, and social cohesion, while also bringing in local elements of culture and civil society life. Throughout the exchanges, participating young people are also contributing to the restoration of a future youth space in each community, under the supervision and mentorship of skilled construction workers.
Final day of the youth exchange program in Tylchyn, Vinnytsia Oblast.
Jaco Cilliers, UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine, said it was essential to continue to support meaningful youth participation in the recovery of Ukraine. “Ensuring young people’s engagement in the recovery efforts is key for a sustainable, inclusive, recovery. The Vidnova: UA programme shows the incredible force of young people, and what they can achieve, when empowered and coming together” he said. “UNDP stands ready to continue to provide extensive support to sustain the institutional youth infrastructure that Ukraine has built up over the recent years, including support for cooperation between national authorities and the youth civil society sector, as well as initiatives and mechanisms aiming at meaningfully involving young people in decision-making processes.”
Early outcomes
To date, 15 exchanges have already taken place involving more than 350 young women and men from communities throughout Ukraine. During the summer, young people have been taking an active part in inspirational programmes full of team-building and skills-development activities, such as excursions, bonfire evenings, visits to cultural centres, performances, and practical work to support the reconstruction of youth spaces.
While the exchanges will continue throughout August and September, the initial results and feedback voiced by participants and organisers already indicate positive outcomes from year’s exchanges, with unforgettable experiences, newly formed friendships and 15 youth spaces renovated and already in use. In a programme exit survey, 98% of the participants stated that the exchanges strengthened their desire to participate in volunteer projects in the future. Through networking and community presentations and local excursions, young people have also increased their awareness about the culture and history of different parts of the country, and the power of diversity.
The performance "Born to Be Free" featuring actors from the Suziria Kyiv Academic Studio of Theatre Arts in Zhytomyr. Photo: Leonid Shevchuk / UNDP in Ukraine
A special feature of the 2023 Vidnova programme was the play “Born to be Free”, with actors from Kyiv’s Suziria Academic Studio of Theatre Arts, who toured five cities with Vidnova. “Born to be Free” is a story created based on historic facts about the life of the Ukrainian writers and poets who were silenced by the Soviet regime and the destruction of the idea of an independent Ukrainian culture. After the performances, young people were invited to engage in discussions, at times emotional, with the actors.
Voices of participants
What will you personally remember from this exchange? What thoughts/insights did you gain during these five days?
Background
The Vidnova programme is implemented by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, "All-Ukrainian Youth Centre" and the CSO "Eidos Centre ", within the framework of the UNDP projects “Democratization and Human Rights 2023-2026” and "Promotion of human security in Ukraine through responding to the multidimensional crisis caused by the war”, with financial support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and the Government of Japan.
Working closely with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, UNDP helps young Ukrainians acquire valuable knowledge and skills so they can contribute directly to the implementation of socially important initiatives and innovative projects aimed at improving human rights and promoting democracy at the community level.
In 2021, the Ministry of Youth launched the State Target Social Programme “Youth of Ukraine” for 2021-2025, with the support of UNDP, putting youth participation at the centre of youth policy implementation at all levels. To measure and evaluate programme effectiveness, UNDP worked with the ministry to develop a simple and clear tool – the Youth Participation Assessment Index – to evaluate youth policy measures and inform the general public of results.
The results of the Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA2), undertaken in early 2023 jointly by the World Bank, the Government of Ukraine, the European Commission, also shows the war’s impact on youth infrastructure, which prior to the full-scale war included more than 300 youth centres and spaces operating in Ukraine. The RDNA estimated that rebuilding damaged and destroyed youth spaces will cost around $3.8 million.
