On 27 November 2023, the Council of Europe project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III” presented the results of a research of the needs and state of activity of youth centres and spaces of Ukraine of various forms of ownership at the local and regional levels at the All-Ukrainian Forum “Youth Centres in Ukraine: Best Practices of Work with Youth in the Conditions of War”.

The purpose of the Forum was to strengthen the capacity and indomitability of young people who today actively fight for the independence of the state, participate in events for a meaningful dialogue to overcome the challenges that Ukrainian youth face every day in the conditions of the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.

Victoriia Bezsmertna, an expert of the Council of Europe project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III”, presented the results of the research to representatives of youth centres and spaces, international organisations.

The research methodology was based on methods of participatory research, which involve the participation in the research of representatives of target groups, the inclusion of common (popular) ideas and practices in the content of the research, a focus on expanding the opportunities of research participants, the absence of hierarchy to take into account interests and opinions of those with less power or representation, valuing different opinions and views.

Among the key finding of the research, the following can be distinguished:

• The main services/activities of youth centres and spaces, indicated by respondents, are: cultural events, non-formal education events for personality development, volunteering, support of youth initiatives, promotion of a healthy lifestyle for young people, affirmation of Ukrainian national and civic identity, sports events, education on human rights and democratic citizenship, training for those who work with young people, provision of professional psychological support/redirection programmes, employment, youth entrepreneurship, etc.
• Respondents identified the following as the urgent needs of young people that could be met by youth centres and spaces: the organisation of meaningful and safe leisure time, requests for informal education for personal development, communication needs, psychological support, support for youth initiatives, civic education, requests for career guidance, issues of employment, career growth, etc.
• Necessary competencies for employees of the youth centre/space are: work with various young people, the basics of psychological support, project management, research skills, etc.
• The requested support from the state for the development of the activities of the youth centre/space is the improvement of the technical equipment of the youth centres/spaces, the stimulation of experience exchange between the youth centres/spaces, the training system for the employees of the centres/spaces, the provision of financial support for the maintenance of the employees of the centre/space, the promotion wages of workers of youth centres/spaces, information company about youth centres/spaces, etc.

The presentation of the research results can be found in more detail at the link.

The research was conducted by the research team of the Council of Europe project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III” during August - October 2023 in co-operation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the All-Ukrainian Youth Centre in order to investigate the current situation and analyse changes in the activities of youth centres and spaces, comparing with the previous year. This is necessary for reviewing the work plan of both the Council of Europe Project and the Ministry, the possibility of forecasting development trends, clarifying the strategy and tactics of managing the quality and efficiency of youth centres and spaces, forming a comparative database for further improvement of the system of services provided by youth centres and spaces of Ukraine various forms of ownership at the local, regional and national levels, etc. The results of the study in 2022 can be found at the link .

This research is the second stage. The first stage was carried out by the Council of Europe Project in co-operation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine in August-October 2022. The results of the research were used, in particular, for the development of the new Action Plan of the Council of Europe for Ukraine for 2023-2026 and the project of the Council of Europe “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine” for 2023-2024, distributed among the youth centres of other countries that have the Quality Label of the Council of Europe. The results of the research can be found at the link.

It should be noted that the All-Ukrainian Forum was organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, the All-Ukrainian Youth Centre, non-governmental organisation “YouthUp” with the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Ukraine, the European Union and the German Development Bank KfW together with the USAID “Dream and Act” programme, which is implemented by IREX and with the support of ISAR Yednannia within the framework of the project “Sectoral Support of Civil Society”, funded by USAID.

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

The project encourages youth policy stakeholders 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, Council of Europe resources in the field of youth and open announcements for participation in project activities can be found here.