On July 16, 2020 the Council of Europe project “Promoting civil participation in democratic decision-making in Ukraine” organised the interregional online meetup which brought together 60 practitioners in youth participation from 19 cities and towns of Ukraine, most of them – the representatives of ambitious and motivated youth. Young people presented their successful projects in various fields, received valuable advice from colleagues, got inspired by the success stories of like-minded people, gained new contacts, established cooperation with speakers on the implementation of youth projects in their communities.
Participants of the event heard 22 inspiring presentations from representatives of school and youth communities and NGOs demonstrating which initiatives are of interest to young people, where to start so as not to be disappointed, how a young person can implement a project not on paper but in real life and influence the development of the community.
Communities need motivated and enthusiastic young people who are ready to get involved in decision-making and local public life as soon as possible. The Council of Europe's standards, in particular, Recommendation on participation of children and young people under the age of 18, adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in 2012, represent clear guidance for the member states on involving children and young people in decision-making. It is infinitely inspiring that Ukrainian young people have many ambitious projects and initiatives that they want to share.
The Council of Europe project "Promoting civil participation in democratic decision-making in Ukraine" will develop (currently in online format) the platform "From dreams to action" - a forum where young people, their practice and experience will speak. The list of issues raised during the event will form the basis for further thematic online meetings with national and international experts of the Council of Europe, and the decisions and opinions of young people will be taken into account when implementing the School participatory budgeting model by Ukrainian communities.
