On 11 August 2023, day before the Youth Day, the Council of Europe project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III” in co-operation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, The National Agency of Ukraine for Civil Service and the Ukrainian Association of Youth Councils held a presentation-discussion of the research results of the needs and state of activity of authorities responsible for youth policy and youth consultative bodies, in particular, taking into account the needs and realities of young people in the war and post-war period, in online format.

Representatives of structural divisions responsible for youth policy, youth consultative bodies, public organizations and international organizations took part in the presentation-discussion.

The presentation-discussion of research results involved discussion and exchange of experiences and ideas regarding:

• obstacles to youth participation;
• possible and desirable actions to overcome obstacles to youth participation;
• the necessary competencies for the formation and implementation of participatory youth policy.

Vladyslav Yatsuk, the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, addressed the participants of the event with congratulatory words, and expressed his belief that the launch of the training program for civil servants and local self-government officials “Participatory Youth Policy” together with the National Agency of Ukraine for Civil Service, will allow to bring youth policy to a new level. In turn, the results of the research will allow to understand what and how to do it.

Rui Gomes, the Head of the Education and Training Division of the Youth Department of the Council of Europe, thanked the participants of the meeting for their resilience, for their courage, for everything they are doing now in Ukraine, and he is glad that the Council of Europe can provide its support. Gomes also emphasized that, regardless of responding to other urgent needs due to the invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine, youth participation remains an essential issue at the national, regional and local levels and is an integral part of the recovery and struggle for freedom and independence, and youth policy is impossible without the participation of young people. He also reminded about the special support of the Council of Europe European Youth Foundation for projects of youth organisations for young people from Ukraine.

Volodymyr Sonko, the Chairman of the Board of the Ukrainian Association of Youth Councils, emphasized that even in war conditions, youth participation does not disappear, youth are involved in decision-making processes, youth councils share their experience and practices, build a system of interaction between youth and the authorities. He emphasized that there are examples of continued activities of displaced youth councils in the country. This presentation-discussion of research results, according to Sonko, is another stage in the co-operation between youth and the authorities. It is because of this co-operation it will be impossible to lose youth policy at different levels.

The research was conducted during May-July 2023 with the aim of better understanding key stakeholders, their achievements, challenges and needs for the implementation of participatory youth policy. The target groups of the research are civil servants and local self-government officials, responsible for youth policy, as well as representatives of youth consultative bodies.

The research methodology is based on the methods of participatory research, which provide for participation of representatives of the target groups in the research; inclusion of common (popular) ideas and practices in the research; focus on expanding opportunities of the participants of the research; no hierarchy to consider interests and opinions of those with less power or representation authority; values-based attitude to different views and opinions.

Questioners, mapping, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted within the research.

• The results of the discussions during the presentation will be added to the research text and published on the project page.

The Project «Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III» is carried out in the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine 2023-2026 and was built on the results and experience of the projects “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine” in 2020-2022. The Project will extend the systematic influence by strengthening participatory youth policies and reinforce youth work in the war and in a post war context, taking into account the specific needs of young people.

The project emphasizes the importance of the Council of Europe Youth Sector Strategy until 2030 and reflects the National Strategy of State Youth Policy until 2030, the State Target Social Program “Youth of Ukraine” 2021-2025.

The project will encourage interested stakeholders of youth policy in Ukraine to implement and disseminate the Recommendations of the Committee of Ministers to member states: on the access of youth from disadvantaged neighbourhoods 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 Roma youth participation CM/Rec(2023)4; on protecting youth civil society and young people, and supporting their participation in democratic processes CM/Rec(2022)6.

News, resources of the Council of Europe in the field of youth and open calls for participation in the project’s activities can be found here.