Guide to Practices and Initiatives from Youth Councils Enhancing Youth Participation

Project to Support Youth Councils in Ukraine:

opinion

Have participation for youth councils

Handbook for practices and initiatives from youth councils enhancing youth participation

01.04.2023 25.12.2023

This publication was developed with the support of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) with funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway.

The content of this publication in no way reflects the official viewpoint of the Norwegian Refugee Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway is not responsible for any use of the information contained in this publication

About the project The project Youth Participation for Youth Councils is a joint initiative of the NGO 'Youth Platform' and the Norwegian Refugee Council.

The project aimed to enhance knowledge about youth participation in decision-making processes for youth councils, which serve as a tool for participation in communities. During the project, youth from selected communities learned how youth councils can influence decision-making in the community. They also gained insights into other instruments of civic and youth participation.

Through supporting initiatives of youth councils in creating and developing participation tools, we envision the generation of new successful cases of youth participation in communities, with the potential for replication in the future, contributing to the development of local democracy.

Within the project, activities included a youth participation training, a hackathon for developing initiatives that enhance youth participation in community life, and a forum to summarize the achievements of youth councils.

Twelve youth councils from the Volyn, Lviv, and Ternopil regions participated in the project

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At the beginning and end of the project, each youth council was tasked with assessing its effectiveness using the 'Youth Council Self-Assessment Tool.' This survey for youth councils is divided into significant organizational blocks (program work, administrative work, etc.). Each block has specific parameters of work, such as holding council meetings, managing the council's social media pages, etc.

Each parameter has designated 'development levels': levels' basic, advanced, and excellent. Each level is more challenging than the previous one and requires the council to acquire new knowledge and skills to achieve it. For example, at the basic level, the council conducts meetings and keeps minutes, while at the advanced level, it might conduct its meetings online and provide recommendations to the local self-government body.

What is the purpose of the self-assessment tool? It enables youth councils to evaluate themselves and the state of their development, as well as their impact on the community. It is crucial for them to see potential new levels of their ongoing development – where they should be heading and what they need to learn or improve to get there.

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Assessments of youth councils at the start of the project

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ssess ents o youth councils at the en o the project s we can see, almost every youth council improved its effectiveness and raised its level compared to the beginning of the project. This was facilitated by an effective mentoring stage, the development of individual recommendations for each youth council, and support for the initiatives of these youth councils. They used youth participation tools as a basis in projects or developed them further in communities. urther details about the implementation progress of each of these initiatives are provided in this document.

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er op outh t ou c nitiati e a e: NO oroscope ple entation Perio : eptember-October escription o the Pro le resse : To assist young people in understanding themselves and determining their interests for an effective career choice. nitiati e escription: s part of the project, an informational campaign was conducted to emphasize the importance of this initiative for the youth and to help them better understand themselves and determine their interests and career direction. system was created, within which career guidance trainings, meetings with stakeholders, and internships would be regularly conducted, ensuring that the youth had constant access to this support and development. hat as est ple ente in Your Project an hat as orst The organization of training for youth was best implemented the worst was internships, as it proved to be the most challenging stage of implementation, increasing risks during organization. esources n a e or nitiati e ple entation: inances within the grant framework for conducting training, creating and

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promotion of content and printing of advertising posters and branded shoppers were funded. Ternopil City Council facilitated communication with educational institutions, provided the venue for training, and managed logistics. The NGO Center of cience in Ternopil offered a location for training and reflective meetings. The NGO mart Career Guidance Want, Can, Need assisted in training the trainers. chie e ents ppro imately pated online.

esults o the nitiati e: individuals participated offline, and nearly

partici-

ee ack ro Participants: Participants were satis ed, leaving only positive feedback. escription o Colla oration ith the Youth Plat or : Regardless of the nature of the collaboration, we are completely satis ed.

Overall, we are eager to collaborate with the NGO Youth Platform again

outh ou c op ch t nitiati e a e: co-space ple entation Perio : uly

t the t ou c

- November

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Pro le resse : Lack of youth space in the community, low level of youth activity.

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nitiati e escription: The co-space project is the community's rst youth ecozone. The project implementation demonstrated a long-term perspective for the development of the idea and the improvement of the city's infrastructure, providing an opportunity for the city residents to enjoy the beauty of the new space. The project design was developed to facilitate its clear arrangement. Currently, grading work has been completed, bushes and trees have been planted, and benches have been installed. n spring, the location is planned for the planting of lawn grass. oreover, the co-space project serves as an engaging and inspiring lecture series for the youth. Talks on project management, fundraising, and the role of youth in decision-making processes were highly appreciated by the young people in the community. They were e cited about the youth council's capability to organize events of such caliber. est an orst chie e ents in the Project: The best achievements include the development of the eco-space, the e ecution of inspiring events, and the planning of an e citing space opening.

The most challenging aspect was not initially forming a high- uality project budget. esources n a e or nitiati e ple entation: The following resources were utilized for project implementation - ducational services of lecturers - Project design services - anner production services - Catering and coffee breaks - Pens and notepads - Grading work grading - enches - ushes trees - ark, agrovolokno. chie e ents esults o the nitiati e: Three lectures were conducted for the youth ow to write and implement a project , The role of youth in decision-making processes, and undraising. ni ue project participants numbered , including women and men. Within the project, participants registered for the lectures

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ach lecture attracted more than attendees. Pre- and post-event surveys were conducted for lecture participants.

Results indicated a increase in participants' knowledge in the discussed topics. This demonstrates the effectiveness of the educational component of the project, with participants showing tangible improvements in their understanding of the subjects covered during the lectures ive partners were engaged in the project League of tudents of Ternopil Region, Youth Congress at boriv City Council, NGO round, NGO mile , and the Youth Council at Rava-Ruska City Council. Project information was disseminated through partnerships more than times. green area, known as the co- pace, was created based on the designed concept - ite preparation activities, including grading, were carried out to shape the space.

- The eco-zone was set up, featuring the planting of shrubs and trees.

- enches were installed to enhance the eco-zone.

The project achieved considerable visibility on nstagram, accumulating a total of , views. lso, a signi cant outcome of the project was the implementation of advocacy campaigns, within which the following achievements were made - Obtained a decision on the arrangement of the eco-zone.

- igned a memorandum of cooperation in the youth policy vector between the Youth Congress of boriv, boriv City Council, opychyntsi City Council, and the Youth Council at the opychyntsi City Council.

- pproved the program Youth of opychyntsi City Territorial Community according to our third plan, initially, we planned to approve a strategy for the development of youth policy, but later decided that resource mobilization is a higher priority . ee ack Participants e ie s: Participants responded positively to the project and e pressed a desire to be involved in similar initiatives.

Colla oration ith the Youth Plat or as hi hly appreciate . entor nastasiia Demianchuk consistently provided support throughout the implementation process

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assisted in preparing for grant proposal writing, and offered help whenever issues arose. Demyan Petryk and vitlana Polishchuk were always in touch, motivating us to implement great things in our projects. signi cant role in this project was played by the accountant, Oleksandra Ryzhkova, who provided guidance on various nancial matters. pecial thanks to Veronica ishchuk and o a Prus for their roles as communicators they handled it e cellently.

Overall, we look forward to further collaboration with the NGO Youth Platform

outh ou c tr

t

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Your initiati e na e: nderstand ct ple entation perio : eptember - October

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escription o the pro le a resse : ccording to the youth survey conducted in the community, only . have heard about informal education and participated in training, workshops, masterclasses, and other formats. This indicates a low level of youth engagement during e tracurricular time. escription o the initiati e: nderstand ct is an intensive program aimed at developing leadership ualities among the youth of the trilkivska territorial community

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engaging them in addressing community issues, with the aim of being effective and full-fledged community members, as well as instilling in them the necessary soft skills to protect and advocate for their rights and contribute to civil society. The intensive program nderstand ct provided active young community members with the opportunity to gain new knowledge in the elds of democracy, rule of law, effective communication, youth policy, and to feel themselves in a new role as future change-makers by participating in various events. cting effectively and ef ciently is impossible without understanding the problems, and when clear understanding is present, the duty to act is the most challenging but, at the same time, essential, as it contributes to change. verything is interconnected, as the youth are the ones capable of this.

The program's task is to promote the formation of a progressive community capable of successfully creating changes and supporting reforms at the local level. The project will serve as a driving force for change, the development of youth's personal potential, and inspiration for engaging in civic activities at the regional level.

Throughout the program, we aimed to promote values respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, e uality, rule of law, and respect for human rights, including minority rights, understanding their relevance, and the need to spread them among the local population. y implementing this project and through joint efforts, we can consolidate the local youth, address relevant issues, and provide access to uality informal education. fter completing the program, participants, together with the youth council and with the support of local authorities, will work on a new initiative where they can practically apply the knowledge gained. hat as i ple ente est an orst in your project Overall, each stage of the project was organized at a high level. We were most successful in planning the content of the project. We engaged e cellent speakers tepan uibida, the director of the Department of conomic Policy, and ndriy Panasyuk, an advisor to the chairman of the LO

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a ym ozitsky on youth and sports issues, ohdan Talatura, the head of the Youth Council at LOV , shared insights into youth opportunities e changes, internships and how to popularize youth policy at the local level.

Roman Nazarenko, the director of the nstitute of Religion and ociety at C , delivered an incredibly interesting lecture on ow to truly learn to dream. Nazar Titar and nna Lozova discussed strategies of oratory art and secrets of effective communication. Participants were impressed.

The worst part was engaging people in the project. They e pected a larger number of participants. esources allocate or the initiati e: - aterial resources banners, stationery, promotional products of the Youth Council, payment for trainers, and catering at each event.

- uman resources speakers in various elds, representatives of local self-government, and young people were involved in organizing the project. chie e ents

esults o the initiati e:

ualit results - Participants ac uired knowledge of oratory art, effective communication, successful youth policy implementation, and the role of youth in the socio-economic transformation of kraine.

- Developed critical thinking skills and the ability to e press their opinions coherently.

- nderstanding of their goals and dreams, the difference between them, and effective mechanisms for achieving them.

- c uired skills in team building, project management, and nding new effective tools for cooperation with local self-government.

- ormed a network of partnerships with local self-government, local businesses, representatives of the Lviv Regional ilitary dministration, and other youth councils.

- ncreased the level of youth involvement in community life, contributing to their personal development and forming strong connections with youth from other settlements.

- Created conditions for identifying and realizing their potential, promoting sustainable social and economic development of the entire community.

- Provided opportunities to join the uantitative composition of the Youth Council and jointly implement future initiatives.

uantitative results total of young people from the community participated. individuals participated in all events. implemented events. , people learned about the program.

Youth involvement from settlements. new members joined the Youth Council. ee

ack ro

participants:

Natalia Grom, director of the Youth Center of the trilkivska community he pro ect ' nderstanding cting' ecame not ust innovative and uni ue in the tril iv communit or the rst time in these mountainous villages adolescents self-organi ed and conducted a series of high- ualit training sessions for themselves and their peers ith top-notch instructors t is challenging to overestimate the signi cance of this pro ect for the tril iv outh ouncil itself and its impact on strengthening its institutional capacit he proect's continuation is s m olic after involving oman a aren o the director ulture outh and ports of the tril ivs a village council continued the 'rela ' and arranged a training session for directors and teachers ver s molic case of ho rural outh ecomes a leader in promoting ualit social changes not onl in their environment reall li e the s m olism of the pro ect's name hich can e read in t o a s ' nderstanding cting' or ' nderstanding and ou ction and ou ' Yulia akarevich, secretary of the Youth Council at the trilkivska village council am ver glad to have had the opportunit to participate in such a cool and informative pro ect as ver inspired the lectures and training sessions of our spea ers ho have een or ing in the eld of outh polic for man ears t as ver interesting to learn a out their e perience challenges victories and defeats We anal ed the situation in our outh council and ill appl the no ledge gained in practice escri e the cooperation ith the Youth Plat or no atter hat it as: the collaboration of the NGO Youth Platform team with our youth council can be evaluated very positively. ast and high- uality communication, ade uate and clear comments and responses.

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Throughout the preparation and implementation of the project, the team provided comprehensive assistance and was always in touch. We are con dent that our interaction within this project will strengthen our collaboration in the future.

oo r t outh ou c he na e o your initiati e: orum of Civic Organizations GOrY-Palai ple entation perio o the initiati e: ugust , escription o the pro le ein a resse : The main goal of the forum was to engage youth in civic activities. mong the issues were the following insuf cient awareness about civic organizations and civil society, the reluctance of youth to take responsibility. dditionally, the forum aimed at creating uality relationships between NGOs and local councils by signing a cooperation pact. escription o the initiati e: During the forum, participants had the opportunity to learn more about civic organizations and civil society, meet representatives of civic organizations who shared their work and e periences, and receive advice on how to get involved in civic activities. fter the of cial part, participants were involved in a uest about civic organizations in our city. n the evening, a charity concert by the band Vsi vdoma started for everyone interested in

the central park of the city. hat as est i ple ente in your project an hat as orst The best achievement was providing information to forum participants about the activities of the NGO in Volodymyr and encouraging participants to engage in active civic activities. any enjoyed the charity concert. The worst aspect was the transportation of participants from the forum venue to the charity concert venue. hat resources ere in ol e in i ple entin the initiati e unds were used for the following purposes - Organization and conduct of the forum, including venue rental, payment for speaker and workshop facilitator services, printing materials, etc.

- Conducting a promotional campaign to attract forum participants through local Telegram and nstagram accounts channels and local media.

- perts from various elds of civic activity participated in organizing and conducting the forum social work, ecology, youth policy, civic self-government. These e perts delivered presentations and conducted workshops for forum participants, sharing their work e perience and providing advice on how to get involved in civic activities. The band ll at ome was also involved in the charity concert. esults utco es o the initiati e: s a result of implementing the GOry-palai initiative, several positive outcomes were achieved - The youth of Volodymyr received more information about civic organizations and civil society.

- The youth of Volodymyr became ac uainted with representatives of civic organizations and their work.

- The youth of Volodymyr received advice on how to engage in civic activities. pact was signed between the Youth Council of Volodymyr and civic organizations operating in the community. ee ack participant re ie s: ost participants consider the GOry-palai forum to be a very useful and interesting event. t provided them with an opportunity to learn more about civic organizations and civil society.

getting ac uainted with representatives of civic organizations and their work, as well as receiving advice on how to engage in civic activities, was highly valued by the participants. They appreciate that the forum featured various civic organizations working in different spheres, providing them with a broad overview of how to get involved in civic activities. Participants believe that the GOry-palai forum was successful and contributed to the engagement of youth in civic activities. peci cally, participants highlight the following advantages of the forum cellent choice of speakers Representatives of various civic organizations with signi cant e perience in their respective elds served as speakers.

They shared their work e periences and provided advice on how to engage in civic activities.

Networking opportunities Participants had the chance to meet like-minded individuals who share an interest in civic activities. This allowed them to nd allies and collaborate on joint projects. njoyable rela ation through a charity concert. escri e the colla oration ith the Youth Plat or hate er it ay e: The NGO Youth Platform has e perience in organizing various events aimed at the development of youth and civil society. Collaboration with this organization helped us organize a successful event that was both interesting and bene cial for the youth.

hort outh ou c

nitiati e a e:

alanced Camp

ple entation Perio : ugust

- ugust

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escription o the Pro le resse : efore the establishment of the Chortkiv Youth Council, there were limited opportunities in Chortkiv for young people to implement their ideas for improving the well-being of the city and its residents. dditionally, there was no foundation for creating such events. Our goal was to teach young people how to create and implement opportunities for themselves. The chosen theme for this year, mental health, was crucial not only in light of current realities but also personally for each member of our team. We aimed to provide encouraging them to influence community decisions and contribute with greater e perience. nitiati e escription: alanced Camp is a -day camp for youth focused on supporting internal balance and enhancing both soft and hard skills. t is crucial for us that such projects are implemented continuously, so we have entered into an agreement with the city council for the annual implementation of projects on topics most needed by young people. This year's theme was mental health and project management. We taught participants how to balance work and leisure correctly, as doing so ualitatively is essential.

During the camp, participants engaged in various workshops, masterclasses, lectures, e ercises, and team-building activities. On the rst day, there was a lecture on public speaking and group reflection on the second day, a lecture on team building with practical e ercises and energizers on the third day, a lecture on project management and budget creation. dditionally, there was a psychological game focused on internal focus and self-reflection. Participants worked in groups to brainstorm ideas for their future projects, followed by art therapy. On the fourth day, the mayor of Chortkiv delivered a lecture on leadership, and participants engaged in reflection, the deeds e ercise, and presentation of their future projects. On the nal, fth day, participants gave a full presentation of their projects, took a city tour, and participated in a literary evening.

hat as est

ple ente an

hat Coul

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pro e in Your Project:

est chievements The best achievement was successfully uniting the Youth Council team, as everyone was incredibly enthusiastic and passionate about their cause. dditionally, we created an opportunity for young people to attend a camp in Chortkiv for the rst time, tailored to their re uests and needs, with the aim of making this camp an annual event. reas for mprovement One area that could be improved is the creation of a more enriched program with a greater number of speakers and outdoor activities focused on rela ation. esources n ol e in nitiati e ple entation: We successfully engaged the company alyna arming, which became one of our sponsors and assisted with organization. We received over applications through advertising on the Telegram channel ngage, targeting youth. We were able to invite uali ed speakers and psychologists to work with the participants. chie e ents esults o the nitiati e: We received over applications, surpassing our e pectations, and established a partner database for future projects. The most signi cant achievement was the agreement to hold such camps annually for youth. ee ack ro Participants: han ou for this e perience reall en o ed the lectures and e ercises t as a esome said one camp participant nother participant e pressed found it interesting to e part of such a pro ect it as a meaningful e perience that am con dent can use in the future escription o Colla oration ith the Youth Plat or hate er t ay e: We are very grateful to the NGO Youth Platform as they provided the opportunity for the e istence of this project and supported its implementation. Their assistance with various issues, challenges, and guidance was invaluable. Together, we were able to realize something very powerful. Thank you for this e perience and support

he outh ou c t u t nitiati e a e: Youth orum

ou c

oloD Yte

ple entation Perio : pril-October escription o the Pro le resse : n Rava-Ruska, there are many young school-aged individuals who have nowhere to go and develop. Therefore, our team decided to reduce the level of youth unawareness in youth politics and create a special space for communication. nitiati e escription: The council chair, artyn Lilia, had been eager for uite some time to organize a forum for the youth. or her, it wasn't just a place where people gather to listen but also a great opportunity to meet new people and showcase oneself as an individual. Therefore, we collectively decided to host the irst Youth orum in the Rava-Ruska territorial community.

The oloD Yte forum program included three panel discussions - The rst panel discussion involved speakers discussing the role of youth councils at the local level, with each sharing their own e perience as the head of a youth council.

- The second panel discussion focused on the discussion of civic activities and how to take the rst step in this eld, as it is not as easy as it may seem

since it's not as easy as it may seem at rst glance.

- The third panel discussion was the most interesting, as it included the head of the Rava-Ruska community, van vanovych vanus, and the head of the dministrative ervices Center and deputy Nataliia ykhailivna atviichuk.

The youth had the opportunity to interact with the speakers and ask important uestions to government representatives we have not seen such enthusiasm in the uestions posed as in this panel discussion .

The forum program also included a lecture on the topic Non-governmental Organizations and Their ctivities. The head of the NGO Community in ction, Oleksandr atviichuk, talked about NGOs, how to create them, and, drawing on his own e perience, how to lead a civic organization. n reality, this forum provided an opportunity to showcase the importance of the youth council as an advisory body to the city council. oreover, thanks to the forum, relationships were established with local authorities, cooperation was e panded with the Youth and ports Department of the Lviv Regional tate dministration, and the youth council of the opychyntsi City Council. ost importantly, the needs of our community's youth were heard hat as i ple ente

est an

hat coul ha e een i pro e the

ost

rom this project, we understood the importance of teamwork and the need to form a high- uality team ready to implement any ideas and provide assistance. Our project focused on organizing a forum for youth in the community. t was the rst youth forum in the Rava-Ruska territorial community, with participants not only from the community but also from the Ternopil and Dnipropetrovsk regions. hat resources ere in ol e in the initiati e s i ple entation The creation and purchase of merchandise, e uipment for the forum, and meals for the participants. Competent speakers in their eld were engaged, sharing their own e periences and inspiring the youth of our community to engage in civic activities. Local authorities assisted with venue, accommodation for speakers, and promotion.

ualitative esults - stablishment of communication between local self-government bodies and civil society institutions in our community.

- Creation of a local community for youth. uantitative esults applications for participation in the forum. young participants in the forum.

- nvolvement of individuals in the organization of the forum. ee ack an Participant e ie s: ur pro ect involved organi ing a forum or me it as one of the goals for and am grateful that as a le to achieve it uring the forum sa the e es of the participants urning throughout the da as ell as the interest and surprise of our authorities that e organi ed such a po erful forum ou gu s did great and am proud that e have such a outh ouncil said the head of the Rava-Ruska community, van vanovych vanus. escri e the Colla oration ith the Youth Plat or hate er it ay e: s civic activists, we have collaborated with many NGOs throughout our activities, so understand what collaboration should look like. Regarding collaboration with the NGO Youth Platform, we want to e press our surprise at the active communication and openness of both Demyan Petrik and other members of the NGO in terms of communication and uick resolution of any issues.

outh ou c o o o o

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itle o your initiati e: omething bout Opportunities ple entation Perio : ugust-November escription o the pro le a resse : Low awareness among youth regarding opportunities for self-realization in the community and their biased attitude towards youth NGOs. escription o the initiati e: ntroducing youth aged - from the Novovolynska community to the opportunities available to them and involving them in the activities of youth NGOs by creating a chatbot that facilitates communication among the youth and informs them about opportunities in the city. The idea also involved creating a monthly formation program consisting of events, during which participants learn fle ible skills, e change e periences, create art installations on community issues, have a retreat after completing training, and undergo hat as i ple ente est in your project an hat as i ple ente orst The integration of youth into NGO communities, with appro imately of participants joining the youth center community. esources in ol e in project i ple entation: inances, e perts, facilities, human resources. chie e ents results o the initiati e: The rst chatbot for the community's youth was created appro imately of participants joined the youth center community. ee ack ro participants: never thought efore that there are so man s ills ut as surprised to understand ho much the impact our lives and ho e ill ecome

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outh ou c rohob ch o

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nitiati e itle: Youth Compass Navigating the World of Opportunities ple entation Perio : uly-December escription o the pro le a resse : or a long time, there has been a problem of the lack of a platform where young people in our community could develop. chool students attend training sessions on leadership, project management, and civic engagement but do not implement their projects due to lack of e perience or fear. This reduces youth involvement in community life and negatively affects the young individuals themselves. nitiati e escription: We, the youth council, decided to create a project that would help young people nd their place in various aspects of community life. Participants in the educational program underwent a two-stage preparation for the implementation of their own project, broadened their horizons, met new people, and creatively approached ideas. They also gained e perience in project management and demonstrated an active civic position through their mini-projects. hat as est i ple ente in your project an hat as orst The best implementation was achieved in the training sessions of the rst and second stages. They attracted many young people and served as a platform for

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further development, providing both participants and organizers with invaluable e perience. We consider them the most e tensive project of our youth council. mong the weaknesses, we identi ed communication issues between participants and organizers, as well as a lack of interest from a signi cant portion of the audience in continuing the project. owever, we managed to overcome these challenges. hat resources ere o ili e or initiati e i ple entation The initiative received substantial support from the Drogobych City Council, who provided us with free facilities and supplied refreshments and some of ce materials. Local e perts in project management also supported the event, agreeing to be speakers for our participants. mong them were professionals with e tensive e perience. Local media supported the event's promotion, ef ciently conveying information about the project to our target audience. chie e ents esults o the initiati e: We successfully engaged young people, the majority of whom had never been involved in community life before. We were able to strengthen the ranks of the youth council with motivated individuals. our mini-projects for the community were implemented by participants in the educational program. ee ack participant re ie s: Vitaliy Nechipir reall en o ed organi ing our mini-pro ect it inspired me to create ne events hich plan to do han s to the entire organi ing team escri e the colla oration ith the Youth Plat or hate er it ay e: Cooperation with the NGO Youth Platform was very pleasant and informal. They uickly responded to our re uests and provided necessary advice. t was evident that they were professionals who knew their business well.

The support we received was truly incredible. Thanks to the Youth Platform for the opportunity to implement such large-scale projects.

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outh ou c t the o h che

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nitiati e a e: Youth in ction Create, uild, Rela ple entation Perio : uly - November , escription o the Pro le resse : Low youth activity levels, insuf cient attendance at the youth center, and the need to create conditions for uality leisure for young people. nitiati e escription: The proposal was to involve young people in the development and creation of a recreational area, the project of which they would design and e uip themselves. The logic of the idea was that if they create it themselves, they would appreciate it, take care of it, and, overall, have a place to spend leisure time with friends. When the weather is cool, young people would come to the youth center to spend time there, receiving informal education in a useful and enjoyable way. hat as i ple ente ost success ully in your project an hat ent orst Creating the zone turned out much better than we initially imagined. The worst part was that several signi cant problems arose, which slightly stretched our deadlines, and we couldn't hold a mass opening event in the format we wanted.

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hat resources ere in ol e in i ple entin the initiati e Territory, local self-government, landscaping department, police, advertising, nances, human resources. chie e ents results o the initiati e: stablished a zone that has gained popularity throughout the city and beyond. This area serves as a platform for further development, attracting new young individuals interested in project activities and willing to contribute to this direction in the future. dditionally, we have gained valuable e perience. ee ack an participant re ie s: veryone is very satis ed.

outh o o bor

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itle o your initiati e: Opportunity air Verkhostav ple entation perio o the initiati e uly October , escription o the pro le to e a resse : Youth from vulnerable groups in the community have faced signi cant challenges due to the effects of war and the country's situation, rapid technological changes, and social demands. two-day training can provide them with the opportunity to ac uire new skills such as communication, leadership, and creative thinking. These skills are crucial for achieving success in today's conditions and will assist this youth population.

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n addition, the project was relevant in providing opportunities for youth to enrich their cultural and social e periences. The path to success in the careers of these young individuals can be challenging, especially without suf cient e perience and knowledge. The two-day event and specialized training contributed to gaining this e perience and knowledge. nitiati e escription: During the project, we worked on a self-assessment tool at the beginning and end of it . dditionally, in our community, an advocacy training took place. ollowing this, the youth council team created a plan for advocacy campaigns, which were completed or are ongoing as of the end of October. The most resources and preparation were involved in the implementation of the Verkhostav Opportunity air, which took place on eptember - October . This event brought together youth from vulnerable population groups in seven dialogue panels. handbook on advocating for their ideas in educational institutions and the community is being created based on the event's outcomes.

The following dialogue panels and activities took place at the Verkhostav Opportunity air Dialogue Panel pirituality of Youth During War Participants from the youth engaged in discussions with e perts on the development of culture during war, participants Dialogue Panel ocial phere and Challenges of War Youth participants engaged in discussions with e perts about the development of social services in the community, youth participation in the development of social infrastructure, participants Dialogue Panel Volunteer ovement and Youth ow to ngage Youth participants engaged in discussions with representatives from charitable foundations about the development of youth volunteering in the community, participants Dialogue Panel ducation of Youth During War Youth participants engaged in discussions with educational institution leaders in the community about the functioning of education during war, participants

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Dialogue Panel Youth ovement of kraine Participants from the youth engaged in discussions with representatives of civic organizations, youth councils, and youth centers about opportunities for youth, participants Dialogue Panel Government, usiness, and Youth ow to Collaborate Youth participants engaged in discussions with community leaders and deputies about the collaboration between youth and authorities for community development, participants coustic vening participants ilm creening participants T-shirt Giveaway participants Psychologist's ession participants Project anagement Training participants Total uni ue participants. hat as i ple ente est in your project an hat as i ple ente orst The project successfully brought together youth, e perts from various elds, activists, and civic organizations to discuss issues related to nation-building during war and youth participation. This facilitated a more diverse representation of opinions and perspectives. Participants actively discussed problems and opportunities related to youth development. These discussions led to the generation of new ideas and solutions that could influence the country's policy and development. Concrete initiatives and projects aimed at improving various aspects of community life, including education, economy, healthcare, and others, were developed based on these youth discussions. nteraction with local authorities at the Youth Congress of boriv has always been well-established. owever, thanks to the self-assessment tool provided by the NGO Youth Platform, we were able to analyze some aspects of our work with the authorities. During the project, we had meetings with the authorities, and a dialogue panel with the authorities took place during the event, where youth had the opportunity to talk to representatives of the government about youth policy in the community. Representatives of the youth 'Deputy Oscar', participate in working groups, attend sessions of the city council, and conduct informational campaigns jointly with the boriv City Council.

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esources in ol e in the initiati e: inancial support within the NRC NGO Youth Platform grant, nancial support from local businesses, and support from the local self-government body. chie e ents results o the initiati e: During the project, our youth council and the local self-government body signed a memorandum of cooperation with the youth council of opychyntsi and their local self-government body. This allowed for establishing informational partnerships within the project and participating in each other's events. ee ack participant re ie s: his event not onl rought together outh from different elds and areas of interest ut also provided an opportunit to gain valua le information and impressions - ogdan Nychay. he second da of the event as dedicated to social issues and personal development pea ers shared their e perience in self-improvement motivation and achievements c uiring no ledge in these areas gave oung people the opportunit to gro oth professionall and personall Veronika Darmopuk.

outh ou c t the ho or

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t

ou c

nitiati e itle: ducational-Practical Training ple entation Perio : ugust ugust

mpower Your Community ,

escription o the Pro le resse : ccording to a survey in the hodoriv TG, most young people do not understand the role of student self-government. n certain schools, it is entirely absent, and in those where it e ists, there is a lack of activity in student self-government. nitiati e escription: The educational-practical training mpower Your Community is a project for students in the hodoriv community, allowing them to gain new knowledge and skills for effective work in student self-government. The training provided participants with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with modern approaches and management techni ues in student self-government. They learned teamwork through communication with their peers and developed leadership and collaboration skills. Participants also had the opproject is essential from both ecological and social perspectives. Participants were introduced to the principles of an eco-conscious lifestyle and the role of student self-government in environmental conservation. dditionally, the initiative addressed inclusion, creating a barrier-free environment for all students, contributing to increased social awareness and tolerance within the student community.

The -day educational-practical training sisted of

mpower Your Community con-

Day Youth Participation Tools. Trainers and participants got ac uainted, the training program was presented, and participants' e pectations were discussed. essions on the following topics took place during the day Youth in the community Youth council as a participation tool.

Participants actively discussed their perceptions of young people, their needs, characteristics, and the role of the youth council in the community's life. They e plored the structure and functions of local self-government bodies, and formulated the concept of youth interests for the local self-government body.

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Day ered

tudent elf-Government. On this day, the following topics were cov-

- What is self-government - What are the types of self-government - Why do students need self-government Participants familiarized themselves with modern approaches and management techni ues in student self-government, delving into the functions and possibilities while learning about different types of self-government.

Day

Conscious ociety nclusion. The topics discussed included

- What is a conscious society - ow can we develop a conscious society - nclusion.

This day focused on the volunteer movement and the issue of inclusion, particularly how to create an inclusive environment for all young people and promote tolerance within student communities.

Day co-consciousness. Participants gained knowledge about the principles of an eco-conscious lifestyle, the planet's environmental issues, and methods for environmental conservation. t the end of the day, participants planted bushes to form an eco-network for student self-government.

Organizing such a project has numerous advantages. irstly, it contributes to the development of student self-government and active civic participation. econdly, it fosters a friendly and supportive environment where each student has the opportunity to be heard and influence decision-making. Thirdly, it promotes environmental conservation and the spread of ecological awareness among students. The project also served as a platform for sharing e periences and communication among training participants, providing an ophat o you think as i ple ente est in your project an hat as the least success ul The project was successful as all participants left positive feedback, and communication among participants continues. The least successful aspect was the inability to involve participants from all schools in the community.

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hat resources ere in ol e in i ple entin the initiati e The implementation of the training involved ervices of three trainers Rent for the venue, laptop, projector, screen, and bus obile banner erchandise shopping bags for participants and stationery eedlings and other items. chie e ents esults o the initiati e: The training contributed to an increase in awareness of student self-government, tools for youth participation, and understanding the importance of inclusivity and eco-consciousness in everyday life. The project fostered the creation of a friendly and supportive environment, allowing participants to stay in touch after the training sessions. ifteen training participants e pressed a desire to join the Youth Council. n eco-network of student self-government was formed, and positive feedback and desires for further Participant ee ack: his training as incredi le ots of emotions ne no ledge ne ith hom the friendship continues even after the training

friends

t as ama ing - e cellent no ledge ever thing as clear fun trainers ever thing as great ish there ere more interesting trainings li e this he training as ver cool all m e pectations ere met onl one pro lem it as onl for da s anted to spend more time ith ever one at this training lot has changed after it it as ver interesting to listen to open up to ever one unfamiliar honestl 'm not openl li e that in classes li ed it it as cool am ver satis ed est impressions had a great time made ne ac uaintances he training is e tremel interesting and informative learned a lot of ne things and also consolidated the information alread ne Ever thing is clear concise and accessi le han ou

The collaboration with the NGO Youth Platform has been e cellent. The overall relationship with the organization has been positive. The support, assistance, mentorship, and training met all our e pectations. We are left with positive impressions from the project.

outh ou c t the h t

e ou c

itle o the initiati e: elf-Development Growing Together ple entation perio : ugust November , escription o the pro le a resse : ased on research conducted by the team, one key problem was identi ed the youth indicated a lack of a modern trendy and interesting space in the community for organizing desired events meetings, training sessions, seminars, thematic activities and leisure activities for self-development and self-realization. escription o the initiati e: To address the identi ed problem, the Youth Council team decided to organize the community's rst forum, elf-Development Growing Together.

The main goal and objective were to gather representatives of the youth

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ommunities, invited guests, and showcasing the work of young people, illustrating current youth trends and areas of interest. We have designed the event program in such a way that all our guests have the opportunity to get ac uainted, e press themselves, and discuss contemporary aspects of young people's lives. t was essential for representatives from various settlements in our community to nd like-minded individuals based on their interests and continue their communication after the forum. The implementation lso crucial is the fact that thanks to the aving a ay Participation for Youth Councils project, we were able not only to conduct a large-scale orum which had not been done in our community before but also to set up a place for permanent use the R T Youth pace Club. This was necessary because, in the conte t of implementing our project elf-development Growing Together, it is the primary tool. hat as est i ple ente in your project an

hat as the orst

We believe that we have successfully conducted a series of successful advocacy campaigns both large and small , the results of which included the rural head's directive to permit the Youth Council to use the premises on a permanent basis and to set up the Youth pace in it an increase in the amount of funding from the local budget space arrangement a design project was created, and almost everything was done according to it, with some minor deviations, such as the design of the sofa also, the direct organization of the orum elf-development Growing Together can be considered the best decision with dignity.

Certainly, dif culties arose during the project implementation, complicating the work, but there was nothing for which we could not nd a solution. We cannot de nitively say that something did not work out. There were nuances, problematic issues that we were not entirely prepared for. or e ample, an air raid alarm was announced in the middle of the event. ll participants left the space and went to shelters, but we continued our work. owever, we were not prepared for this, and decisions had to be made in a manual mode.

We had to rearrange the program, swap the planned activities, and had to cancel some altogether because it was not possible to do certain things in the shelter there was insuf cient space, and using e uipment was not feasible, etc. . We also had to reschedule the lunch break the pre-prepared catering had to be literally moved into the shelter . s a result, participants and guests were somewhat fatigued. owever, overall, we are con dent that we did everything at a suf ciently high level. hat resources ere utili e or the initiati e During the implementation of the initiative, the following resources were utilized Premises of the Cultural Center in the village of Pidhaytsi permission was granted by the rural head's directive to provide the premises to the Youth Council on a permanent basis ppro imately , was allocated from the local budget through established cooperation with the local self-government for the initiative's implementation, including the creation of a design project. The project development also received nancial contributions from local businesses Publicity through social media and local media for the promotion of our initiative to attract volunteers and forum participants, in particular Own funds Volunteers. chie e ents esults o the initiati e: Thanks to participation in the project, we were able to Conduct the rst elf-development Growing Together orum in the community Obtain the community head's directive and permission to use the premises on a permanent basis for the Youth Council stablish the rst Youth pace Club in the community mprove cooperation with the local self-government increase trust in the Youth Council and young activists by , emphasizing that the Youth Council is not just an event agency but something more vital for the youth of the community Promote the Youth Council due to the implemented project, interest in the Youth Council's work, events, and projects we implement increased, and the number of supporters on social media grew

ee

ack an re ie s ro

participants:

E cellent forum and e cellent spea ers espite the alarm the continued the or t as ver pleasant to e in such compan ish ou success in achieving our goals and ma the outh ouncil gro ant to e press m gratitude to the organi ers for such an opportunit for us for the outh t as a fantastic e perience for me s a communicative person love participating in such events and or ing in a team hope this forum as not the last and loo for ard to ' elf-development ro ing ogether ' ill de nitel e involved in organi ing this event Ever thing as at a high level and sincerel dream of oining the outh ouncil and or ing ith ou in the future ou are ver comforta le to or ith Ever thing as ver ell organi ed at the highest level When as in England for training it asn't li e this n raine couldn't even imagine that such an event ould ta e place reall li ed ever thing

To the Norwegian Refugee Council Project team ave an Opinion Youth Councils' Participation from the NGO Youth Platform To the mentors of the project nastasiia Demianchuk, Olga Chepel, Oleksandr Tuz, and Pavlo To the involved trainers, and e perts To the youth council teams hank you

r e

orces o Ukraine

NGO "Youth Platform" 2023, Lutsk

edyna