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Back Call for participants: training for national youth councils of Ukraine on Council of Europe approaches in the youth sector

Photo caption: participants of the round table “Towards Youth Perspectives: Youth Work and Youth Policy during the Reconstruction of Ukraine” (28 November, 2025, Lviv – European Youth Capital 2025)

The Council of Europe project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase IV” in co-operation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine invites representatives of the national youth advisory bodies of Ukraine: youth councils under the central executive authorities, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Council on Youth Affairs under the President of Ukraine to training on the Council of Europe approaches in the youth sector. The activity is planned to be held in Ukraine from 31 May to 4 June 2026 (the city will be determined in accordance with the security situation). The training agenda also includes participation in the round table “Implementation of the youth perspective in Ukraine”.

The aim of the training is to strengthen the capacity of representatives of national youth advisory bodies of Ukraine to promote the implementation of participatory youth policy, expanding the participation of young people and integrating youth perspectives into decision-making processes at the national level in accordance with the standards and approaches of the Council of Europe, as well as through international co-operation, taking into account the challenges of the war and post-war period.

Learning objectives are:

to deepen the understanding of the approaches and standards of the Council of Europe and Ukraine on the participation of young people in decision-making processes;
to strengthen the understanding of human dignity, equality and justice as the basis for the participation of young people in democratic processes;
to explore barriers and ways to overcome them for the participation of various young people in decision-making processes to ensure their access to rights and the development of an inclusive environment, in particular in accordance with the National Strategy for a Barrier-Free Environment in Ukraine 2030;
to facilitate the exchange of experience between young leaders to ensure meaningful participation of young people and the effective operation of youth advisory bodies;
to explore opportunities for international co-operation and contribution to international youth processes and networks;
to plan further steps to implement the youth perspective, strengthen youth participation in decision-making processes and international co-operation.

Young people aged 18 to 35 are invited to participate in the training, who are ready to multiply the approaches of the Council of Europe in the youth sector in Ukraine, introduce a youth perspective and strengthen the participation of young people in decision-making processes at the national level and are representatives of youth advisory bodies at the national level: youth councils under the central executive authorities, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, as well as the Council on Youth Affairs under the President of Ukraine.

Participants are expected:

to be citizens of Ukraine;
to have practical experience in participating in decision-making processes at the local, regional, national or international levels;
to share and to be ready to promote the values of the Council of Europe: human rights, democracy and the rule of law;
to have the opportunity to implement in Ukraine the acquired competencies on youth participation and approaches of the Council of Europe;
to have the opportunity to work and communicate in Ukrainian;
to be able to communicate in English (is an added value).

Selection criteria:

practical experience in participating in decision-making processes at any level – local, regional, national, international;
motivation to take part in training;
plan to implement in Ukraine the acquired competencies on youth participation and approaches of the Council of Europe.

The Council of Europe welcomes applications from all candidates who fit a specific profile of activity, regardless of gender, disability, marital or parental status, racial, ethnic or social origin, skin colour, religion, belief or sexual orientation.

Participants should be able to commit to the full duration of the training and all its features. At least 30% of participants should be men. Due to the war and martial law in Ukraine, the organisers took into account the risk of participants refusing to participate at any time.