A public discussion of the draft of the Youth of Ukraine: A Generation of Resilience – 2030 State Target Social Program, initiated by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, was held at the Civil Society Home in a hybrid format. The event brought together representatives of government authorities, civil society and international organizations, and the expert community.
While opening the meeting, Uliana Tokarieva, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, emphasized that the Program introduces a new vision of youth policy as a strategic response by the state to the challenges of the full-scale war, national recovery, and long-term development.
“We are speaking about young people not as a vulnerable group, but as a key component of Ukraine’s human capital. This is a generation that is already taking responsibility for the country’s resilience, its future, and its values,” Uliana Tokarieva noted.
Viktoriia Demidova, Head of the UNDP Civil Society and Youth Support Project in Ukraine, stressed that: “The Program will define youth policy priorities for the next five years. This is a great responsibility for everyone involved in implementing youth policy and creating conditions that enable young people across Ukraine to develop, realizing their potential, and act as agents of change in communities.”
During the discussion, the Program was presented as an intersectoral framework designed to unite the efforts of central and regional authorities and partners. It was emphasized that the Program covers all young people, regardless of their place of residence or life circumstances, including veterans, internally displaced persons, young people with disabilities, young researchers, and representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora.
The discussion focused on key areas of state youth policy, including:
- Expanding youth participation in social and civic life.
- Developing volunteering and youth councils.
- Supporting mental resilience.
- Creating conditions for self-fulfillment and economic empowerment of young people.
- Supporting youth and children’s initiatives.
- Developing international cooperation and digital tools as drivers of accessibility and equal opportunities.
Through a moderated discussion and a Q&A session, participants developed proposals for improving the draft Program. Contributors included Liliia Shkyra, Deputy Head of the Youth Policy Department at the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine; Mykola Kobysia, Director of the Ukrainian Youth Foundation; and Denys Minin, Director of the All-Ukrainian Youth Center.
Participants also emphasized the need to move from isolated, ad hoc solutions toward a systemic youth support ecosystem based on long-term planning, evidence-based policy, and trust in youth initiatives.
Importantly, the draft Program incorporates priority tasks identified by young people, as well as measures aimed at developing a new regulatory framework for youth grant support and strengthening the institutional capacity of youth and children’s organizations. ISAR Ednannia values this partnership and notes that the organization’s experience and expertise were used in the development of the draft of the Youth of Ukraine: A Generation of Resilience – 2030 State Target Social Program.
Iryna Bieliaieva, Partnerships Development Coordinator at ISAR Ednannia, noted that this meeting marked the final stage in a series of consultations and working discussions through which proposals for the new Program were developed. According to her, the community-building approach used to shape the Program should become the foundation for its future implementation, with the active involvement of civil society, youth and children’s organizations, and all stakeholders in youth work.
The meeting concluded with a summary of outcomes and confirmation of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine’s openness to continued dialogue with young people, communities, and partners. The proposals developed during the discussion will be taken into account in the further refinement of the draft Program.
The draft Program is being developed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine in partnership with UNDP Ukraine, ISAR Ednannia, and UNICEF Ukraine with financial support from the governments of Denmark and Germany through the German Development Bank (KfW).
