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Back Access to Youth Work: Teams of Newly Created NGOs Have Started Training

The Council of Europe Project "Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III" in co-operation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine has launched a long-term programme "Access to Youth Work" for newly established NGOs working with young people.

On 6-10 November 2023, teams of NGOs took part in a five-day training seminar "Ensuring Young People's Access to Open Youth Work: Strengthening the Capacity of Partner NGOs", which took place in Lviv.

Ten NGOs participate in the Programme:

Centre for Social Transformations TENET, Sumy region, Okhtyrka
Space of Public Initiatives, Dnipropetrovsk region, Pershotravensk
Go Byond, Chernihiv
The Youth of Olexandria, Kirovohrad region, Olexandria
NACHYNNYA, Kyiv region, Fastiv district, Tarasivka
TOLKOVI, Zhytomyr region, Zvyagel district, Dovbysh
COME OUT TO PLAY, Kyiv
YOUCHANGE, Ivano-Frankivsk region, Ivano-Frankivsk district, Kluziv
Youth Sails, Volyn region, Novovolynsk
Creative space "Kredents", Zakarpattia region Rakhiv district, Yasinya

The opening ceremony was attended by Maciej Janczak, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, and Vladyslav Yatsuk, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine. The Deputy Minister expressed gratitude to the Council of Europe and stressed the importance of co-operation between the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the Council of Europe project "Youth for Democracy in Ukraine", in particular in building the capacity of newly established NGOs working with young people.

The purpose of the five-day training is to strengthen the competencies of representatives of newly created civil society organisations in project and financial management for the implementation of open youth work for and together with young people.

Thanks to the expert work of the trainer team of the Council of Europe Project "Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III", the participants:

Created a space for mutual learning, exchange of practices and analysis of the experience of youth work of the teams of newly created NGOs, taking into account the standards and approaches of the Council of Europe.
Explored the main standards and approaches to youth work of the Council of Europe.
Acquainted with the concept of youth policy, youth work and youth studies.
Deepened understanding of the principles and functions of youth work.
Analysed the competences of youth workers on the basis of the Council of Europe's Youth Work Portfolio and the Professional Standard "Youth Specialist (Youth Worker)".
Explored who young people are in our communities and what their needs are.
Explored the content of outreach, detached, mobile and street youth work.
Strengthened the understanding of youth participation and to analyse the participation of young people in projects according to criteria.
Studied the content of the National Strategy for a Barrier-Free Environment in Ukraine for the period up to 2030, taking into account the planned project activities with young people.
Acquainted with the elements of the Council of Europe's project application for funding under the programme.
Finalised the project idea taking into account the standards and approaches of the Council of Europe.
Analyzed and took into account the risks and challenges of youth work project activities in time of war.

The Access to Youth Work programme will be implemented until October 2024 and provides training for teams of NGOs, mentoring and expert support for the development of project proposals and the implementation of open youth work projects.

The Council of Europe project "Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III" was launched within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine 2023-2026. The project builds on the results and experience of the Council of Europe project "Youth for Democracy in Ukraine" in 2020-2022 and will expand the systematic impact by strengthening youth policies based on participatory approaches and strengthening youth work during the war and in the post-war context, taking into account the specific needs of young people.

The project "Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III" highlights the importance of the Council of Europe's Youth Sector Strategy 2030 and reflects the National Strategy of State Youth Policy until 2030, the State Target Social Programme "Youth of Ukraine" 2021-2025.

The project encourages youth policy stakeholders in Ukraine to implement and disseminate the Recommendations of the Committee of Ministers to Member States: on access of youth from disadvantaged areas to social rights, CM/Rec(2015)3; on young people's access to rights, CM/Rec(2016)7; on Youth Work, CM/Rec(2017)4; on the participation of Roma youth, CM/Rec(2023)4; on the protection of youth civil society and youth and support for their participation in democratic processes, CM/Rec(2022)6.